Weyerhaeuser Company Limited

Eyerhaeuser Company

Gerald A Ziegler

Brian C Horsfield

Michael James Yancey

Generally described, a bending stiffness predicting systemincludes a density measurement sub-systemand a sound wave velocity measurement sub-system. From the measurements of both density and speed of sound through the wood product received from the sub-systemsand, respectively, the bending stiffness (Y) may be predicted by calculating the bending stiffness (Y) according to the bending stiffness (MOE) equation: Y=k&#x3c1;V/; wherein k is the calibration constant, &#x3c1; is the density or specific gravity of the member, V is the velocity of a sound through the member and g is the acceleration due to gravity. The calculation of wood product bending stiffness may be carried out manually, or may be calculated using a calculating sub-systemfrom the two measured values, density and velocity, according to Equation 1 above.

Systems and methods for predicting the bending stiffness of wood products

The invention is a wane-free engineered wood product and the method of its manufacture. Lumber having wane along one or more edges is first milled to produce rectangular notches along each of the four edges. The notches are sized to remove all or most of the wane. The notched piece is then ripped lengthwise to produce two strips. These are rotated 180&deg; and placed adjacently so that the notched edges face each other and form longitudinal channels. Strips of oriented strand board or a similar material are then affixed into the channels, preferably by gluing, reuniting then again into a unitary wane-free structural member.

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Orting, WA, United States of America

Gerald A Ziegler