I would like to know if a lam beam cut the same way any solid lumberis cut would work as well! I have a large shop i want to build and i thought a lam beam at $3 pr ft sounded more apealing than 12- 40 pr ft. Has anyone ever done this?
Thanks, Van

Van: I’d have to say, by the fact that no one has answered your question that the answer is no. But many men who do building of timber frame structures are busy men and maybe they haven’t had the time to answer your question. I’m no expert. I’ve only been involved in timber framing about one year. But with all the reading I’ve done, and going to two timber frame schools, I’ve never heard of using a combination of solid timbers and lam beams.
And as each area of the country is different in regards to building inspections, I’d ask your building inspector if ‘he’ will allow such a combination. If you don’t have a building inspector to ask then you’ll have to consult an engineer or architect who is familiar with the codes for your area. Good luck. Jim

Personally I do not see any reason why not. I have seen using glue-lam in timber framing. I like solid wood, but as an engineer I think that glue-lam has many advantages over solid timber. It is more consistent in quality, has no checks, does not twist, it is made out of KD lumber and you can make lot of things that would not be possible with solid timbers (e.g. arches and large spans). However there are regulations and provisions on how to manufacture structural glue-lam. It is not a backyard project.

One company that uses the glue-lam I know of is Spearhead Timber Works. Another might be Structurlam (manufacturer of structural glue-lam in BC, Canada).

Regards
Dalibor Houdek