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So what’s it like helping people develop and produce over 150,000 different custom parts?  The Short Run Pro team now knows.   Since our inception in 2006, Short Run Pro and her affiliated companies have helped its customers design and create over 150,000 parts!

Our web-based platform, engineering team and production partners assisted in the procurement of excellent, quality certified, custom parts to fit the needs of consumers, small business and Fortune 50 clients for the last 8 years. Our state-of-the-arts, U.S. based manufacturing facilities produced every part right here in hometowns around the United States, providing jobs for our neighbors and fellow countrymen.  This is our commitment!  

Paul Bunyan was a “lumberjack” and when a tree fell he yelled “TIMBER!” But what is the difference between lumber and timber? Lumber and timber are words used interchangeably to refer to wood, but in certain places the words contain distinctions. In the world of Paul Bunyan and Wolverine, timber is wood that is erect and attached to the ground - in other words, a tree. Timber is also seen as wood that still has it’s bark and is unprocessed. On the other hand, lumber, a term that arose during the late seventeenth century, has been debarked and processed to a smooth, planed finish.  

In the United States and most of Canada, lumber is the term used for wooden boards, while timber has been known to mean either large members or smaller wooden boards that have been rough or saw cut.  Timber is generally cut to actual referenced measurements (A 4x4 would be 4 inches by 4 inches), while lumber has predefine dimension that are slightly smaller than the referenced sizes (A 4x4 piece of lumber would measure 3.5 inches by 3.5 inches).  

Another variation in the use of the terms timber and lumber hinges on the type of building being constructed.  Wood members in log homes or large timber framed structures like resorts and ski lodges are referred to as timbers.  Lumber is the more common term used in construction of “stick-built” homes or buildings constructed in urban neighborhood settings.  

At Bison Built, we take into account the difference between timber and lumber when creating our products.  We do this in order to bring the customer the best possible fit for the required construction project.  On a Timber Framing application, where terminology will tend toward the use of the term “timber”, our brackets will be designed using 7 gauge or 1/4 inch steel material thickness.  We refer to these brackets as Timber Plates or Timber Brackets.  These Timber  Brackets will also generally have dimensions that closely match the actual dimensions of rough cut timber.  In other words, a Timber Bracket for a 4x4 will be 4 inches by 4 inches.  

You will find at www.bisonbuilt.com that we have Lumber Bracket categories that will closely correspond to the our Timber Bracket categories.  Our Lumber Plates and Brackets will be similarly constructed but will take into account the defined dimensional difference between the referenced measurement and the actual measurement (a Lumber Bracket for a 4x4 will take into account the actual 3.5 inch x 3.5 inch measurement of the lumber).  Because stick built construction generally uses lighter weight materials than timber, we will also decrease the steel material thickness to 11 gauge on lumber units. This allows us to lower the cost per part and include a pre-galvanized steel material for the lumber parts.  Thicker steel material requires a hot dip galvanizing process after production which can be costly in low volume runs. Our goal is to make your project safe, affordable, and built tough.

As always, Bison Built is able to customize any plate or bracket requirement to meet your specific application.  You are not limited here.  We let you roam free like the Bison!  Let us know what you need and we will get you a quote for it.  Remember that whether you purchase from our stock designs or have a custom run of construction brackets made, your brackets will be made right here in the USA.