How to laminate timber properly for use as a bearer or structural beam

Gday Team,
CONSTANT questions come in about laminating timber & prepping it ready for use as a bearer or structural beam..... Larger beams (140 & upward) are done a little different as they will need more screws but we will get into that in a later vid.... TODAY is about tools to use, Gluing, laminating, nailing, screwing, Prepping our timber and the type of join that we will use to join the ends of the run for the BESTEST end result & longevity in structural superiority
/ beowulfbuilders
#stayawesome #KDHW #australiantimber #wulfinstitute #beowulfbuilders #sustainablebuilder #hottradiejust

[@chrishelbling3879]

So, you don't need to brush out the glue snake smooth, on both timbers. Also, your fish-eye camera lens, when explaining wood bowing, was a treat.

[@BeowulfBuilders]

No Chris, i will not brush out the glue yet i will press the timbers together and then separate them for a moment to oxygenate the glue. the glue itself will spread once the timbers are screwed together, then wait till the glue has gone off & cut off the access with a sharp chisel. #stayawesome joe joe

[@patrickdriscoll9962]

Note to @Beowulf I loved your video. I designed (now retired Product Development Engineer) half the parts on that Paslode you are using. Paslode gets sued every year from contractors who have lost an eye. It goes before the court,and the plaintiff is asked " Were you provided safety glasses with the nailer when you bought it? Does it state on the side of the nailer that you must wear safety glasses when using? " Were you wearing them? Plantiff "no" ; Judge: "Case dismissed." The problem is that no one can make a perfect nail. There are carbon inclusions in the steel. The heads go 'ping' and fly around the room. Save your eyes my man.

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday Patrick, Bloody lurve the way you're looking out for me my man.... appreciate it immensely. i know its no laughing matter and i am VERY cautious of this yet My problem is that i'm so bloomin hottt that i steam up EVERY pair of safety glasses or goggles i wear and can't see what i'm doing. Thanks again PAt #stayawesome joe joe

[@otallono]

I don't know why people think they could sue for that, safety protection shouldn't have to be written on the label it should be common sense. No amount of money is going to bring an eye back anyway.

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday PAt, i put hte feelers out and a few suppliers have come back with the number of new and improved eye wear protection which we are trialing out... really appreciate the safety tip #stayawesome joe joe

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday @@otallono Cant agree more, yet people dont want to take responsibility for their own stupidity. wit hsaying that though, this has driven MANY tool companies to produce safety features on hte tools today htat were non existent 15 years ago. The safety is common sense but feed back (sometimes sever) is needed to improve the industry #stayawesome joe joe

[@StumblingGamer648]

@@BeowulfBuilders Don't just protect your eyes, protect your dog as well! If a nail skipped out of the board for some reason, your dog should not be directly in the way where it'll get shot. Love that your dog is happy to help you work, but... job site safety goes for all at the job site. Thanks for the good video!

[@bertveldhuizen8699]

Funniest thing is your dog barking at the nailer! LOL

[@BeowulfBuilders]

you should see her with the air sprayer

[@johnkomosa4089]

Nice work, the fish eye camera lens was throwing me off, ah ha. I recommend c clamps and lots of them to get a good squeeze. Your idea of nails and screws is good. Nice Work fellas.

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Thanks Johnny, We have another one out recently and we pin it together with framing nails adn glue then go over it with screws and shape it to suit its purpose onsite. GREAT tip though. #stayawesome uncle joe joe

[@Viralclown]

Over the top. I like it

[@papabaikal5433]

Great stuff . I'm going to use this method to build the main 60ft ridge beam for the barn I am building.

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday Papa, Here's another video for you kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZLbkGucqpuef7M Thanks for your feedback & #stayawesome Uncle joe joe

[@noconz0727]

That dog is hilarious

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Boof head tries to eat the nail gun, chew the site broom and attack the water hose or air hose .... hilarious but can be sooooo annoying when you're trying to get things done.... thanks for chatting adn #stayawesome

[@KrishnaTufferyNZ]

Nice video and explanation. I'm an amateur so questions may be weird but why would you not use pva glue regular wood glue? Cheers

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday Krishna, the constructions glues have rubber/latex in them to allow for movement without splitting or seperation. the PVA type glues work great but will "break apart" #stayawesome Support our channel at www.patreon.com/beowulfbuilders

[@mauriciogonzalez6302]

Is this just regular construction Douglas fir? If so, is it okay to use this method for patio covers?

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Hola Mauricio Gonzalez, We don't use Douglas Fir much in Australia these days as we have found that the young trees don't have the strength in the grain to withstand the harsh Aussie conditions. The timber used here is a Kiln Dried Hard Wood such as Victorian Ash or Mountain Ash. It is a good Hardy timber yet is subject to splitting if not fixed properly. #stayawesome joejoe

[@parakalevw]

Your dog is funny, barking whenever you use the nailgun. My son-in-law's dog does a similar thing when I attempt to use my compressor to "sweep" the garage. The noise must be irritating to their eas.

