SolidStart® LVL

LVL

Right from the Start


LP® laminated veneer lumber (LVL) production uses a sophisticated process that enables us to manufacture large timbers from relatively small trees of many species, thereby making more efficient use of renewable wood fiber resources.

The end result is a high-performance building material that’s stronger, straighter and more reliable than traditional lumber. LP SolidStart® LVL is excellent for framing and beams, headers and other primary load carrying applications — it simply performs better.

Step 1: The process begins with a rotary lathe slicing a sheet of veneer from a log.
Step 2: The sheets pass through a veneer drier, which gives them a uniform moisture content.
Step 3: An ultrasonic grader scans the dried veneer to identify wood’s naturally occurring defects. In a subsequent step, they will get dispersed so as not to affect the performance of the finished product.
Step 4: A glue spreader uniformly coats wood strands and veneers with waterproof adhesive.
Step 5: At the lay up station, veneers are stacked for maximum strength using data from the ultrasonic grader. We’re essentially taking the tree apart, removing knots and other defects, and putting it back together. The veneer press uses heat and pressure to dry the adhesive.
Step 6: Finally, a cross-cut saw cuts the billet to length per customer specification and a rip saw cuts it to width.