Advances in timber technology mean more options for architects and designers seeking sturdy materials for structural applications. Engineered wood products run the gamut from oriented strand board to plywood to laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and can be a resilient alternative to solid-sawn wood while increasing a project’s design potential. The products have become such an integral part of residential and light commercial construction that we wanted a look behind the scenes of their manufacture. In early November, we visited engineered-wood-products manufacturer Weyerhaeuser’s veneer technology plant in Buckhannon, W. Va., where two of the company’s offerings—Microllam, a LVL, and Parallam, a parallel strand lumber (PSL)—are made in tandem to reduce material waste. Watch the video above or read the photo essay below to follow the process.
How It’s Made: Laminated Veneer Lumber and Parallel Strand Lumber
From the forest to the factory, we track the manufacture of two engineered woods.
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