Space Force
It may not be the Enterprise, but a mezzanine needs to be able to take it, captain! The coolest job title ever is a Planetary Protection Officer (PPO). No joke, it’s a real thing and comes with a very attractive NASA salary of up to US$180,000! Let’s not get bogged...
Saying – and Doing – No
It’s time to stop sexual harassment in workplaces. Last year, following a National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces, the Australian Human Rights Commission released the landmark Respect@Work Report. Some of the key findings in that report were...
Local Supply
We talked with leading Australian manufacturers of GLT and LVL about how the past year’s import shortages have affected them and what’s ahead this year and next. Michael Lee, operations manager at CUSP, isn’t one for beating around the bush. “The reality is,” he says,...
Hybrid Panels
Metsä’s new tall timber option lowers construction carbon. While the world would doubtless be a more beautiful place if all construction were timber, here in reality we’re trying to make it a more sustainable place by increasing the percentage of timber in builds...
The Perfect Deck
Take guidance for a deck that will last for decades and leave you free to kick back with a coldie. The outdoor timber deck is one of the icons of Australiana. In our temperate climate it is the go-to area to be with family and friends. The smell of the BBQ cooking,...
New CLT and GLT
Timberlink’s highly anticipated CLT and GLT products are on their way, with the Tarpeena plant beginning construction and the launch of a new brand: NeXTimber. Australia’s move into leadership in mass timber construction has taken another big step with Timberlink...
Climate-Driven Fires
The CSIRO shows climate change is driving more, bigger fires. New research from the CSIRO published in Nature Communications shows that climate change has driven a significant increase in Australia’s forest fire activity over the past 30 years. Combining analysis of...
Breathe Easy
For Robin Curtis, the key quality of any new home is also the most basic: make it healthy. Before I spoke with Robin Curtis of Health Based Building, I’d been house hunting in Sydney. Frankly, I was glad Covid was still going, because my mask protected me from...
Penetrations in EWP, Part II
With multiple new uses of EWP having evolved, some standard approaches need a more engineered response. By Craig Kay, national product engineer, Tilling In the August edition of TTN I commenced a discussion about the design of large penetrations in EWP. In that...
Panelisation: Part 3
Machinery suppliers enable change in the industry through their offers and advice. Here, four leading voices give their take on panelisation and helping customers add it to their suite. Months ago, I rang Jason Reints of Bliss & Reels. I wanted a quick chat with...
Fighting Fire
Australians love building near the bush – and with timber. Thankfully, products with high BAL ratings take the anxiety out of this combination for everyone. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone these days who disagrees with the idea of BAL ratings. Has a whinge about...
Bullies Begone
From builders frantically pursuing supply to Covid Karen and her tribe of camera-wielding friends, it’s been a tough year for sales teams. Salespeople have one hell of a job. I know many love it, are brilliant at it and enjoy working with the vast majority of their...
New Green Machines
Combilift has added the electric Combi-XLE to its range, delivering a five-tonne capacity, driver comfort, rugged capability and absolutely minuscule running costs. Much is made of car fleets rapidly moving towards electrification around the developed world. It is a...
Supply and Demand
The Timber Framing Collective has launched its first campaign. Leaping into the thick of things, the new Timber Framing Collective has launched its first major campaign, enjoining stakeholders within the supply chain to shift the narrative to a demand challenge rather...
Name Change
One of the most trusted names in wood protection technology is no longer Lonza, but now Arxada – a name that covers the entire global chemical business. Corporate name changes are an odd feature of the business world, either reflecting a change in the company’s...
Immutable Rules
Some things are inevitable; leaving homeowners in the lurch with certification isn’t one of them. “Beginnings come with an end. Bear that in mind when you open this.” So say the opening lines of the instructions on a packet of Crazy Dragon frozen pork dumplings. I...
Versatile I-Joist
For current shortages, I-joist may provide workable, affordable solutions. By Afzal Laphir, Principal Engineer, Meyer Timber. Remember the good old saying “You can’t see the forest for the trees”? This may have a different connotation in recent times, especially when...
Tried and Tested
It’s been a challenging year for the EWP sector, but thanks to strong products, good communication and resilient design services, industry leaders are continuing to deliver. The process of writing a feature article involves stitching long conversations – usually held...
Powerful Partnership
Lendlease and Stora Enso have launched a global sustainable timber partnership for environmentally friendly construction. Sustainable timber construction has just received an enormous boost with the announcement of an ongoing partnership between Lendlease and Stora...
Performance and Behaviour
Tips and tricks to help you with some difficult conversations. One of the most difficult things that any employer has to deal with is what to do when an employee doesn’t live up to expectations. It isn’t an easy conversation to have with someone and it is a...
Selling Decks
Australians are happy to spend on decking timbers and treatments. We talk to the people behind some of the best new products, including timbers for areas you wouldn’t expect. Getting out on the deck is a classic Australian ritual, from the kids playing, to dinner...
Machinery Fair
Weinmann’s in-house exhibition features a wealth of fabricator-friendly machines. With international travel back on the cards for vaccinated Australians, Weinmann’s in-house exhibition, or ‘Treff’, at its St.Johann-Lonsingen home in Germany’s Swabian Alb is perfectly...
Get With Your Strengths
A spot of self-analysis can help you be the best version of you. Do you ever ask the question “Why is that person so good at that when I really struggle with it?” Or maybe it is “Why does that person struggle with something that I find to be easy and fun?” Every day...
Accurate Save
The machinery specialist has gone into bat for apprentices. Accurate Group’s Craig Honeyman recently popped on his activist hat. As managing director of the group, Honeyman talks with timber professionals around the country and is a keen participant in multiple...
