The engineered timber framing that emphasises strength and stability

Since its popular introduction to the global market in the 1980s, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) has had an outsized impact on the construction industry across the world.

A result of technological advancements and a need for more variety in engineered timber, LVL differs from other engineered wood like plywood primarily in its manufacturing process – instead of stacking and gluing piles of veneers with alternating grain directions, LVL piles share a common direction of wood grain.

The specific methods used in creating LVL imbue it with a particularly high degree of strength and stability, and it’s these qualities that make it an especially suitable candidate for structural products, like beams, trusses and frames.

And with ever escalating technological advances into the 21st century, LVL products have only gone from strength to strength. J-Frame manufactured by Juken is a prime example of this.

Reliably straight and durable, the product uses Phenol Formaldehyde Resin to produce an A bond classification – a bond that has a proven, internationally recognised durability record for exposure to moisture and stress.

Juken’s South Island sales representative, Lance Fitzmaurice, says having J-Frames on a construction site as opposed to conventional frames is a game changer – not just because of its strength, but because of its straightness. A carpenter by trade and ex frame and truss plant manager, Fitzmaurice knows the benefits of dimensionally straight and true framing timber.

“With conventional solid wood frames, you can often spend up two or three days just straightening frames that are lined with plasterboard – for me, it was one of the worst jobs to do,” says Fitzmaurice. “Whereas with J-Frame being dimensionally straight and true, the time straightening frames is reduced considerably saving on time and labour costs.”

Juken’s manufacturing process for J-Frame is designed to maximise consistent strength, stiffness and stability. The product can be sorted into either J-Frame 8 or the soon to be released J-Frame 11. Both products are CodeMark Certified which guarantees compliance with all councils in New Zealand.

Made using 100% sustainably harvested Radiata pine from Juken’s Wairarapa Forest Estate, logs are harvested and delivered to the Wairarapa Mill for processing into premium wood solutions, like J-Frame.

The sustainability of the product doesn’t stop at the renewable pine. Juken's processing plants are certified to both ISO9001 Quality, and ISO14001 Environmental Standards, both of which demand in-house documented procedures, training programs and process control systems.

The manufacturing process also ensures a minimal amount of waste. “Generally, when you’re working with solid timber, you’re cutting out lots of knots, twists, cracks and splits, and if you’re working at scale this can translate to a lot of waste,” says Fitzmaurice.

“As a Truss plant manager, before the J-Frame came along, I was emptying my wood bins up to twice a week and throwing out a lot of wood during that time,” he says. “With J-Frame, that changed and our waste dropped by more than half! We were able to utilise almost every part of every length used. This is purely because there are fewer imperfections to get rid of. Cut to length (CTL's), no waste at all, 100% of every length is used.”

And while the J-Frame product is relatively new, Fitzmaurice says builders looking for an easier, stronger, straighter and more durable alternative to their usual framing products have no further to look.

“If they try it, they’re going to love it.”

Learn more about Juken and its J-Frame product.