Got the call yesterday afternoon to say my LVL beams have arrived. This stuff is basically plywood, 45mm thick x 145 wide. It is cut dead straight, and being ply is dimensionally stable, it is also stronger than wood alone. But..... Its designed to replace 2x6 in buildings and as such is a bit rough when delivered. I have spent the afternoon filling various holes with epoxy. It also has a coating on it that i need to sand off so that the penetrating epoxy will soak in. I foresee about 3 or 4 days of time before i can start to shape them, most of that however will be waiting while the glue dries. Below is a photo of the LVL product.
I also took my clips to work today and used the drill press to drill the holes that bolt the clips to the stringers. I will mount them temporarily and mark the holes for the clips to frame bolt and then go back to work and drill those too. Nice square holes that way.
What was your reasoning for using the LVL?
ReplyDeleteSeveral reasons.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get solid timber long enough to make them out of a single piece each. I was also uncomfortable making them as a single piece as I was worried they would warp before I had time to get enough of the frame work bolted to them to stabilize them.
So that meant laminating them, which I was ok with except I don't have a jointer and so was concerned about getting tight enough joining faces.
I was pondering all of this when I came across a post from Tim Major on the Glen - L forum saying he had used LVL, and it seemed like the perfect solution. I could get them long enough and being LVL they are very stable. So far I am very happy with the choice.
I was however looking forward to the challenge of laminating the stringers. I did do a lot of thinking about it. I think they would have looked very cool (only from the perspective that wood working is a hobby and had I pulled it off I would have been VERY pleased with myself)