Joist Hangers: Types, Nails, Sizing and How to Install Them Right
How joist hangers carry load, the main types, how to size one, which nails and screws to use, coating rules for decks and treated lumber, and common mistakes.
Fabrication & Installation
What Is Structural Steel Fabrication? The Shop Process Step by Step
Structural steel fabrication explained step by step: shop drawings, mill certs, cutting, drilling, welding to AWS D1.1, coating and shipping to the site.
How to Insulate a Metal Building (Roof and Walls, Step by Step)
How to insulate a metal building roof and walls: faced fiberglass, vapor retarders, thermal blocks, two-layer systems, retrofits and condensation mistakes.
Steel Base Plates: What They Do, How Thick They Are and How They’re Set
What a steel column base plate does, what sets its size and thickness, and how it is leveled, grouted and anchored, with the OSHA four-rod rule explained.
Can You Weld Galvanized Steel? How to Do It Safely
Yes, you can weld galvanized steel. Learn how much zinc to grind off, how to control zinc oxide fumes, and how to repair the coating to ASTM A780 afterward.
Structural Steel Erection: Step-by-Step Process and OSHA Rules
How structural steel erection works, step by step: foundations, columns, beams, bracing and decking, with the OSHA Subpart R rules that apply at each stage.
Bolt Torque Chart: Why Structural Bolts Are Not Torqued to a Number
A bolt torque chart is not valid for structural steel: the spec is tension in kips. Minimum pretension for A325 and A490, plus where torque does belong.
Moment Connection vs Shear Connection: What Actually Changes
How a moment connection transfers bending into a column, why it needs continuity plates, the main connection types, and what Northridge changed about welding.
Anchor Bolts: Types, Grades and How Columns Are Anchored to Concrete
Cast-in vs post-installed anchor bolts, ASTM F1554 grades 36, 55 and 105, how a steel column is set on its anchors, OSHA’s four-rod rule and common mistakes.
Weld Symbols Explained: How to Read a Welding Symbol
How to read a welding symbol: arrow side versus other side, fillet and groove shapes, size, length and pitch, the all-around circle and the field weld flag.