How much is timber: pricing factors and material

The construction of wood is becoming more and more popular, because it is an excellent natural material of high strength and low thermal conductivity. Modern technologies have allowed for the serial production of composite parts made from glued boards, which exceed the solid log in all characteristics, and the price of such parts is becoming lower. The answer to the question: "How much does a 50x50 bar cost?" Is covered in the production technology and composition of this material.

Properties and characteristics of glued laminated timber

Composition and structure

How much glued timber costs is directly dependent on the raw materials used in its production, the structure of the material and the production technology. Also, the final cost is affected by the quality of the chemicals used: glue, antiseptics and flame retardants.

The composition of the material is different.

As a rule, glued laminated timber is made from the following types of wood:

• Pine;
• Ale;
• Larch;
• Cedar;
• Douglas fir;
• Combined varieties.

The best is considered the northern forest, cut in winter, as this season stops the flow of tree sap. Finnish and Karelian wood, as well as wood from the Leningrad region of Russia, are particularly popular. Timber for the manufacture of laminated veneer lumber is chosen strictly, since the production technology does not allow the presence of defects in the form of knots, rot, rot and other damage.

In addition to wood, the composition of the product includes glue. Here it is necessary to dwell in more detail, since many consumers have a reasonable question: “Is glue harmful to humans?”. The answer is simple and simple: the glue is absolutely safe.

The fact is that in the countries of Western Europe and the USA, where this technology came from, quite strict rules apply regarding the environmental safety of raw materials and finished goods. The most severe restrictions are imposed in the field of civil and social construction, and we are talking about this case.

For the production of products, specially developed adhesive formulations are used, which correspond to the ecological safety classes E1 - E3 for Europe and F for Japan. In Russia, the rules and standards of GOST and SNiP also apply, regulating the parameters and compositions of adhesive substances for wood.

The most frequently used such types of glue:

1. Melamine. Used in Russia and Europe, mainly to create long and long-span structures. Allow to create a transparent glue seam;
2. Polyurethane. Strong and fast-curing compositions that make it possible to work with wood of high humidity (up to 18%). The glue line is also transparent;
3. Resorcinol. Used primarily in the USA and Japan. They tolerate adverse weather conditions well, therefore they are most often used for the construction of bridges and other outdoor structures. Glue seam is dark;
4.  EPI glue, common in Russia and Japan in low-rise construction. It is considered the most expensive and safe type of glue for timber.

Note! Strangely enough, but it is Russia, together with Japan, that uses the most safe type of glue for a person, which, together with the low price for wood, makes the Russian timber the most attractive for the consumer.

It should also be noted that the adhesive must comply with other indicators of quality:

• Water resistance classes from D3 (carpentry) and D4 (waterproof) to D4 ++++ (water resistant, increased resistance);
• Operating classes from E3 to E1 for Europe and A, B and C for Japan.

Note! Although on the whole, all the listed compounds are safe, there is a danger of an allergenic nature for patients with asthma and other allergic diseases. There is also data on the content of formaldehyde in melamine adhesives, and formalin in others, so be careful when choosing a material.

An important fact in favor of the safety of glued timber from the point of view of ecology and toxicology is that these products are actively used in Japan, where environmental control is considered the most stringent in the world.

To answer the question: "How much is 1 cubic lumber" consider the structure of this building material. The finished product consists of several glued lamella boards, and both end gluing is used (when increasing the length) and planar (when forming the width and shape). The structure is clearly visible on the end face:

The most popular is the size of 50 to 50, but there are a lot of other ratios that are used to solve various problems, as well as depending on the expected loads and conditions. At the same time, how much a 50x50 bar costs depends on the production technology and part structure.

The composition of the product may include a different number of boards: from 3 to several dozen. It depends on the specific technology of a particular manufacturer, strength class, bearing capacity, size and other factors. There is no clear correlation between the number of lamellas in the part and its quality.

Note! Slats are glued in such a way that the wood fibers remain in parallel mismatched planes. This increases the strength of the product.

Also to the features of the structure of this timber can be attributed to the external shape of products. The fact is that bars more often are profiled, that is, they are milled. This is done to improve the quality of connections in the subsequent construction with the help of a set of machines that cut longitudinal gear locks on the logs, as well as end connections and bowls.

Note! A very serious indicator of quality is the accuracy of milling and profiling of parts, so it is important to know not only how much a cube of a profiled bar costs, but also how accurate it is.

Such a structure not only improves the quality of connections, but also greatly simplifies, reduces the cost and speeds up the construction process.

Production technology

The main influence on the formation of prices for glued profiled wood products is exerted by the technology of their production (read also the article Production of profiled timber - technology features and the final result).

In short, it looks like this:

1. Raw materials are harvested and delivered to the shop.
2. In the sawing shop, the logs are spread on boards, which are sent to special convection-type drying chambers, where they are dried to a moisture content of 8 - 12%;
3. Dried boards are subjected to inspection on the subject of marriage, as a result of which the boards are sorted by quality and aesthetic indicators;
4. Also, boards are sorted by strength in accordance with DIN 4074-S10;
5. Next, the boards are cut and face;
6. Dry, cut and facing boards are put in a glueing machine, which distributes glue evenly over the surface to be glued in the right amount;
7. With a longitudinal butt splicing, the location of the seams between the individual parts should not be the same on all products: it should alternate in a checkerboard pattern;
8. Processed glue slats are sent to a specialized press, hydraulic, screw or electric, where gluing occurs under a certain pressure;
9. When the glued billet gains the necessary strength, it is machined on a milling machine or profiled;
10. After longitudinal profiling, end locks, joints and bowls are machined;
11. Material is packed and delivered to trade organizations and warehouses.

Note! Since wood in natural conditions is under mechanical stress created by its own weight of trees and branches, after harvesting, the material tends to restore the balance of forces in its structure during the drying process, as a result of which the wood “leads” and “twists”. When a log is spread on the boards, the efforts inside the tree are leveled, and it remains even.

In addition, sawing on boards allows much faster, easier and more qualitatively to dry the material to the calculated moisture values ​​that correspond to the most acceptable parameters for the most comfortable and long-term use of the product.

It should be understood that this description of the production of laminated wood is very simplified. In fact, the process is very complex and multistep, involving dozens and hundreds of machine tools, conveyor machines, various testers and sensors, and other equipment. Therefore, the manufacture of such parts with their own hands is almost impossible, moreover, it is extremely impractical.

Benefits

If we are talking about how much a log house costs, it is necessary to list the advantages of this material, since they influence the final cost of the house.

Among others, experts usually note such advantages of glued laminated timber:

• The increased durability and endurance in comparison with an integral log and a board;
• The minimum shrinkage of the material during construction - about 1% - makes the material technologically much more profitable compared to solid wood, the shrinkage of which is 7–10%;
• Details are very precisely profiled and fitted to each other, which allows to significantly reduce the construction time, because the assembly instructions resemble the children's designer; Moreover, the assembly does not require the presence of complex, expensive and energy-intensive tools and devices, which reduces the cost of construction many times;
• Products perfectly keep a form, them does not conduct and does not twist;
• You can make designs and parts up to 60 meters;
• Heat conductivity is noticeably higher than that of wood;
• The surfaces are of furniture quality;
• Bars do not crack as solid logs and logs.

 Conclusion

As you can see, the production of laminated veneer lumber is a high-tech process that determines the relatively high cost of the material (see also the article Manufacturers of glued laminated lumber in Russia: myths and realities). However, a significant part of this difference is leveled by a number of advantages and advantages that the use of this building material gives. In the video in this article you will be able to explore a visual vision of the situation.