- What material should I use?
- Does SWC utilize kiln-dried materials?
- Can I use treated wood?
- Can I use antique, reclaimed, or recycled wood?
- What materials are used for the hardware?
- How are connection plates coated?
- How are fasteners coated?
1. What material should I use?
SWC builds most of its trusses from Southern Yellow Pine, Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, Cypress or Glue-laminated materials. Material selection is driven by several factors:
- Customer preference
- Strength requirements
- Truss location & exposure to elements
- Pricing considerations
Please see the website’s section on material selection for more information, or contact us for more detailed discussion.
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2. Does SWC utilize kiln-dried materials?
This depends on the wood species utilized. Most of our Southern Yellow Pine Product is kiln-dried. This helps minimize further shrinkage of the timber after fabrication, but sometimes causes more checking (material splitting) up front. Dried material is less prone to checking after the drying process. Unless kiln-dried material is specially ordered, our standard Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar will be green (not dried). Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar generally do not require drying because they are inherently drier species and undergo air-drying during transit from the west coast. Cypress is a more stabile material (exhibits less shrinkage and checking with time) and we use mainly green Cypress during fabrication. Please contact us for any special drying requirements which can usually be accommodated.
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3. Can I use treated wood?
Treated wood is frequently used in exterior installations and is a proven way to guard against the long-term effects of moisture or insect-related decay. Certain treatments are colorless or of a tint suitable for light and medium stains. If darker staining or painting is planned, most treated wood will be unnoticeable after finishing. Care must be taken to use corrosion resistant hardware in these cases, since many treatments are corrosive to metals. Regulatory agencies also restrict the use of certain treatments in certain applications or installation locations for health and safety reasons. Please contact us if further information is required.
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4. Can I use antique, reclaimed, or recycled wood?
Yes, we fabricate trusses with antique or reclaimed wood to satisfy customers’ architectural or green construction objectives. There is a price premium for this material and many times, exact beam size is influenced by material availability. As an alternative, we offer several faux surface textures replicating a “reclaimed” or “time-worn” look.
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5. What materials are used for the hardware?
Various materials can be supplied, but our standard is A36 steel for connection plates, brackets or saddles, and A307 grade material for bolting. We are able to supply stainless steel plate and fasteners, or higher strength materials if required.
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6. How are connection plates coated?
Our standard A36 connection plates are delivered with one coat of black, alkyd based multi-purpose primer and finish paint. Depending on the customer’s requirements, we frequently galvanize plates that are used on exterior trusses. This is a requirement for most trusses utilizing treated wood, since the treatment is somewhat corrosive to hardware. The plate can be left as-galvanized, or painted over with the black paint above. When galvanized, the black-painted finish will have a slightly duller, textured finish because of the plating underneath. Another option is to powder coat plates, either with or without galvanizing. Powder coating is applied by an outside vendor and the surface finish is much smoother, with numerous possible colors and finishes. There is a minor price premium and slightly longer lead time associated with powder coating. Occasionally we leave plates and bolts unpainted so that a naturally rusted finish occurs. This is commonly used with interior trusses using reclaimed timbers for a more rustic appearance.
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7. How are fasteners coated?
Unless specified otherwise by the customer, our standard fasteners are painted matt black with a top quality industrial enamel specially designed for this type of application. This eliminates staining of the truss members with shipping oil or rust during the installation phase of all trusses, and protects against treated materials and the elements for exterior trusses.
We can, and often do, use galvanized or powder coated fasteners and for rustic designs we have perfected a pre-rusted and sealed look for both plates and bolts that looks very authentic. Besides our standard black, we can also use virtually any color paint selected by the customer (an up-charge will generally apply), and can provide touch up paint if needed.
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