Open Monday through Friday 6:30am - 5:00pm + Saturday 8:00am - 12:00pm - Closed Sunday for Family Day ● Call or Come in Today ● 253.752.7000 Happy Trails Paul! Happy Trails Paul! Blake Fransen May 28, 2021 Goodbye and Congrats to Paul Tackett on his retirement! Paul moved to Washington when he was stationed at Ft. Lews at age 19. He has been deployed to Iraq twice and Afghanistan once. Last year, Paul retired after 20 years in the National Guard. He joined the GLC team in 2013, where he drove truck, then moved into the safety and inventory-control role. Paul is now retiring from GLC and moving back to his hometown in Idaho to be closer to family and start a new chapter with his wife and kids,. We will miss him, and are thankful for his GLC work and wish him the best of luck! 2x12 Garden Cedar is BACK IN STOCK! (Limited Time Only) Blake Fransen January 26, 2021 It’s that time of year again! Build your raised garden beds this year with our gorgeous 2x12 tight knot cedar! We have 8’, 10’ and 12’ lengths available at $4.78/LF Merry Christmas! Blake Fransen December 24, 2020 We wish you a very Happy Holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year! -Best wishes from your friends at Gray Lumber Company! TOOLS OF THE TRADE Blake Fransen November 4, 2020 The axe is one of the oldest tools used by mankind. The oldest axes were hand axes used by Homo ergaster as far back as 1.6 million years ago. The hand axe was a pear-shaped and roughly chipped stone tool brought to an even point, with a broad handle. The hand axe was probably used for many different tasks, everything from butchering animals to digging up tubers. Much later, the axe was given a wooden handle and several different types of axes were developed which can be divided into two main groups: Non-shaft-hole axes and shaft-hole axes. The axe is an example of a simple machine, as it is a type of wedge, or dual inclined plane. This reduces the effort needed by the chopper. It is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial heraldic symbol. Whether made from stone, bronze, copper or iron, it has remained one of the most widely used tools for cutting down trees right into modern times. Source: https://www.gransforsbruk.com/en/axe-knowledge/the-history-of-the-axe/ Lumber 101 Blake Fransen October 28, 2020 The board foot is a unit of measurement for the volume of lumber often used by wholesalers and sawmills in the United States and Canada. It equals the volume of a one-foot length of a board, one foot wide and one inch thick. Board foot can be abbreviated as FBM (for "foot, board measure"), BDFT, or BF. A thousand board feet can be abbreviated as MFBM, MBFT, or MBF. Similarly, a million board feet can be abbreviated as MMFBM, MMBFT, or MMBF. BLAST FROM THE PAST Blake Fransen August 28, 2020 Seen around town - WOW *Please note that we have since updated our phone number. PIERCE COUNTY APPROVED FOR PHASE 2 STATUS Blake Fransen June 5, 2020 From MBA Pierce: I am excited to share with you the great news! As of today, June 5th, Pierce County is officially authorized for Phase 2 of residential construction, effectively immediately. This plan was based on recommendations from the Construction Roundtable work group, which BIAW was a part of. View the Phase 2 approval letter. According to the Governor's Phase 2 Construction Working Group Requirements, all construction, including those activities for which social distancing may not be maintained and the start of new construction projects, is authorized to resume. To assist you, BIAW has prepared Phase 2 resources below to provide you with everything you need to know to safely and legally resume homebuilding. >> Phase 2 Construction Restart COVID-19 Job Site Requirements · Recording of Phase 2 Safety Requirements Webinar - May 20, 2020 · Recording of Phase 2 Safety Requirements Webinar - May 27, 2020 >> Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Resources >> Phase 2 FAQ Phase 2 Jobsite Safety Plan Template The first requirement is the Phase 2 Jobsite Safety Plan, signed by the contractor, must be developed for every jobsite. This plan must also be produced at the request of any employee or regulator. The following is a complete Jobsite Safety Plan template for you to customize for each of your jobsites: · Phase 2 Jobsite Safety Plan updated 5/22/20 Additional Required Jobsite Documents Under the Phase 2 Jobsite Safety Requirements, you are required to fill out this document on every jobsite where there are moderate and high risk task levels. · Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) Word · Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) PDF Fillable Required Jobsite Postings Under the Phase 2 Jobsite Safety Requirements, you are required to post on each jobsite, publicly viewable at all times, the following documents. · CDC Recommendations on Hand Hygiene - Click here · Name and contact information for the COVID-19 Supervisor(s) Jobsite Training Every employee must receive an initial COVID 19-specific Training Session. In addition, weekly COVID-19 safety talks are required under Phase 2. Below is a sample for the initial training session and log-in sheet to kick off your return to work: · First Toolbox Talk and Log-In Sheet Additional Phase 2 Resources · L&I's Hazard Considerations for Employers (except hospitals/clinics) Face Coverings, Masks, and Respirator Choices · Phase 2 Requirements for Professional Workplaces · Phase 2 Construction Requirements vs. Phase 1 Construction Requirements · DOSH Directive 1.70, with 5/15/20 update MBA Pierce is here as a resource to help you return to work safely. Please let us know if you have any questions. For more information on