Brick laying machine GIF

[Jon]

[Beserkleyboy]

Jon, rather than just mortar, that appears to be the special cement based adhesive, not unlike thinset. The blocks are AAC. Here in AUS they are made by CSR and called HEBEL. A very efficient way to build masonry structures. Usually cement rendered as final finish. Cheers

Jim

[McDesign]

I think Hebel used to have a presence here in Atlanta, but couldn't raise enough interest in the land of cheap pine lumber.

[Frank S]

I think Hebel used to have a presence here in Atlanta, but couldn't raise enough interest in the land of cheap pine lumber.

Yeah so they just roll merrily along building more termite havens

[McDesign]

Dangerous chemicals! We fight 'em with dangerous chemicals!
My wood house is from 1886; some termite damage, but we used chemicals!

[Beserkleyboy]

We are doing an increasing amount of steel framing here in AUS...They market it as termite proof(yes), fire proof(NO!) and of course EVERYONE knows steel is stronger than wood...shame the folded c section studs are about 16 ga...weak as piss..anyhoo, most houses are still timber framed using prefab frame and truss of h2 (LOSP treated for termite and rot resistance) KD Radiata Pine or 'Slash' Pine (Pinus Elliotii) same as some of your South Yellow Pine. Typical cladding is brick veneer, horizontal 'weatherboard', of fibre cement, masonite or sonetimes even trusty old wood! We use a LOT of treated pine here...used to be all CCA, now anything with potential human contact is ACQ. AUS and NZ have worked bloody hard, and successfully, at making a silk purse out of a sow's ear with Radiata Pine...Sawlogs in 25 years, Plywood peelers in 30-35...not to bad a rotation...cheers guys
Jim (3rd gen timber merchant)(

[McDesign]

Interesting - anything simple I make from pine at the big box store - I realy like the figure in Radiata - was making a tapestry/loom frame for my wife last weekend - Radiata NZ for what shows, and SPF from Sweden for structure!




Forrest - here in Atlanta; far from NZ and Sweden but surrounded by pines - weird

[Frank S]

Actually if the steel studs were 16 ga they would be quite strong for framing the problem is formed and punched steel framing studs are not more than 22 ga for the walls only the perimeter and strategic load bearing studs will be heavier ga and the whole thing is held together with the minimal amount of dry wall screws or in some cases clamped together and punched with pneumatic punches the hole is what holds the studs together. In my opinion houses built in this nature can only remain standing as long as the drywall does not get wet. and the insulation board now days almost always some type of foam board. and 2 or 3 sheets of OSB to prevent racking in the wind.
A far cry from forming up and pouring steel reinforced concrete pillars then stacking a double row of Hebel blocks with 6" of closed cell foam between the rows every 3 courses tied together with a wide long strip of steel lattice the walls caped with a poured in place concrete beam. Then shot crete blasted on the exterior the interior walls either plastered and painted or tiled with ceramic tiles and ceramic tile floors . the only thing flammable in a house like that is the furniture a3 story house will with stand a 200 MPH hurricane or in most cases an earth quake of 7.5 without any cracking. The only other wood you might find in the house would be in the fireplace Why you wold ever need a fireplace in an area where the average day time temperature in the winter is 50°f is beyond me.

[ranald]

We are doing an increasing amount of steel framing here in AUS...They market it as termite proof(yes), fire proof(NO!) and of course EVERYONE knows steel is stronger than wood...shame the folded c section studs are about 16 ga...weak as piss..anyhoo, most houses are still timber framed using prefab frame and truss of h2 (LOSP treated for termite and rot resistance) KD Radiata Pine or 'Slash' Pine (Pinus Elliotii) same as some of your South Yellow Pine. Typical cladding is brick veneer, horizontal 'weatherboard', of fibre cement, masonite or sonetimes even trusty old wood! We use a LOT of treated pine here...used to be all CCA, now anything with potential human contact is ACQ. AUS and NZ have worked bloody hard, and successfully, at making a silk purse out of a sow's ear with Radiata Pine...Sawlogs in 25 years, Plywood peelers in 30-35...not to bad a rotation...cheers guys
Jim (3rd gen timber merchant)(

I used to plant H4 bollards for Brisbane City. The engineers insisted the bottom of the fence holes were gravel about 19mm in the tender process: the posts had to be in contact with the gravel. I found out the hard way why they had that clause as, at home, I had built an awning using H4 treated turned(true ) logs & the underground parts rotted out where they were in concrete with no where for the moisture to go. I don't know why the one I built at my previous house still stands but it was in sand whereas the other was in clay but both were fully encased with concrete about 20mpa. All those council fences and bollards are still good today as well as the thousands of heritage hardwood ones I used a RSA with daddo blade to create. I guess the H4 maybe should have been H3 or H2 labelled on them.LOL now, but a pain redoing the leanto. If its worth doing its worth doing it properly comes to mind.

cheers

[ranald]

Hebel is loved by artists and budding sculptors alike as it is easily worked by handsaw & rasp. I only tried my hand at it once to see what all the fuss was about and created a simple ball on a cube that i thought I'd use as a small water feature but I've been working on a much bigger one.