Masonry Magazine April 2011 Page. 27
Timber Break:
A Timber Break is a defect that is commonly missed during the grading process, making the plank "off grade."
Take a tour at the facility and see for yourself how the material is processed. Make a concerted effort to find out what the focus is: cost, averages, max output, quality, safety? You may be surprised by what you find. A good rule of thumb is "Price-Buyer Beware." If most manufacturers are $18 per plank and the "good deal" manufacturer is at $13 per plank, run the other way. A deviation of $1 to $2 per plank is normal.
On-grade solid sawn wood scaffold planks are workhorses; they have been for years and will continue to be. They perform well, are readily available and are designed to take the daily stress required in the field. Although the likelihood that your planks will fail under intended load is slim (by design, they should have a 4:1 safety factor) it is imperative to know the quality control processes of your plank supplier, the guarantee your supplier provides and his approach to safety in the industry.
If the goal is the cheapest, well, we know how that ends. After all, we're not talking about construction grade 2 X 4s that can be easily discarded and replaced; we're talking about spanning heights with scaffold planks that should safely support our industry and fellow co-workers. IMAS
Colby Hubler is director of sales/marketing for Mill Direct Lumber Sales Inc. and serves as the Scaffold Industry Association Platform Council chairman. He can be reached at Colby@milldirectlumber.com.
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