View ChannelsFeatured: Finance
View ShowroomsFeatured: Radiantec - Radiant Solar Heating

BobVila.com

Home

Plywood Testing Facilities Tour

Bob takes a tour of the American Plywood Association testing facilities with Tom Williamson, the Executive Vice President of Engineered Wood Systems. Tom explains the various wood tests to Bob. First is the gluelam tester that tests the large beam with two load heads that apply up to two hundred fifty thousand pounds of pressure to the beam. The beam breaks at thirty-two thousand pounds of load. Next, Tom shows Bob the cyclic shearwall test which pushes an OSB wall and framing system back and forth to simulate an earthquake and measures the amount of load the can be applied to it. Tom then leads Bob to the panel flexure test, which determines the bending stiffness and strength of an OSB panel. Another test simulates a plywood window shutter by shooting a two by four into it with an air cannon. Finally Tom shows Bob the buckling wall test that exposes a plywood sidewall to three weeks of continuous rain and then measures how much it has buckled and moved. After three weeks, the wall has moved less than one tenth of an inch.

Get Adobe Flash Player to see this content.

Chapters from this episode

Plywood Testing Facilities Tour Now Playing

Plywood Testing Facilities Tour

Vinyl Window Installation Now Playing

Vinyl Window Installation

Working With the Exterior Trim Now Playing

Working With the Exterior Trim

Clip Transcript For:

Plywood Testing Facilities Tour

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Bob I'd like you to meet Tom Williamson executive VP of the injured -- systems and he's gonna talk about who -- test -- good -- about now from looking at it I get the impression you're going to test this little laminate being back at us. And that that's actually correct. This pretty impressive I was going to work. Former candidate Bob as we've yet to load handsome actor -- position on the beam. That are part of an AST and standard test -- will apply pressure to those motives through this hydraulics older which has 250000. Pounds of capacity. So you're just pumping that up. That's right we have a pump in the background literally pomp. Puts pressure and it will stand back and watch -- I've been shot. So how many pounds of pressure did it take. That filled in about 32000. Pounds of total of sixteen tons I don't think other put that much weight on my ridge pole I hope thanks a lot what -- the next test. Progress yes a quick sure Walt -- over here. This is -- pretty impressive set up now what are you doing here. What we're doing is we're pushing the wall back and forth and measuring your model load that we can apply to the wall to simulate what happens during an earthquake or hurricane. And just. Testing oriented strand board which is being used more and more for -- structure that's right and what we're doing -- testing the OSB applied to a framing system to see how much laudable. Hold hands. Simulates what happened in an earthquake. This is a panel Fletcher test where we determine the -- stiffness in the bending strength of the panel. Terrific we're dealing with a oriented strand board here now how does that test work. These rotating polls -- put in a bending load on the panel were measured how much of the blacks will ultimately determine the maximum load settles it will support."

" Well this really looks like a homemade science experiment where relatives and what we're doing here is stimulating enough plywood shutters nets designed to protect window during a hurricane. Okay. What we do is we look this -- here and we shoot at two by four out of 34 miles an hour. Past the plywood Bob. And it went in real life. Have something like that -- roots -- we don't want to penetrate your building because the wind pressure pressure rises the inside of the house. Law the room sure. What's next we're gonna seal between wall Bob."

" OK so what are we doing behind the plastic darker -- you know Bob Dole of siding product -- for the weather. And what we're simulating here is three weeks of solid saying I'm sitting here up plywood siding. And what is the red cedar plywood siding just like -- that are fun project exactly. All wood products want issue. To absorb water they want to move in if it moves too much it's going to cause -- awful surface along your side. How long do you so this allies have been -- three weeks of constant wedding. So the wood at the bottom what it's ever going to hear it on your structure."

" OK now what's this device going to do for this is electronic measuring devices measured how much society moved as a result of that wedding. And it's like recording and computers outlets right we have computer running right now that's electronically measure and how much. The movement occurred. Well I can tell you visually there's the movement that's occurred and it's very reassuring to -- is it'll probably. Take us two or three weeks to get all of our plywood in place again this is done real well after three weeks away in an awful bus and -- granite."

