Structural Composite Lumber Types
The popularity of structural composite lumber (SCL) is a result of the efficiency, strength and predictability of this manufactured wood product. By using adhesives and heat to press thin layers of treated timber together through the SCL development process, a manufacturer is able to uniformly distribute defects in the lumber, resulting in a consistently strong product. Does this Spark an idea?
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Laminated SCL
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Used most often by builders, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) is the most popular SCL on the market. As noted above, structural composite lumber is developed by gluing and pressing thin sheets of wood together. The LVL product laminates each of the sheets with the grain lengthwise prior to gluing and pressing. The result is an extremely stable wood often seen in overhead beams and joints.
Parallel Strand Lumber
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Builders that want a wood with similar properties to LVL will often use parallel strand lumber (PSL). As with laminated veneer lumber, PSL also applies a veneer to the wood sheet during the SCL manufacturing process. The distinction is the sheets are glued and pressed together with the grain crosswise, as opposed to lengthwise for LVL. Also used for beams, PSL is noted for its bending strength, which is why longer beams are quite often PSL products.
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Laminated Strand Lumber
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Connecting pieces for joists and beams are often a type of structural composite lumber called laminated strand lumber (LSL). While LVL and PSL sheets are manufactured by "peeling" the wood, as if on a large lathe, strand lumber actually slices the log into strands that range from about 3 inches to 12 inches. The strands are then dried, pressed and glued together to form SCL. LSL uses strands about 6 to 12 inches long.
Oriented Strand umber
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Like laminated strand lumber, the manufacture of oriented strand lumber (OSL) begins by cutting logs into strands, drying and then gluing and pressing them into OSL. The only distinction between the two types of strand SCL is the length of the strands used in their manufacture. OSL uses smaller strands, up to about 6 inches long. As with LSL, oriented strand lumber is usually used in building applications requiring joints or connectors.
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References
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