Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for making joists. The chord members of the joists consist of two pairs of spaced apart angle irons, and the web portion of the joists consist of a plurality of linear metal bar lengths. Under a computerized control, the pairs of angle irons are spaced from one another by a predetermined distance depending on the design characteristics of the joist to be made, and the metal bar lengths are individually selected and cut to provide a metal bar having a specified diameter and a specified length, after which each of the metal bars is selectively positioned, in sequence, between the two pairs of angle irons, and then each end of each metal bar is automatically welded to the angle irons in a predetermined sequence.