Automated Builder July 2010 : Page 8

Purlins are attached with #14 screws to clip onto top chords of the trusses. Erection of Primary Frame Systems buildings can be handled by two men. Virtually all panels weigh 150 lbs. or less. All panels are bolted to concrete slabs and require no temporary braces. Almost completed frame work for agriculture building. Note that trusses are not sitting on the walls but are bolted to tubular panel posts. Division of Wells Enterprises: Unique Tubular Primary Frame Systems Now Ready for Additional Steel Builders TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Having built over 3,000 steel structures from the oil fields of Texas to the ag fields of Min-nesota as well as commercial jobs from California to New York, Orie Wells now is ready to recruit more engineered builder participants. President of Wells Enterprises and developer of the Pri-mary Frame System, which he likes to describe as a ‘space frame system,’ Orie Wells is a Michigan native having grown up and attended high school in Kalamazoo, MI. He went from graduation directly into trade schools covering sheet metal work and fabrication and construction of steel build-ings and erections. He then worked in the oil fields creating steel structures that had to be quickly assembled and dissem-bled as the oil industry required. He founded his own com-pany in 1982 and has been in the construction of engineered tubular steel framed projects ever since. At present, Primary Framing Systems has several dedi-cated partners working in designated areas in the U.S. “Going into semi retirement,” said Wells, “I’m now seek-ing more partners in many other areas of the nation. Our program includes all of the training required for new users inside the fabrication shop to build the steel panels and roof trusses plus all the training required for the field work in erecting the structures. Our system will work with any build-ing under 30' clear span and up to 14' eave height. Naturally, I will furnish all the training a new company needs to design, estimate and fabricate our Primary Frame Systems.” Among the advantages of the recyclable Primary Frame Systems are: • Every project is engineered to meet or exceed local building codes. • Buildings are simple to design and fast to construct. • The finished structures are earthquake, wind and highly fire resistant as they are tubular steel. 8 • The company instructs how each building is detailed from assembly drawings to welds, bolts and anchors. • The system uses one size bolt and one self-tapping screw size for set-up and no welding is required on site. • The erection at the site requires only two people and, in fact, some of our kit projects could easily be handled by a properly trained husband and wife team. • Primary Frame Systems has over 54 small building de-signs including those for kit homes, quick to erect disaster safe housing, sheds of all type, mini storage units and designs that will enable packing from four to ten complete houses in one 8'X8'X40' containers for international shipping. Wells says that the system utilizes only 2"X2" square steel tubular members and some 2"X3" rectangular steel members. Steel tubing is galvanized and purchased from Allied Tube. When joists are required, like over basements, he uses those produced by Deitrich Steel where 2' and 4' sizes often are installed at right angles for extra strength. Steel siding is attached to studs by self powered tools and self tapping screws. www.automatedbuilder.com JULY 2010

Unique Tubular Primary Frame Systems Now Ready for Additional Steel Builders

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Having built over 3,000 steel structures from the oil fields of Texas to the ag fields of Minnesota as well as commercial jobs from California to New York, Orie Wells now is ready to recruit more engineered builder participants. President of Wells Enterprises and developer of the Primary Frame System, which he likes to describe as a ‘space frame system,’ Orie Wells is a Michigan native having grown up and attended high school in Kalamazoo, MI. He went from graduation directly into trade schools covering sheet metal work and fabrication and construction of steel buildings and erections. He then worked in the oil fields creating steel structures that had to be quickly assembled and dissembled as the oil industry required. He founded his own company in 1982 and has been in the construction of engineered tubular steel framed projects ever since. At present, Primary Framing Systems has several dedicated partners working in designated areas in the U.S. “Going into semi retirement,” said Wells, “I’m now seeking more partners in many other areas of the nation. Our program includes all of the training required for new users inside the fabrication shop to build the steel panels and roof trusses plus all the training required for the field work in erecting the structures. Our system will work with any building under 30' clear span and up to 14' eave height. Naturally, I will furnish all the training a new company needs to design, estimate and fabricate our Primary Frame Systems.” Among the advantages of the recyclable Primary Frame Systems are: • Every project is engineered to meet or exceed local building codes. • Buildings are simple to design and fast to construct. • The finished structures are earthquake, wind and highly fire resistant as they are tubular steel. • The company instructs how each building is detailed from assembly drawings to welds, bolts and anchors. • The system uses one size bolt and one self-tapping screw size for set-up and no welding is required on site. • The erection at the site requires only two people and, in fact, some of our kit projects could easily be handled by a properly trained husband and wife team. • Primary Frame Systems has over 54 small building designs including those for kit homes, quick to erect disaster safe housing, sheds of all type, mini storage units and designs that will enable packing from four to ten complete houses in one 8'X8'X40' containers for international shipping. Wells says that the system utilizes only 2"X2" square steel tubular members and some 2"X3" rectangular steel members. Steel tubing is galvanized and purchased from Allied Tube. When joists are required, like over basements, he uses those produced by Deitrich Steel where 2' and 4' sizes often are installed at right angles for extra strength. “As I mentioned it only takes two men to install one of the Primary Frame Systems and they need only wrenches and self powered screw tools. All our bolts are grade five. No temporary bracing is ever required as the wall panels themselves are self bracing after they are bolted to the slabs. On larger buildings the end walls are not structural therefore enabling the building to be expanded quite easily at the end. “One thing we’re very proud of,” says Wells, “is that we train our people to be required to work in safety conditions. “Additionally, one of the important angles of using steel is that it is very competitive because it will save over 40% on fire insurance costs when steel structures are compared to wood,” says Wells. In their ‘statement of systems benefits’ the firm states: “These buildings are designed so the structure interior is smooth with no jutting supports or columns. Wall sections are made to fit any floor plan and can be moved if changes are required. The interior may be left plain or finished off like any insulated work area, office or home. Windows and doors can be set anywhere in the building yet changed readily as site conditions and use dictates. “The buildings are field measured, customer designed, fixed or portable structures. These buildings are unique in versatility and strength and were first designed for the oil industry which required many shapes and frequent moves. The buildings have been used by over a dozen oil firms and also by the U.S. Government for civil and military government departments because they saw the versatility, affordability and re-usability of these structures to meet their needs. “As every builder knows,” says Wells, “rapidly rising building costs are making it very difficult to produce the affordable, attractive, high quality, energy efficient and amenities-built homes that today’s housing market demands. But if you are building with conventional wood framing you are aware that it is impossible to squeeze any extra value out of the lumber. In fact, wood builders who attempt to reduce building costs become compromisers of design, construction quality, structural integrity or amenities offered which you cannot afford to compromise. Wood builders need to consider steel for your next projects to be properly designed and properly manufactured,” Wells concluded.

Previous Page Next Page

Publication List