Bench
Steel notes
What a New England steel crew learns about the trade, the codes and the weather
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Steel notes checked
One contract, many bays: raising a steel hall
How a steel-framed hall goes up bay by bay when a single design-build contractor holds the job, and what changes for the erector on site.
7 min read
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Steel notes checked
What AESS means on a drawing, and what changes at the bench
Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel is a note, a category and a viewing distance, not a grade of steel. What AESS 1 through AESS 4 actually change about a cut, a weld and a mill certificate.
5 min read
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Steel notes checked
Shop weld or field weld: what the drawing actually says
Bench check on a weld callout: where the symbol puts the weld, what the field flag changes, and what the crew does when the drawing and habit disagree.
6 min read
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Steel notes checked
Winter steel in New England: what the cold actually does to a job
Cold steel, condensation and the calendar: what a New England winter does to fabrication and erection, measured on the bench and read against the drawings.
6 min read
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Steel notes checked
Read the shop drawing before you cut: the five minutes that save the afternoon
Piece marks, material callouts, camber notes and general notes, read at the bench before the saw starts, with the readings and the lines they came from.
6 min read