[@BeowulfBuilders]

yep, she does the same with the air hose or the vacuum #stayawesome

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Feel free to sponsor us at www.patreon.com/beowulfbuilders to help us create more great content

[@judegraham463]

hi . Well Explained video. thanks. Can I ask, - 'is there a general ratio for the added strength to a Bearer or Beam, that is twice the thickness, as you have done in this video. Usually it is extra height which we can find in Span tables for structural timber members' . Normally its a 45mm, or 63mm thick timber structural member, and it is the height (90mm - 400mm) that determines the load bearing strength. Being able to use all the 'dis-used' 90x45 wall studs, and ceiling joists, would be a great saving to be able to put them to use. Thanks for your time, and please excuse my lengthy worded question. Cheers. Jude.

[@BeowulfBuilders]

GdayJude.... What a ripper of a question i LUUURVE IT ;) There are structural beams called GL's (Glue Laminated) beames that do exactly this. With todays technologies its unreal banana peal what we can create for better use onsite. #stayawesome joe joe

[@DivineMisterAdVentures]

Wow - a lot more to that process for a house than I imagined. LOTS of metal in there - and even with angles and spacing you still use screws to back it up - that's a 4X process: glue, nail, slant, slant, and screw. And then you plane it. Is there a better choice if it were your house (and you were paying?)

[@DivineMisterAdVentures]

What about if you were building a loft in a storage unit? :)

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Super important to reduce the chance of separation of the timbers, especially under structural stress stay awesome joe joe

[@codaroma]

to nail laminate two 90x45 from both sides what size nails do you use?

[@BeowulfBuilders]

gday James, 75-100mm nails that are skewed (opposing angles/force), glue, screw (75mm with counter sunk head) stay awesome joe joe

[@raymond0996]

In nz we use paslode 90mm nails

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Once again @@raymond0996, grouse feed back, and thanks. a 90mm nail is ALWAYS recommended on a frame. Stay Awesome Uncle Joe Joe

[@benwicker5820]

I'm gona put a house using 2 2x6 sandwich together for my beams . No more than 8ft support in-between I think it's plenty what do u think .

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday Ben, without seeing your soil test, the land, the area in which your building, the timber strength, the water level, the climate etc i can not confirm that this is the best way for you to move forward with the best end result for all your hard work. #stayawesome joe joe

[@MegaRiffraff]

👍🏻

[@BeowulfBuilders]

thanks & #stayawesome

[@ordinary6688]

I like your dog

[@BeowulfBuilders]

she's dead

[@24June91]

i don't. It's not trained

[@justtestingonce]

What’s the dimensions of each piece of wood? I know you said 90 45 but what does that mean, thanks.

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday Justtestingonce, The dimensions of the timber's are 90mm (dressed down 4") x 45mm (dressed down 2") which is the height x the width. #stayawesome Uncle joe joe

[@justtestingonce]

Beowulf Builders Pty Ltd ahhhh.... it’s in mm, thank you for replying!

[@benb6691]

will this become a header?

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday Benjamin & JoAnna, This particulare set up is for a Bearer (sub floor frame) or a double joist (load bearing point). You could use this for a header or lintel set up if the engineers computations ask for it. #stayawesome uncle joe joe

[@Classic_Re-creation]

Great stuff but I don't believe in the use of nails, all glues require clamping pressure whilst drying. When a nail is shot into wood their is very little clamping force, when using timber screws it pulls the two pieces of timber together with enormous force as if it was being hald in place by clamps

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday 500 Benz, the Video does go into detail for the bolting or batten screwing together of these types of timbers... we also have a video out showing this. #stayawesome joe joe

[@Interdiction]

Does using screws not negate the need for clamps ? .Doing a project soon and I was only going to screw

[@dw2843]

@@Interdiction Screws will only clamp if the first member is predrilled above the size of the screw or if you use screws which are non threaded for the first member.

[@labibbidabibbadum]

bugle screws are designed exactly like this. They give you a (usually) 45mm clean shaft above the thread. They pull 45mm timber together like nobody's business.

[@24June91]

You do not need clamps if you use screws that can pull together (no thread the last 2 cm towards the head). There is absolutely no need for clamps, you just waste valuable time that could be spent getting all the screws in.

[@stephenp7589]

I've done something similar before. Needed redwood beams for outdoor pavilion. Both dimensional lumber and glulam beams were outrageously priced. Made my own 16ft long 4x8's. Plenty of work. You should plane the boards. The adhesive should be rolled on. And you need clamps. Lots of them!! Those nails aren't going to apply $hit for pressure and pressure is exactly what you need. The nails may be peace of mind but aren't doing $hit to help shear flow really.

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday Stephen P, you are correct, nails alone wont do the job and if you watched the whole vid as i explain what im doing you will see that we also batten screw the entire length alternating edges and on both sides. #stayawesome joe joe

[@24June91]

I agree with this comment. Also, question: Isn't normal strong woodglue sufficient?

[@WogChilli]

Nah dogs there to provide a form 16

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Inspection of works notice ?? yes she is a killer inspector

[@WhateverItsanOpinion]

Never use nails to do this.. You want to use clamps with the glue.. Also screws only.

[@BeowulfBuilders]

Gday Whatever, you obviously didn't watch the entire video as this is explained at the end. the process here is only the initial set up to get the timbers inline and straight. we always use a batten screw of some type & we have a video showing it

[@24June91]

Not understanding why you use nails at all@@BeowulfBuilders