Wood Truss Nomenclature

[jheidt2543]

I am looking at a drawing of a wood timber truss design from 1907. The drawing calls out the member sizes and has a number of details. The trusses are clear span of 68'-6", they have 8"x10" top and bottom chords, web compression members of 4"x8" and web tension members of 7/8" and 1-1/4" diameter steel rods, with nuts and washers top and bottom. Bottom of the truss is +31'-1" AFF.

My question is, the drawing calls out all the steel bolts as JD59, JD97, JD104, JD349, etc. Does anyone know if this designation is for some standard material or type of steel? Does it refer to a washer and nut type? Or,do you think this designation may be specific to this job or detailer?

Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to offer.

 

[epr]

Sounds to me like the detailer is referring to Joint Detail 59, Joint Detail 97, etc. You are probably missing the detail drawing. The number may refer to a pattern and/or size of bolt.

The designations do not look like any bolt specifications from that era. According to "The Civil Engineer's Pocket-Book Published 1909 (my fourth printing edition is dated 1916), bolts were designated by letters referring to the manufacturer, such as A, Aa, B, C, Cc,D and E.

 

[jheidt2543]

I just got back down to earth. I took another look at the structure itself with the aid of a hoist I got up to the 31' bearing elevation of the trusses (just an aside, I could never be an olympic diver, that 10 meter board is too high for me!). I noted a cast iron beam seat, like an ornate 8"x8" clip angle with one bolt in each face, used to help connect the truss to the wood columns. Cast into the seat face was the number JD56. SO, now I believe what I am looking at is a part number for a set of standard wood connectors.

Has anyone run across a supplier of timber truss connectors from back in 1900?

 

[epr]

It is possible that a manufacturer may have had their own standards, but I know there were no national standards for truss connector plates at that time. Cast iron pieces like those were usually custom cast per job requirements.
By the way, I previously told you that bolts were designated by letters for each manufacturer, and this was incorrect. The letters previously mentioned referred to which railroad company specification was followed in the manufacture of the bolt. Sorry for the misinformation.

 

[jheidt2543]

Another puzzle piece shot down. I had a suggestion that perhaps the JD in front of the part numbers might mean John Deere, which had a foundry operation at one time. It sounded plausable, so I did a little research on John Deere, but that firm didn't get its start until 1918, which would have been after both buildings were built.

I now have six different prints of wood trusses built from 1894 to 1910 and they all have references to timber truss connectors with numbers like JD 94, JD97, JD104 etc. So, I still think they are references to some parts catalog for timber truss accessories of the time.

Anyone else have any idea? Thanks.

 

[ERV]

JD Oliver operated foundries and assembly plants for farm implements from 1855 to 1929. Among them there was South Bend Iron Works, Oliver Malleable Manufacturing and in 1905 changed to Oliver Chilled Plow Works. James D Oliver received 45 patents in 49 years, last patent was issued in 1905. JD may have designed and cast these with plans to patent them. JD died in 1908 at the age of 84. The company continued until 1929 at which time all the interest was sold.

JD also participated in many commercial and residential real estate developments including the first hydroelectric plant in South Bend, Indiana.

Frank Loyd Wright may have also used these in some of his truss designs.

 

[ERV]

jheidt2543,

Just a little piece of information and a link. Jhon Deere actually started in 1837.

http://www.deere.com/en_US/compinfo/student/timeline_1837.html

 

[jheidt2543]

ERV,

Thank you for the link. The web search I did turned up the information I quoted above, but it apparently was wrong or I read it incorrectly. I'll make another try at John Deere's history webmaster.

I did also try to search out information on JD Oliver and was able to find some historical information, but nothing on the connectors. Oliver's history is also as interesting as John Deere's.

Thanks for the effort!