Manufacturing of glued beams

In the process of finishing work, they often use glued laminated timber. Such a high-tech product can be purchased in specialized stores or made on your own. This material has better resistance to mechanical stress and stress. Today we will talk about how to make such a glued base.

Glued laminated timber is made in production in several separate stages. Manufacturing technology includes several stages.

• Sorting the tree... First of all, the most suitable wood from the entire range is selected for further processing. The selected material is divided into separate groups depending on the type, grade, size and other important characteristics.
• Drying... At this stage of production, the selected material is placed in special drying chambers, which are equipped with special mechanisms. In them, lumber is dried to preset values.
• Forming blanks... This stage combines two processes: the dried lumber is sent to special machines, where all irregularities and other defects from the surface are removed, and the wood is cut into lamellas, which are subsequently spliced ​​along the length. This is most often done using a CNC.
• Gluing... Further, all the obtained blanks are lubricated with a special environmentally friendly adhesive, then the surfaces are attached to each other, they are pressed using a powerful installation with a press. The glue will penetrate into all the pores of the lumber, firmly holding the material together.
• Profiling... The timber blanks are cut to length and carefully planed. Later, they are again sent to the machines, where the necessary locking elements are cut into the material.
• Package... At the final stage of production, the finished glued laminated timber is packed to protect it from dirt and possible mechanical damage.

In order to connect wood surfaces to each other during the manufacturing process, you can use various adhesives. There are several of the most popular mixtures among manufacturers: polyurethane, melamine, resorcinol, EPI. The glue should be selected taking into account the speed of drying, toxicity, color. A high-quality composition should be evenly distributed on a wooden surface, harden quickly.

Glued laminated timber can be made by yourself at home. First you need to choose the right material for this. You can take almost any wood base of any breed. The most economical is coniferous version of the edged type. It is best to pick up ready-made boards so as not to cut the material. It is recommended to use deciduous wood species with a beautiful and unusual texture to form the profiled timber. You can also take a composite material with a face made of rare wood.

When the base is selected, you can begin to make the structure. The most effective result can be given by a special drying chamber... But it is permissible to equip a place for the procedure in the garage. Often, wet lumber is placed under sheds or in outbuildings. Drying naturally will take several months. A simple fan or heater is sometimes used for drying. But in any case, the room in which the wood is located must be well ventilated.

When drying, it is better to lay the material in a horizontal position. The rows must be divided in height using special spacers of the same size. Dried small bars are most often taken as such gaskets; they should be laid perpendicular to the layer. During the drying process, the moisture level of the wood material should be checked regularly. When it reaches 10-13%, the tree can be used for further processing. It is better to control the humidity level with a moisture meter.

Next, the lamellas are prepared and the structures are prepared for gluing. To equip a suitable place for processing, you will need a planer, as well as a circular saw. Splicing a tree using the thorn-groove technology is not recommended. Using a planing machine, lamellas of the desired shape are formed, after which the end parts are created with a circular saw (the allowance should be 50 millimeters). Then sorting is carried out into internal and external elements.

Later carried out assembly... In order to prevent possible displacement of parts, you can use special keyway connections. The place for the key is formed in the central part. Professionals recommend laying material with a clearer natural pattern on the front part. Then you can start gluing the finished parts. At home, it is permissible to use any suitable wood glue. It is better to give preference to environmentally friendly formulations.

Bonding should be carried out at room temperature in a ventilated area.... One cubic meter should account for approximately 10 liters of adhesive. The lamellas should be folded in the prescribed manner. It is better to apply the glue solution with a special brush. The layer thickness should not be less than 2 millimeters. The assembled complete structure is fastened with screw-type clamps... They should be located at a distance of 40-45 cm from each other. It is better to put additional spacers made of plywood under the fasteners.

The instructions for the glue should indicate the period during which the mass can completely harden. After the gluing process, all the resulting excess composition is removed using a planing unit. The timber is once again given the desired dimensions.

For finishing it is worth using a sander or emery material. After that, profiling and final facing of the finished structures are carried out. A milling machine is mainly used for cutting profile elements. With special attachments, you can create a profile of even the most complex shape.

The grooves for a homemade construction can be cut with a saw. When finishing facing, the samples are given the required dimensions, the ends are processed using a grinding machine or emery material. The made profiled glued laminated timber is at the end decorated with special wood oil and stain. Sometimes such surfaces are artificially "aged" with the help of special pigments, you can make a beautiful imitation of the relief.

The following video shows the production of laminated veneer lumber for the construction of houses.