Rubber wood

Indonesia: LVL made of rubber wood

Samko Timber Limited (Jakarta, Indonesia) has developed ‘Heveatec’, which is LVL made of planted rubber wood. Samko plans to market the product in Japan. The rubber log is peeled by lathe to make 1.7 mm thick veneer, then low molecular phenol resin is impregnated and veneers are pressed with glue under high temperature to make LVL. The orthogonal sheet is inserted in the third layer to make better dimensional stability. Since resin is impregnated to conducted vessel, it gives high durability and strong resistance to beetle damage. Basic sizes are thickness of 20,25,30 mm, width of 145 mm and length of 2,100, 3,200 and 4,200 mm. The product is mainly used for exterior structures. Traditionally natural wood like Western red cedar, ipe, ulin and selanagan batu have been used for exterior structures. Planted rubber trees are cut down after 25 to 30 years when trees no longer yield... Continue reading →