Gentlemen:

Here we go again.

Whit Holder posed interesting questions that I could take deep offense at since he essentially calls me a liar, but I won't. No Whit, the tolerances I mentioned are not CNC program tolerances, they are finished product tolerances. Yes, this is the real world. Yes, I have personally used micrometers and theodolites to confirm tolerances in the factory and the jobsite. The glulams we use are made in the most modern glulam factories in the world using fully automated four sided rotating presses, German 4 head planers with 12 blades per head, and fire-rated waterproof melamine adhesives. Should I apologize for that? Most of the wood comes from Scandanavia, a very interesting subject all by itself. These manufacturer's have strictly enforced QC programs. More importantly, my company, which is not a small one, has QC procedures in place in its own factories and jobsites to monitor and remedy the inevitable tolerance problems that creep in. Japanese clients are unreasonable about quality, and they check everything themselves. I am not exaggerating when I talk about 1/64" tolerances. You might find it interesting that the single largest obstacle to maintaining tolerances is sawdust, so cleanliness at the plant is very important. Some plants do better than others. Perhaps you will think me arrogant again? If so, remember that I am not talking about a traditional timber frame, but a consumer product. I am not asking you to buy it or even like it. It is just another building system, so please don't take offense. If you want to take the time, Whit, I can arrange for you to visit one of the plants in Japan next time your are in the country and you can confirm with your own micrometer if this is the "real world" or not.

The biggest obstacle to maintaining jobsite tolerances and schedule is one that every one of you that works in the field no doubt experiences frequently: concrete and AB's. I would greatly appreciate ANY ADVICE you gentlemen can share with me about how to deal with these problems in the US and Canada effectively.

Scott took offense at the words "call yourself master." Sorry Scott, you have it wrong. I wrote that "I would apologize and call you master" when all your joints were perfectly 90 degrees. This was in response to Emmett's taking offense because he interpreted my comments as disparaging traditional timber frames as not being precision made. Once again, my product is not a handmade frame, with handmade tolerances, but a factory produced consumer product. Apples and oranges, IMO.

I don't follow The first paragraph of Milton's comments, but I would very much like to understand it. Perhaps he would be kind enough to rephrase?

Every building is erected by people, Milton, so yes, a great deal of thought goes into the people involved, and their welfare. I suspect I am not grasping the entire meaning of your statement.

Regarding CPM schedules and site tolerances, and the rigors of the jobsite, let me explain my background. The men of my family have been carpenters since before the boat from England to North Carolina. My father has a degree in geology, but worked as a carpenter and jobsite superintendent his entire career. I worked as a laborer pulling nails out of concrete forms on his jobsites during summer break as a young boy (there was a time when such was possible). I completed the carpenter's apprentice program and became a union carpenter in Las Vegas, Nevada, where I grew up. I have worked on concrete, steel and wood buildings in the Nevada deserts in 120 degree temperatures facing 30 mph winds full of blowsand. I payed my own way through college (civil engineering) working as a self-employed carpenter and cabinetmaker on the Wasatch front where the weather can be very chilly and it snows, a lot. While a student, I designed and built two timber truss bridges for the Utah Forest Service, the first was 24 feet, and the other 64 feet. Both DF K trusses secured with M&T joints and white oak drawpegs, wide enough for two bulls to walk abreast, but not wide enough for a Ford Pinto (that should date it).

I received a masters degree in structural engineering from the University of Tokyo. I worked for a large general contractor in Tokyo for ten years, and participated in managing several projects in various locations in Japan. Subsequently, I worked as a project manager on construction projects in Guam, Bangkok, and London. I have worked as a project manager in the US for 15 years, the last five years in Ohio. So yes, I do know what it is like to work on the jobsite. I do know what it is like to create and then follow a CPM schedule. I do know the pain of a strained back working to lay roof sheathing in blowing snow. I have experienced true terror holding onto the brace of a tilt-up panel swinging from a walking crane in high winds, all the while praying to God fervently that the picking eyes won't pull out. You all have similar experiences, I am sure.

