The old rule of sixty degrees for single lacing should be abolished, because this makes the lacing entirely too close for narrow members, and it is quite expensive and unsightly. Lacing bars should generally be lapped, as this detail will save about half the rivets. Instead of lacing it is often advisable to employ a solid web. This will sometimes permit the use of lighter main angles by counting the web as part of the section, although it reduces the radius of gyration and consequently increases the sectional area of a compression member—besides, it greatly facilitates the painting.

All hand riveting should be avoided wherever possible, also all odd riveting that has to be done either before the work is assembled or after a piece is otherwise finished.

In short plate-girder-spans it is economic to omit the bottom lateral system. Lug angles on laterals are expensive—it is better to use larger connecting plates in order to get the requisite number of connecting rivets.

In laying out viaducts, as many towers as possible should be made alike by varying the heights of the pedestals.

In square-girder spans, the number of panels of bracing should be even, but in skew-girder spans it should be odd. The greatest amount of duplication in any skew-span will be obtained if the floor is laid out so that the entire span can be revolved around a central point.

In pin-connected work the sizes of the pins should not be varied more than is strictly necessary, two or three sizes being generally sufficient for one span. It is not altogether a waste of material to use larger pins than necessary, as the bearing plates can be reduced in thickness and often in length.

It is economic of shopwork to avoid running the top flanges of stringers over the tops of the cross-girders.

In riveted tension members it is well to use tie plates instead of lacing. The former have the advantage of getting better shop rivets.

It is not necessary that the web-plate of a plate girder should be in contact with the sole plate, and to make it so is expensive.

In deep girders the web thickness should not be less than 1/160 of the depth thereof, as otherwise buckling is liable to occur.

Where webs are spliced, ample clearance should be allowed, and the depth of the web should be one-half inch less than the distance from out to out of flange angles.

Rounded corners in plate girders are expensive, but sometimes they are required for the sake of appearance. Cambering of plate-girders is useless and quite expensive.

Information should be furnished to the fabricating shop, specifying the end of the structure which is to be erected first, it being very desirable to fabricate the work in the order of erection and also to note the direction of long plate-girders, so as to save turning them during shipment, at the shop, or in the field.