JFJosh Fordinbidferra.com·11h ago · 10 min readOutsource, hire, or buy software: how steel fabricators fix an estimating bottlenecktldr: When the bids stack up faster than your estimators can count, you have three ways out: outsource the estimating, hire another estimator, or buy takeoff software. They solve three different probl00
JFJosh Fordinbidferra.com·5d ago · 13 min readFabrication estimating software: why sheet metal tools break on structural steeltldr: Search "fabrication estimating software" and almost everything you find prices sheet and plate parts by cut length, nest yield, and machine time. Structural steel is priced on a different basis 00
JFJosh Fordinbidferra.com·Jul 29 · 10 min readFerra 1.5, our biggest release yet: connections, columns, and open signuptldr: Ferra 1.5 is the biggest release we've shipped. Connection data, column property detection, and joist and brace detection are all live today, along with a rebuilt 3D viewer, and you can now crea11N
JFJosh Fordinbidferra.com·Jul 17 · 13 min readSketchDeck alternatives in 2026: what steel fabricators should test before switchingtldr: If you are shopping for a SketchDeck alternative, you already know what steel takeoff software is. The questions that matter now are why a shop switches, what to test before you renew, what gets10
JFJosh Fordinbidferra.com·Jul 16 · 10 min readWhy structural steel fabricators lose margin on change orderstldr: A change order is a formal change to the contract after a job is awarded. In structural steel, margin does not usually disappear because of the changed steel alone. It disappears while identifyi00