[-]

More Videos »Related Videos

Building a Doghouse

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Giving your pet a place of his own to take shelter from wind, rain and sun is a noble pursuit. Building a doghouse has long been a favorite do-it-yourself weekend project. Doghouses now come in all shapes and sizes, from cedar chalets to foam igloos. Whether you re building a pre-fab air-conditioned palace or designing a practical, no-frills model, make sure the house fits the dog. First, measure your dog. Her length, plus 3 or 4 inches, should be the length and width of the doghouse. Her standing height, plus 3 or 4 inches, should determine the interior height. And the doorway should be wide and high enough for her shoulders. While it s a departure from the Snoopy look, setting the door off-center will provide better shelter. A hinged or removable roof, window or wall panel allows for cross-ventilation in hot weather and easier cleaning. Build the floor frame of your doghouse from pressure-treated lumber to resist rot and set the corners on concrete blocks or stones to keep it above grade. You may even want to build the house on skids so you can move it if you need to. Doghouses are a great opportunity to recycle scrap materials such as 2x4-inch wall framing, plywood and a few roofing shingles. Design a good roof overhang on all sides and extend it even further over the entrance to shed rain and provide shade. The siting of your doghouse is as important as its construction. If you don t mean it to be a feature of the yard, tuck it behind some bushes or around the side of the house. Choose a shady, level spot away from any streams or badly drained areas. Keep the doghouse away from the fence as well so it doesn t become an escape route. Orient the doghouse with the door facing away from prevailing winds and bright lights at night so your dog can rest comfortably. And help him keep clean by providing mulch, gravel or pavers around his new digs. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Tour of an Affordable Home

Bob and developer John Druley walk through a home under construction by Qualker Homes in Falmouth, Massachusetts. This standard design is used for both the market-priced and affordable homes. The overall dimensions of the house are 26 feet by 36 feet. A center-door entry leads to 13-by-18-foot living room on one side and a 16-by-13-foot master bedroom on the other. The back of the house has a 13-by-18-foot kitchen with a back door and a window onto the backyard, a half-bath and laundry, and an entry to the master bedroom with full bath, tub-shower combination, double-bowl sink, and linen closet. The upstairs has two bedrooms with operable skylights and a full bath. This three-bedroom, two-and-one-half bath Cape will be lotteried as an affordable home to eligible families who make between $29,000 and $65,000 per year, and who qualify for a traditional mortgage. The home is stick-built with traditional 2X4 framing, oriented strand board (OSB) exterior sheathing, low-e glass, tilt-in vinyl windows, and gas heat. Bob and Druley point out that an affordable home must be affordable to operate and heat as well as being affordable to purchase.

2x4 R15 Factor

When insulating typical 2x4 wall construction an R factor of R11 or R13 is used. To comply with Energy Star requirements, use an R15. This is the highest r value you can have in a 2x4 wall. The higher rating is achieved by adding more fiberglass to the blanket, allowing it to trap more cold air.

The Blown-In Blanket Insulation Process

Bob is joined by Mikde Hobson of Westchester Insulation as the crew prepares one of the Mashpee houses for insulation installation. Hobson explains that this is a patented insulation system that uses special fabric stapled and drawn tight across any cavity that needs to be insulated. The crew works with pneumatic staplers to get the fabric in place across all the walls and the joists of the cathedral ceiling. The fabric is not intended as a moisture barrier of any kind and is just there to hold the insulation in place and prevent it from settling. Hobson shows Bob the white fiberglass that will be blown into the cavities. It is white because it is a virgin product, completely free of treatments, binders, or chemicals. Certainteed and Johns Manville both produce fiberglass insulation that is suitable for the Blow-In-Blanket installation. Once all cavities have been enclosed, the insulation contractor cuts a slit in the fabric and inserts a hose through which the fiberglass is blown. The cavity is filled to a density of two pounds per cubic foot which is visible to the eye by a slight bulge in the fabric. At this density, an R-value of 15 is achieved in two-by-four cavities like walls. In attics and ceiling cavities that are two-by-six, an R-value of 38 can be achieved. This insulation is inert and will not support moisture, mold, animals, or insects. It also serves as a sound insulator and can be blown in around drain lines, in interior partitions, and around tubs and showers. Blo-In-Blanket insulation is suitable for new construction or retrofit applications where it is blown in through the sheathing from the outside or through interior drywall to fill wall cavities. Blow-In-Blanket insulation costs about 50 to 60 percent more to install than traditional batt insulation, but offers such energy efficiency that it pays for itself within two to four years.