The rapid development in recent years of timber engineering has resulted in glued laminated timber, more commonly known as Glulam. Glulam consists of small cross-sectional boards, laid so that the grain is parallel to the horizontal axis. The laminates are usually end-jointed by the process of finger jointing and therefore each individual laminate acts as a continuous structure.
Glulam has been used structurally to great commercial advantage across mainland Europe, USA and Australasia for more than 50 years. Glulam engineered timber can be produced to individual shapes, and can be straight or curved to achieve greater aesthetics.
The benefits of the exceptional strength to weight ratio that Glulam offers makes it especially suitable for use in the load bearing structures of buildings, and roof systems with long spans.
Finger jointed laminated timber is also used in many non-structural applications, where attractive selected wood is required for aesthetic or functional purposes. Examples of such uses include decks and pergolas. Finger jointed laminated Pinus Radiata is being used increasingly for purposes where native timbers were traditionally used.
