Weyerhaeuser Upgrades PSL

Weyerhaeuser has upgraded its Trus Joist Eastern Parallam PSL beams and columns with a new unique exterior coating.  The patent-pending proprietary surface modification technology reduces the rate of moisture absorption during yarding and construction, and delays the effects of UV penetration.

“The new coating is uniformly sprayed on to both the narrow edge and wide face of Eastern Parallam PSL at our manufacturing facility and chemically modifies the outside wood surface of the beam or column,” said Barry Viviano, engineered lumber products regional manager in New England. “The protective surface covering resists thickness swell from exposure to both moisture and UV conditions during construction.”

Manufactured in Buckhannon, W.V., Eastern Parallam PSL is available east of the Mississippi River, and is intended for interior use applications, such as open concept floor plans and great rooms.

From Building-Products.com: https://www.building-products.com/January-2017/Weyerhaeuser-Upgrades-PSL/

Regulatory Freeze Issued On EPA Formaldehyde Regulation

President Trump issued an Executive Order over the weekend that freezes all recently published EPA regulations for a 60-day review period. This review period delays the initial effective date for the EPA formaldehyde rule, pushing it from February 10 to March 21, 2017, according to the Composite Panel Association.

This change in effective date will only impact the deadline for accrediting bodies and third-party certifiers to register with the EPA. The December 12, 2017 implementation date for all panel producers and fabricators to comply with the regulation’s emissions and other requirements remains unchanged.

Since the formaldehyde rule was published in the Federal Register, it cannot be changed without further action by the Congress through the Congressional Review Act, which is highly unlikely, or through rulemaking by the EPA. At this point, there is no clear indication that EPA will open the docket for further comment or initiate a rulemaking to make changes to the existing regulation.

CPA will continue its advocacy efforts with EPA during this implementation delay to seek changes to the final regulation that address a handful of editorial and/or substantive issues, such as the restriction on labeling TSCA Title VI compliance until December 12, 2017.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/trump-administration-issues-regulatory-freeze-epa-formaldehyde

Soon-To-Close Georgia Dome Hosted Woodworking Events

The Georgia Dome hosted the NFC championship game, the last football event held at the venue. Several other events are planned in the coming weeks. Then the Georgia Dome will be razed and replaced by the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, now under construction just south of the current building.

The Georgia Dome was located just steps from the Georgia World Congress Center, the home of the International Woodworking Fair in downtown Atlanta. This past August, the Georgia Dome hosted an opening night reception for IWF attendees that was on the playing surface.

The dome also hosted actual IWF exhibits during the 1998 event, when there wasn’t room in Hall A and B.

The Falcons played at the Georgia Dome for 25 years, since it opened in 1992. It also hosted college football games, including the SEC Championship and Peach Bowl, college basketball games, wrestling and events at the Olympics.

If you’re planning to go to the next IWF, which will be August 22-25, 2018, you’ll be able to see the completed Mercedes-Benz Stadium just south of the GWCC.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/soon-close-georgia-dome-also-hosted-woodworking-events?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news

Composite Panel Association Reports Panel Shipments End Year Slightly Below 2015

Composite Panel Association Reports Panel Shipments End Year Slightly Below 2015

The Composite Panel Association’s December Industry Snapshot Report indicates that North American composite panel shipments of particleboard and MDF totaled 5.511 billion square feet for the year 2016, a slight decrease of 0.9 percent below 2015.

December shipments totaled 412 million square feet (MMSF) (3/4-inch basis), down 1.5 percent compared to the same month a year ago.

Particleboard shipments totaled 236 MMSF (3/4-inch basis) in December, and were 3.305 BSF for the year 2016, coming in 1.4 percent below 2015. MDF shipments totaled 176 MMSF (3/4-inch basis) for the month and 2.206 MMSF for 2016, essentially flat compared to 2015.

Capitalization rate for particleboard production was primarily in the 65 to 75 percent range for 2016. Particleboard shipments for both the United States and Canada have remained about the same for the past four years. Shipments are extrapolated based on data received from 95.2 percent of the U.S. industry and 100 percent of Canadian industry.

The Industry Snapshot Report is published by the 15th of each month and is available to members on CPA’s web site. The 2016 North American Shipments and Downstream Market Report will be published in May and provide a comprehensive analysis of industry shipments.

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Mass Timber: From ‘What The Heck Is That?’ To ‘Wow!’

Mass timber is sprouting up in cities in North America and abroad. After years of feasibility studies and design proposals, buildings six stories or taller constructed primarily from pre-engineered wood products are being considered in cities around the world.

In London, one proposal, called the Splinter, would rise to 100 stories. In Chicago, Perkins+Will (in collaboration with Thornton Tomasetti and the University of Cambridge) has designed an 80-story high-rise with 300 duplex apartments. If built, River Beech—a key component of P+W’s master plan for the Riverline development—would be made almost entirely from mass timber.

So-called “plyscrapers” are still a tiny sliver of nonresidential construction. In the past five years, only 17 buildings seven stories or taller have been completed worldwide, mostly in Europe and Canada. Six more have started construction, according to the American Wood Council.

Mass production of timber for high-rise construction is still in its infancy in North America. Specifying these products in the U.S. faces resistance from insurers, regulators, and code officials. Steel fabricators and concrete suppliers disparage mass timber for taller buildings on the grounds of safety and durability.

Proponents cite the speed at which tall buildings can be constructed using pre-engineered wood and mass timber’s ability to sequester carbon. Joey-Michelle Hutchison, RA, LEED AP BD+C, CSBA, Associate Vice Principal, CallisonRTKL, says, “The role of mass wood is going to grow because of the demand for sustainable design.” Researchers from Yale and the University of Washington, in a study published in the Journal of Sustainable Forestry (March 28, 2014), postulated that using wood substitutes for constructing buildings (and bridges) could save 14–31% of global CO2 emissions.

From Building Design + Construction: https://www.bdcnetwork.com/mass-timber-what-heck-wow

North American Plywood Offers Digital Staining On Plywood

North American Plywood has launched DesignPly, a new panel offering based on a first of its kind digital staining technology. The highly-automated production incorporates a high-speed wide-array inkjet press engine paired with robotic materials handling for on-load and off-load of materials in process.

Printing direct to substrate, North American Plywood has adapted an Inca Onset high-definition inkjet press into its panel processing system, employing a carefully calibrated digital staining and finishing process.

Employing instantaneous UV curing, the DesignPly system can replicate a variety of wood grain and other patterns to achieve the effect of top-grain veneer species in bookmatch or other patterns, on particleboard, MDF, metal and melamine panel. The DesignPly system can convert plywood into the look of veneer, beaded board, or laminated lumber surfaces, accepting panel sizes up to 63” x 123” and thicknesses up to 2”.

Developed and built in the U.K. and sold by Fuji, the Inca Onset multi-array inkjet press uses three sets of high speed heads to print on surfaces at the rate of 10,000 square feet per hour – roughly 200 5×10-foot sheets per hour. Originally adopted for point-of-purchase prints and store displays, the Inca Onset is being adapted to plywood panel for the first time by North American Plywood.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/high-def-digital-staining-plywood-simulates-fine-bookmatch-anigre?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news