From the Beginning to Now: History of Wood Trusses

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Wooden trusses have been used for a number of years in construction and are still very common today. Most of the wood trusses that are used for constructing buildings today are essentially triangulated lumber connected with galvanized steel plates or simply truss plates. Although it is true that the shape of roof trusses has not changed over the years, the way they are manufactured has. Wooden trusses today are safer and provide more support as well as durability than they used to, allowing structures to stand for much longer. The basic truss shape has been used since people started building log houses and cabins. With some of the earlier modern wood trusses, they were built on the actual construction site with the use of nailed boards at the joints. These trusses increased the lifespan of the structure and were significantly cheaper than un-trussed lumber. Modern roof trusses allow for larger and more open room designs. This roofing system is much faster and cost effective than the earlier methods that were used, and they require less fitting materials to be used in the field during construction. These trusses are most commonly used to build single and multi-family homes as well as commercial buildings; their strength-to-weight ratios allow for longer spans and offer incredible flexibility when it comes to floor pan layouts. Wooden trusses can be designed for virtually any shape or size and are only restricted by manufacturing capabilities as well as shipping limitations. The manufacturing and designing of metal plate connected wood trusses, which are the ones that are most commonly used today, is all done by computers. This is a detailed process in which an engineering drawing is made by a computer to detail and map out everything before the actual construction begins. Because of the fact that wooden frames are precisely engineered, they can be made to span much greater distances than the more traditional joist framing, resulting in increased design flexibility and fewer intermediate supports, including columns. These trusses have been used for years now in one form or another and are still a staple in the construction industry. Trusses are engineered to specific sizes, depending on the project. Every single truss has to have the exact same dimensions all around, which makes it much easier for those who install them to fir the trusses to the surrounding structure. Those who are planning to have a structure of some kind built, whether it is residential or commercial, will find that wooden trusses also help to reduce costs because of the fact that they do not require as many materials as joists do. Anyone who needs to find the best possible Oklahoma truss company will definitely need to take the time to look into their options in order to find the right professionals for the job. Wooden trusses have stood the test out of time as an effective means of supporting structures and are incredibly versatile, which are just two of the reasons why they are so popular in construction and architecture.