Replies

1. 
   rasconc | Oct 10, 2005 12:51pm | #1

   Have never seen lvl studs, have used Timberstrand ones which is what I think you are talking about.  When I built my house a liquidator had them for .20 per foot 1.60 for 8 footer.  Straight as an arrow.  Make a beautiful wall.  Had to up the air pressure for nailer and woe be unto he who has to pull a nail out.  Wish I had bought a whole bunk of them.

   Have not used the finger joint but question the long term however since most stud applications are in compression can not see how they could have any problems.

2. 
   BossHog | Oct 10, 2005 02:01pm | #2

   We make and sell finger jointed lumber. We use the cutoffs from making trusses to make the lumber in any length someone wants it.

   I don't really have any problem with finger jointed lumber, except that it looks terrible. Since lumber isn't consistent in width and thickness, the edges of the individual pieces don't line up perfectly.

   We've sent our lumber off to be tested, and I believe it will handle something like 1,600# in tension on the average. So the joints are pretty strong.

   I've messed around with it a little myself . To me it seems plenty strong in the wider direction. But lay a piece flat across a couple of supports and step on it, and it will immediately break in half at a joint. But in wall studs you don't really need strength in that direction.

   The price we sell them at is relative to our manufacturing costs. So when lumber prices are high they sell well. But when lumber prices go down they shut the line down, as no few people will buy them.

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