seeking for professional advice

[EC]

Hello everyone,

I wish to get some professional advice from all of you:
Does anybody know what is "Laminated timber"?
Where (which country and what company) to find it with good quality and price?  
What is the main characteristic of this type of wood?  It is heard that it could be bent, isn't it?

Thanks for your assistance!!!
Happy New Year!!! :

cheers,
Edith

[Don P]

Hi EC,
Please check the exact terminology used. There are a number of engineered wood products out there now.This is what I think you are speaking of.

Glu-Laminated Timber is typically a large section beam made up of horizontal plies of face laminated dimension lumber...2x4's glued up into a 4x12 for example. They can be cambered or pre-bent into arches during manufacture. They are commonly made in Yellow pine and Douglas fir, although many species are used.Typically three grades, appearance,architectural,industrial. American Institute of Timber Construction is the rules body, they have a website and manuals. Anthony Forest Products and Koppers are 2 mfr's I have used.Wood Design and Building is a trade mag where alot of the industry professionals can be found and cutting edge design work in this medium.
http://www.wood.ca/
 Anthony also does vertical face lams for log homes and from my reading there is nothing to keep you from using this orientation for a beam as well.

There are many other types of products that you may be referencing though.Here's what comes to mind.

LVL- Laminated veneer lumber (MicroLam) is like a plywood beam with all laminations of the veneer oriented in the long direction.Only straight pieces. Georgia Pacific, LP,BC...

PSL-Parallel Strand Lumber-(Parallam) Like OSB(oriented strand board)in makeup, this is a beam, typically in full section,made up of strands of wood fiber oriented in the long direction and glued,only straight pieces. Very heavy,stiff. Same mfr's

[Don P]

Well I'm back up to the house after planing my whack of poplar for the day and it weren't quite time to et yet so I dug up the AITC website.
http://www.aitc-glulam.org/
I also use a book of theirs "Timber Construction Manual" full of good info.

This link is to a Weyerhauser site on their engineered products.
http://www.trusjoist.com/products/abouttjprod.cfm

The wood handbook also has a section on this.
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/FPLGTR/fplgtr113/fplgtr113.htm
Chapters 9-11 are probably of most interest.

I smell dinner and my mind is growing feeble...