Milton's comment about GM and "low bidder capitalism" is interesting. I don't pretend to be an expert or have special knowledge, but while working in Ohio, I had the opportunity to work for Honda, Toyota, and suppliers to GM. This gave me the opportunity to speak in depth over months of time with former managers of GM and Ford, and with plant managers supplying products to GM and Ford from the factories I was working on. Based on the things I learned from these men, it would seem that low-bidder capitalism is not the problem, but rather dishonest abuse of suppliers, and disregard for quality when even a penny in profits can be realized. Very enlightening discussions about supply contracts. I feel sorry for the honest people at GM & Ford that suffer because of short-sighted management.

Gabel asked about panelization. In the case where the shear wall/exterior skin sheathing, roof, and floor sheathing and insulation needs to be installed along with the frame in the 1.5 days I mentioned, the panels are cut and wall insulation glued to the panels in the factory. They are not SIPs. Sometimes, however, clients want glass insulation, due to lower cost. This naturally extends the schedule, but the enclosure is completed on time nonetheless. It rains a lot in Japan, so quick, reliable enclosure is important. Of course, Japan has no monopoly on inclement weather, and the same features should be advantagous in the US.

The key to making all this work precisely as planned is careful planning. We have an AutoCad based design program that is linked to a structural design module and CNC module. It costs way too much money to make, but it works pretty well. After receiving dimensioned layout drawings from the architect, an operator typically spends four hours inputting data. This requires talent and experience. The program determines the member sizes and dimensions, and connectors to be used, and also performs the structural calcs and paperwork necessary for submittal automatically. It also creates the erection drawings, cutting list and specs automatically. The CNC data, also created automatically, is sent to the factory via the internet, where the parts are cut, usually in about 2 hours for a normal residence. Size can vary. The average size is around 1,400 sf, I think, but we have several regular retail and franchise restaurant customers that want bigger frames 6,000 sf plus. It depends. Two stories is most common, but three is not unusual.

The erection process is fascinating, but may be repulsive to many of the traditionalists in this forum. Most connections are made using metal connectors hidden in the members and secured with 13mm steel drift pins. There are some mortise and tenon joints used, mostly at wind columns, but these are usually added just for convenience in positioning and to make the carpenters that are accustomed to M&T joints feel comfortable, since M&T timber frames still make up the majority of residential wood construction in Japan.

Columns are erected first. Beams drop onto the connectors and are secured intially by gravity and the interlock of the pre-installed connectors and pins. The joints are locked in place by driving in a second drift pin at the beam. The ends of DPs are knurled for an interference fit, so once in place, they will not vibrate out. Roof frames go together using hidden steel plate connectors and DPs. Roofs are not usually true trusses, since traditional Japanese timber framing abhors connections in tension. Of course, you are all aware of the reasoning behind that logic. In any case, things go together very quickly and precisely.

The system is designed so that, in the case of the average house (commercial projects not included), two guys on ladders or scaffolding can erect all the parts. However, a truck crane is usually used, and indeed is necessary for the 1.5 day erection period I mentioned.

The last project I visited was in April, and was a large restaurant in Nasu Shiobara. It was erected by a first-time subcontractor using a hydro crane. The crew were veterans of many decades of fabricating and erecting traditional timber frames, and so all brought the usual tools: squares, chisels, slicks, planes, kakeya (large wooden mallets) and handsaws in anticipation of making jobsite adjustments. The only tools they actually used during erection (aside from levels, plumb bobs, and drills etc for dealing with naughty anchor bolts, "by others") was a hammer. Just a hammer, not a tape measure, not a square, not even a pencil, much less a chisel or saw. This is the real world. I have pictures if you want to see them. This first-time crew had nothing but positive things to say about the structure. Why not?: it was a beautiful, satisfying frame; it made them look very professional; they were finished ahead of schedule and under budget; and the client was pleased.

It is a very nice restaurant with exposed beams and columns made for an old customer. I think most people that love timber frames would like the appearance and atmosphere of the completed structure. Part of that is a result of the beauty of the gluelams which exhibit no purple gluelines, few knots, and are planed in the factory to a very shiny, luxurious (IMO) surface (German rotary planers, not fixed-blade "super finisher" machines). I suspect it was a little higher in cost per square meter than a stick-framed building with a concealed structure would have been, but not by much.

We think there is a market for this in the US. What do you think?

I really would like to hear your solutions for concrete and anchor bolts. Please.

Your most humble and obedient servant.

Stan