Hearty hardware show \

BEST 0F SHOW: Exhibitors reported aisles oacked with attendees at the National Hardware Show Aug. |1-13 at Chicago's McOormick Place Complex. The bustle may be attributed to condensing the show into two giant halls by eliminating use of the far-off East Building and opening the show to more diverse products. Unfortunately, few mega-manufacturers of tools such as Stanley Tools, American Tool, and Black & Decker still have booths at the show. Also missing was any real representation of building products-which were once spotliohted in their own show-withinthe-show, the trt-ationat Buildino Products Exposition & Conference. Exhbii6rs included (t1 Wayne Craiq, Mike Jensen, Yoav Schwartz, Dave Dychijck, Paolo Zampieron. (2) Charlie Hellem, Warner Bucheit. (3) John Clark, Amanda Brown, Jeff Whittemore. (4) Bob McManus, Jim Slauson. (5) John Picone Jr., John Picone Sr., Janamarie Picone. (6) Robert Picone, Donna White, Alex Caliendo. (7) David Chernow, Bill Schriver. (8) Dale Stahl, Lynn Hall, Bruce Sanders. (9) Cody Lee, Peter Grealis, J.D. Greenberg, Eric Jaeger, Nate Greenberq. (10) Bruce Ostrander, Jim Reddingto-n, iim'Soder. (11) Glenn Graff, Rebecca Gable, James McDonnell lV. (12) Tom Arent, Todd Stan, Denise Radke, Aureen Berrv. The National Hardware Show returns to McObrmick Place Aug. 10-12, 2003.

Home Builders Stick With Glulams

Has engineered wood demand become almost immune to variations in the price of lumber?

According to some dealers, glulams are steadily increasing their marketshare even when lumber prices decrease. This is in contrast to the "old days" when builders used laminated beams when dimension prices were high and reverted back to stick-built framing when lumber prices declined.

That's the report from Roberts & Dybdahl Inc., one of the nation's largest wholesalers of lumber, glulams and other engineered wood. According to EWP sales and design manager Carl Seidler, many of Roberts & Dybdahl's pro dealer accounts have converted their builders from 2x lumber framing to the high strength Anthony glulam Power Beam-for good.

"Today's lumber customers often don't 'bounce back' to lumber framing when 2xlOs drop $30 per thousand," Seidler says. He compares it to a carpenter who won't go back to a hammer after he has tried a nail gun.

Distributors and dealers in the Houston, Tx., area report that glulams are maintaining their status as a specialty product, even though I-joists are now widely regarded as a commodity.

Sam Parker, LP Engineered Wood Product Distribution, Conroe, Tx., says Anthony beams are increasing market share because many of the largest builders in the region who build up to 2,000 houses per year have switched to glulams for headers and floor and roof applications.

"Builders like the fact that they can obtain cambered glulams, which means that a 5-l/2" Power Beam can replace a larger sized laminated veneer lumber beam,"

Parker says. In some markets framers are still fastening individual pieces of LVL together for header applications. in contrast to one-piece glulam headers.

"Builders who formerly framed floors with 2x12" lumber joists now prefer engineered floor systems with glulams and Ijoists." Parker adds.

"The extra strength of the glulams also helps to reduce call-backs."

"We estimate that 40Vo of all homes built

DEALERS increasingly find builders in this market now use staying w.ith.glulams despite low engineered wood sys- olmenslon lumDer pnces' tems, compared to l57o two years ago," Parker says.

Dave Scott, regional manager in the Houston area for Hope Lumber Co., agrees that glulam beam demand is increasing because "architects specify them and framers like them."

Scott says the environmental advantages of glulams are a big factor in the products' increased popularity. "Home builders and buyers like the fact that glulams are made from fast-growing smaller trees that are a renewable resource," he says.

Hope Lumber, with 30 locations, orders truckloads of beams through its Conroe yard. "Glulams are especially well suited for longer spans such as garage door headers," Scott adds.

Eatery Fed Up With Lowe's

A South Florida fast food restaurant is fighting Lowe's design plans for a new home center next door.

Lowe's plans to build a 141,533-sq. ft. store with a 36,396-sq. ft. garden center right next to the Pollo Tropical restaurant in Pembroke Pines.

The store's design calls for a lumber loading area directly across from the restaurant's drive-through lane. Pollo Tropical officials say that trucks unloading lumber will block customers' cars from entering the drive-through lane.

In August the fast food chain appealed to the city's board of adjustment for modifications to the plan, and has also hinted they may initiate a lawsuir against the city.

The fast food chain wants the city to require Lowe's to build a raised curb in the loading area and also to construct walls that would completely enclose the lumber and building materials area.

The city requires only that Lowe's paint stripes in the loading zone to indicate where trucks should park and to use meih screening to cover the lumber and building materials area.

Lowe's officials say any additional modifications to the lumber loading area would put the project over budget.

"Our estimates are $450,000," said Lowe's senior site development mgr. Chris Thalmann. "Lowe's cannot build the store if they have to build the walls."

Canadian Duty Talks Restart

Negotiations were expected to slowly resume late last month in the trade battle between the U.S. and Canada for the first time since Washington imposed tariffs on Canadian softwood imports.

A U.S. trade delegation was set to meet British Columbia representatives by the end of August. The meetings were described as "preliminary," with the sides reviewing the status of negotiations when talks broke down in March in the dispute over whether Canada subsidizes its lumber producers.

In May, the U.S. imposed 27%o duties on Canadian softwood lumber.

In July, the World Trade Organization backed the basic U.S. argument over subsidies, but said the U.S. Commerce Department used the wrong method for calculating the duties.

Building Products Digest welcomes Letters to the Editor.

Please send to Editor, 4500 Campus Dr., Suite 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660: Fax 949-852-0231, or by e-mail to dkoenig@ ioc.net.

Word Needs To Get Out

Please, please submit this excellent piece ("Congratulations to the Environmentalists," Aug., p. 6) to USA Today, Washington Post, Washington Times and New York Times.

Why would they not print it? Well, you know why as well as I, but don't you think it's worth the submission?

If your editorial even makes one of the above rags, then several thousand naive people have been enlightened to this country's disastrous public forest policies. Thanks.

Jack Aden

Rawles-Aden Building Products

20 Mainsail Ave. Petersburg, Va. 23803

Evaporating Enviros

Hats off to you on your editorial. Better yet, let's provide shovels and picks to the environmentalists and see how they perform putting out the fires they started.

Funny, you never see tree huggers when the trees are on fire. I view this as a double standard. Let's save the trees from being harvested and replanted, but if they burn, so be it. It's just nature. Hogwash.

Keep up the good work.

David Warford

Glen Oak Lumber & Millins

475 Wilbanks Dr. Ball Ground, Ga. 30107

To The Point

settle for import substitutes. Look for the nails in the famous bright red & yellow boxes.

J. Lee Johnson III, 84, former president of the now-defunct Cicero Lumber Co., Ft. Worth, Tx., died Aug. 17.

Mr. Johnson left the lumber industry in 196l to work in publishing.

John Behan, 52, president, Columbus Lumber, Brookhaven, Ms., died from cancer Aug. 12.

Story Sheppard, 68, long-time Dallas/Ft. Worth, Tx.. area wholesaler, died Aug. 5 in Clarksville, Tx.

I just wanted to commend you for your "Congratulations to the Environmentalists" article. I can tell you have done much research in regards to your article. I'm also commending you for the small amount of space you took in wirting about this very involved subject matter, very direct and to the point.

Thom Wright

All-Coast Forest Products

250 Asti Rd. Cloverdale, Ca.95425