Datasheet

T
askwood
Answers
to
your
questions
from
letters,
e-mails,
and
W00D 0NLlNEo
Sileel
vls.urcod
for a
rrrorlslrop
1|I
After
working
in my basement
Y
for a number
of
Years,
I'm
going
to
take
the
plunge
and
put
up a
detached
building
as a
workshop.
What are
the advantages
and
disad-
vantages of
all-steel
kit buildings,
as
compared
with a conventionallY
framed and
sidbd building?
-BillShaw
St.
Paul, Minn.
Bill, if
you're
thinking
about a
large building,
steel
is the more
practical
choice;
you
can
have a wide,
tall
space without
any
interior supports.
For a more typical
workshop,
compara-
ble
in
size
to
a two-car
garage,
the
deci-
sion
gets
more complicated.
Steel
and bolts
certainly
produce
a
sffong,
solid building,
but make sure
you
won't
have
problems
with
rust on
the out-
side or condensation
on the
inside.
Before
you
buy from
a
particular
company,
ask
for ndmes of
previous
buyers in
your
area, and-arrange
to
inspect one
yourself.
H that
building
looks sound, figure
out
how much time,
effort and
money
it
will
take to
give
interior walls
the appearance
you
want,
and
how
you'll
provide
for on-
wall storage.
The combination
of steel
and,
in
somg
cases, a curved
wall calls
for
a different
approach
than a conventional
building.
Also,
look into any
local build-
ing
regulations that
might affect
yotn
choice.
Once
you've
decided what
you
want
in
terms of
square footage,
doors, and win-
dows, compare
the cost
of one building
style with
the
other. We asked at
a home
cgnter
for a rough estimate
on a conven-
tionally
built building,
compared those
'
numbers
to a steeJ kit
price,
and didn't
find much difference.
16
you'll
sftaighten
out
this
problem,
Bob.
WOOD
magazine November
2002
-r
Steel
buildings
look a
lot different
inside
than conventionally
'
framed ones. On-wall
storage
is a
factor to
consider,
too.
Remember ttrat
kit
prices generally
don't
include
a concrete
floor,
wiring,
heating
and cooling,
or
insulation.
Determine
whether
you'll
need machinery
to
unload and
move
parts,
and
how many
people you'll
want to
he$
with
the
con-
struction.
Finally, before
you
order,
ask
about
guarantees,
style options,
and
the
availability
of advice
via
phone.
Here's a
list of steel
kit rpanufacturers:
c
Azter Steel, 8001891-67
33,
www.steelspan.com
.
Future Steel,
800/668-8653,
extension
L333, www.futuresteel.com
.
Miracle
Truss, 800/663-0553,
www.miracletruss.com
.
Pioneer, 8Nt668-5422,
www.pioneersteel.corn
.
Steelnraster,
8001341-7
0[7,
www.
steelmasterusa:com
.
U.S.
Buildings, 8ffi1463-6062,
www.us-buildings.com
JIVO0D@
magazine
The straiqht
storv
aleorrt
ioifrters
'
Unplug
the
machine, and
make sure
the
knives are
all set
at the same
height,
and
parallel
to
the
infeed and oufeed
tables.
Then, set
the oufeed
table so
that
it's
level with
the cutting
edge
of a
knife at
the top
of its
rotation.
If it's too
high,
you'll
get
a concave
surface
on
your
workpieces;
too
low, and
you'll
remove
too much
wood at the
back end of
the
cut.
Before
you
run a board
across
the
joint-
er, sight
along
the surface.
If it's convex,
let the
ends
go
untouched
by
the knives
for the
first couple
of
passes
while
you
smooth
the middle
portion.
If it's concave,
let the
middle
ride high while
you
mill the
ends. On
the
final
passes,
apply downward
pressure
on
the board
over the
oufeed
table to
keep the board
flat.
-rJV00D
magazine
n
I'm
just
starting to use
a
jointer,
!|
and so
far the results are disaP'
pointing.
lseem to
put
a bow
into
every
board. What
am
I
doing
wrong?
-Bob
Markel, Ann
Arbor; Uicn:
-i
Recheck
your
jointer
setup,
prac-
tice the
right work
habits, and
An aluminum
straightedge,
such as
this
torpedolevel,
can't nick
jointer
kliNes,
so it's
id&l for setting
an outfeed
table.
Continubdonpage
18