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An Introduction to Engineered Wood

What is engineered wood?

Many of our clients have heard the term "engineered wood" and some have asked what this term means and if it is a new or an old concept.

In the most general sense, engineered wood is wood that is used in other than its natural form and in a way to enhance its natural strength. This generally means rearranging the wood fibers and combining them with adhesive, fasteners or other components such as reinforcing strands or metal tubes, to create structural members with particular characteristics suited to specific applications.

By this definition, wooden metal plate connected trusses, wood and tubular metal trusses and plywood can be considered engineered wood products. (Trusses are a category of engineered wood products that will be discussed in a future issue of the Roaring Brook News.) However, the most commonly encountered engineered wood products are 1) laminated veneer lumber 2) parallel strand lumber and 3) manufactured floor joists. All of these products use orientation of the wood fibers and special adhesives to create engineered wood products whose intended use is as a substitute for sawn lumber in common applications such as building framing. In addition, these products may replace other materials, such as steel beams, making the use of wood economical in additional applications. Descriptions of two of these products are presented here.

Laminated Veneer Lumber

Laminated veneer lumber, or LVL, is very similar to plywood. In a sense, it is like a super plywood that has consistent structural characteristics and load bearing capacity beyond that of lumber that has been only dried and graded. LVL consists of plys of wood that are combined with adhesive to form planks intended for structural applications as beams, joists and headers. They are usually supplied in 1 3/4", 3 1/2", 5 1/4" and 7" thicknesses and in a variety of depths. Significant advantages of these members in light, wood-framed construction are:

1. They can be purchased from open stock and can be cut in the field.

2. They can be substituted for some light rolled steel members and for built-up wooden members, extending the practical range for using wooden beams and headers.

3. They can be bolted together in layers, allowing field installation without heavy equipment or in tight spaces.

Parallel Strand Lumber

Parallel strand lumber, or PSL, is similar to LVL except the wood fibers are in the form of long strands and they are embedded in a matrix of adhesive. PSL can usually be substituted for LVL and has similar characteristics. PSL is used frequently for light building columns.

Roaring Brook Consultants Inc has been in business for 20 years and looks forward to putting this background to work for you. We will glad to answer your questions and provide you with a proposal for your project, free of charge.

Read Part 2 "Engineered Wood Products"

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