Pierce County's Phase 2 Safe Start, visit Pierce County's website here Sincerely, Jeremiah Lafranca Executive Officer Master Builders Association of Pierce County DECK SEASON! Blake Fransen June 2, 2020 HIGH STYLE - LOW STRESS Spend more quality time enjoying your deck without the fuss of caring for wood. Wolf Serenity™ Decking with High-Density Cellular™ Technology is a low maintenance decking that provides the color variation and texture of real wood. Its moisture repellency makes it ideal for rainy and coastal regions. Plus it maintains its color, even in the sun, so you can expect long-lasting beauty. Update: Construction Working Group Provides Recommendations to the Governor Blake Fransen April 16, 2020 From MBA Pierce: On behalf of our membership, the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), in partnership with several other business and construction entities, has been participating in Governor Inslee’s Construction Working Group to provide recommendations related to construction restart during COVID-19. On April 14, the Construction Working Group finalized a proposal to go to the Governor as a path towards restarting existing construction projects with specific COVID-19 safety requirements in place for sites where social distancing requirements can be met. While we are hopeful that this proposal will be accepted and Governor Inslee will allow for home building soon, this proposal HAS NOT BEEN ENACTED and the current STAY HOME, STAY SAFE ORDER IS STILL IN EFFECT. With that said, we wanted to let you know that we are hard at work on your behalf. Here are a few highlights of the proposed plan so that you can be ready to get back to work as soon as possible if it is enacted. This is with the caveat that this plan could also be altered by the Governor’s office. If adopted as is, the plan would require, at minimum: · A COVID-19 Exposure, Control, Mitigation and Recovery plan posted on EACH job site that is available for inspection by state and local authorities. · A COVID-19 site-specific lead must be designated by the contractor at every job site to monitor the health of employees and enforce the COVID-19 job site safety plan. · A Safety Stand-Down/toolbox talk/tailgate training must be conducted on all job sites on the first day of returning to work, and weekly thereafter, to explain the protective measures in place for all workers and attendees must be documented. · Social distancing of at least 6 feet of separation must be maintained by every person on the worksite at all times, including during breaks and lunch. · Generally, only allow one trade/subcontractor at a time on a jobsite and maintain 6-foot separation social distancing for each member of that trade. · Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) that must be used at all times. This includes masks (in accordance with the Washington Department of Health, which includes cloth face masks), eye protection, gloves (if gloves are not typically used for the work, any other type of glove may be acceptable, including latex) · Soap and running water shall be provided on all job sites. If running water is not available, portable hand washing stations, with soap are required, per WAC 296-155-140 2 (a)-(f). · Frequently clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces on job sites and in offices, such as shared tools, machines, vehicles and other equipment, handrails, doorknobs, and portable toilets. · When the worksite is an occupied home, workers should sanitize work areas upon arrival, throughout the workday and immediately before they leave, and occupants should keep a personal distance of at least 10 feet. · A daily attendance log of all workers and visitors must be kept and retained for at least four weeks. Please start thinking about these elements now -- Especially in the case of PPE, wash stations, and sanitizing materials. You may need to begin planning to acquire enough supplies now to be able to operate in the future. It is likely that no matter how construction restarts, these actions will be required to one degree or another. If this proposal moves forward, MBA Pierce and BIAW will help in developing and providing you with samples of the written materials you will need to keep on-site. Again, this is update on a current proposal to Governor Inslee and NOT a change to the current Stay Home, Stay Safe order. We will keep you updated as the situation evolves and let you know as soon as we are notified of any changes. >> COVID-19 Resources What's Going On? Blake Fransen March 26, 2020 From AGC: Commercial construction is largely shut down, except to support essential services such as IT infrastructure. As best we understand it, for example, data centers would be allowed to proceed, but not necessarily an office building being constructed by a tech company. There may still be some gray area here, but the main point is that construction can proceed if it supports an essential function of an essential industry, not simply any function. Please be in contact with your clients. Residential construction (except for publicly funded low-income housing) will not be allowed except as it relates to emergency repairs and projects that ensure structural integrity, and any residential construction that may be related to the provision of other essential services. This guidance will be in effect for the duration of the Governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy proclamation, currently slated to end Apr. 6, although the Governor has stated he may extend it if circumstances warrant. Be Smart + Stay Safe Tacoma Older Posts GRAY LUMBER COMPANY, 3800 SIXTH AVENUE, TACOMA, WA 98406, UNITED STATES(253) 752-7000