Largest dowel laminated timber plant underway

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - Construction is underway at StructureCraft on North America's first large-scale plant for production of dowel laminated timber (DLT). The 50,000-square-foot facility in Abbotsford, British Columbia will include a fully automated machine line for production of DLT, and is expected to be completed in August.

Dowel laminated timber is a mass timber product that can be used for floor, wall, and roof structures. Unlike other structural timber products, such as CLT (cross laminated timber), LVL (laminated veneer lumber), GLT (glue laminated timber) and NLT (nail laminated timber), DLT does not use glue, nails or other metal fasteners, the company says. Instead, the wood panels use hardwood dowels to friction fit pre-milled boards together on edge.

A variety of profiles can be integrated into the bottom surface of the DLT panel, StructureCraft Builders noted. The company said it plans to use a variety of species, including SPF wood (spruce-pine-fir), Douglas fir, hemlock, Sitka spruce, and western red or yellow cedar, to manufacture the timber product.

Photo: StructureCraft


The Delta, B.C.-based StructureCraft said the new plant will be designed and built with a variety of mass timber and engineered wood products, including DLT, NLT, LSL (laminated strand lumber) and Glulam. The shop has been designed as a demountable structure, with modular wall and roof panels to allow for future expansion, the company added.

Plant rendering. Photo: StructureCraft

StructureCraft manufactures and sources mass timber products including DLT, CLT, NLT, and Glulam as well as steel components such as connections, cables, and castings.

Also known under the name dübelholz, DLT has been manufactured commercially in Europe for a number of years.

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Karen Koenig | Editor

Karen M. Koenig has more than 30 years of experience in the woodworking industry, including visits to wood products manufacturing facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. As editor of special publications under the Woodworking Network brand, including the Red Book Best Practices resource guide and website, Karen’s responsibilities include writing, editing and coordinating of editorial content. She is also a contributor to FDMC and other Woodworking Network online and print media owned by CCI Media. She can be reached at [email protected]