Building wisdom, July 2013
From Daizen News
Buildings, too, are children of Earth and Sun.
—Frank Lloyd Wright
Author: Susan
Steel connection, Green and Green–style
From Daizen News, July 2013
Blacksmith-styled steel always marries very well to timbers. Here, the steel functions as structural, but it also works as a design feature of the house!
The steel bands and rods are produced in the usual manner at a fabrication shop, then pounded with a hammer for texture before getting a powder coat.
A tornado trellis
From Daizen News, July 2013
The hot season has arrived: finally, we need shade from the sun. A square trellis may not work in a round space, so we came up with a new design.
The horizontal plate sits on the receiving member and comes back to the original plate: a self-supporting structure.
In the final product, we end up making a simple square base frame rather than a star structure. The horizontal tornado plate on top stays as solid as we expected. The wood in this frame is Western Red Cedar, finished with natural oil.
New finish line: driftwood
From Daizen News, July 2013
Daizen has explored new timber finishes for those who like the look of weathered timber. The base color is grey, textured with our comb finish. We came up with a special application method that shows some of the base wood color behind the grey to achieve this weathered look.
The corner edge of a beam in Driftwood finish.
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Dai in Denver, at AIA
As part of the BC Wood group, Daizen will be attending the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention in Denver, June 20–22. Are you going to this event? If so, please visit our show booth.
Read MoreDai’s pizza oven
from Daizen News, June 2013
We have nice long days now. After the hard work, Dai freshens his mind by getting on to other projects. This year’s project is a pizza oven. If you’d like to build one, be sure to contact Dai. He’s finding many tips as he goes along, and he’s happy to advise you.
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Raising tip: lifting a post straight up
From Daizen News, June 2013
During a raising, lifting the post straight up from the top will help place it accurately and safely. We calculate the weight of the member and place a proper screw that we can hook into the dead-volume center, so the lift is controlled.
The hook used to do this is called a transport ankor, and it’s sold by Würth. We countersink and inset the screws, so that we don’t need to climb up the top of the post after it’s set to take the screw out.
Because we pre-stain our timbers, no damage is allowed. The anchors eliminate the strap that would otherwise go around the member. Also, we protect the corners of the post bottom by enclosing it in a box before the post is lifted. This is a money saving preparation that we strongly recommend.
We include a gasket around the bottom of each post as part of the building envelope.
A nylon-based plate makes a thermal barrier as well as preventing moisture transfer to the post’s end grain. Then our famous Japanese epoxy anchor system goes in to secure the post to the foundation.
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Building wisdom, May 2013
From Daizen News
I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.
—Abraham Lincoln
Residential Glulam
From Daizen News, May 2013
Glulam, or glue-laminate, is engineered wood that is twice the strength of #1 grade timber and is sometimes used as a beam. It is composed of several layers of dimensioned timber bonded together with durable, moisture-resistant structural adhesives.
Glulam is frequently used in large scale projects like airports and manufacturing facilities in order to achieve a large open span. As an industrial component, it looks good, but for a residential application, we use Glulam in a different way.
First, to soften the laminated look, it’s best if the glue in the lamination is clear. Then, we wire-brush the surface in order to blend the glue lines in. Finally, we use a dark stain color.
Glulam can be an affordable alternative to big timbers. At any size bigger than 8 in. x 14 ft., or longer than 24 ft., the cost of kiln dried timber rises to exceed that of engineered wood . . . and then the point is reached where natural timber at that size does not exist. For this project, an industrial feel is part of the design concept, so Glulam is the material of choice.
Another Glulam project: Best Western Revelstoke
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