End Jointing of Laminated Veneer Lumber for Structrual Use

Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) materials represent a design alternative for structural lumber users. The study of processing options for producing LVL in plywood manufacturing and glued-laminating facilities is of interest as this would allow existing production equipment to be used. This study was conducted in three phases to assess the feasibility of using visually graded veneer to produce 8-foot LVL lengths which, when end jointed, could be competitive with existing structural lumber products. Phase I evaluated panel-length 3/4-inch-thick LVL made from C- or D-grade 3/16-, 1/8-, or 1/10-inch-thick veneer, and the effect of specimen width on flexural and tensile properties. Phase II evaluated the use of vertical and horizontal finger joints and scarf joints to join 3/4-inch thicknesses of LVL. Phase III investigated end-joint configurations for 1-1/2-inch thicknesses of LVL. Comparison of the LVL tensile properties with several grades of structural lumber shows that C-grade veneer in 1/8- and 1/10-inch-thicknesses can be used to produce a structural product. No width effects could be detected in this study. The strengths of all of the LVL specimens (both unjointed and jointed) compared favorably with most high-strength lumber grades. The low variability of strength properties of the LVL contributed to this favorable strength comparison.

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