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The Unalam Team (and the Delaware County Fair)

August 18, 2015, 6:07 am
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Our whole team took a few minutes off last week to enjoy a picnic together. It was very well deserved after all of the hard work put in over the summer. We went right back to work, but not before we took a photo together. So, from our team to yours...thank you for choosing Unalam!

Also, the Delaware County Fair is going on right now in Walton, NY. Stop by sometime to see the silo we made. We have heard that volunteers will be demonstrating how local farmers used to blow-in silage and other traditional farming techniques.


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Outlooker: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

August 19, 2015, 7:30 am
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Outlooker pre-fit at our plant
An outlooker is a specific type of cantilevered beam that extends from the back of an arch, frequently used with Tudor arches. Creating a roof overhang around the perimeter of an arch structure takes some tricks. In the case where roof decking spans from arch to arch, the decking can cantilever to create a gable end overhang, and for the eave overhang outlookers are added to the arch.

Outlookers are almost always cut, pre-fit, and match marked to a specific arch for precision fit-up in the field. To reduce shipping dimensions, they are usually detached for shipment.
Open outlooker with brace



*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.
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VIDEO: In Case You Missed The Silo Demonstrations At The Delaware County Fair

August 25, 2015, 6:50 am
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In the final chapter of our 'Silo Trilogy' we visit the Delaware County Fair where the Catskill Mountain Antique Engine and Machinery Club demonstrates how farmers would have blown-in silage. 

We really enjoyed learning more about this bygone era, and made this video to share with you. Now Unalam has moved on to making glulam for all sorts of buildings, but it was awesome to see first-hand where we got our start.

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Cantilevered Column: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

August 26, 2015, 7:30 am
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Similar to a cantilevered beam, a cantilevered column is fixed at one end and free at the other. However, while cantilevered columns are frequently used in simple structures, it's not as obvious at first look. 

Cantilevered columns in picnic pavilion
Cantilevered columns are often used for picnic pavilions and other simple shelters without walls for lateral stability. The bottom of the column is fixed, usually by embedding 4 feet of it into a concrete foundation, and the "free" end supports roof framing. When wind pushes horizontally on the roof structure, the column base fixity keeps the overall structure stable.

*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.
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New YMCA Shines With Glulam

September 1, 2015, 7:00 am
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The new Upper Perkiomen Valley YMCA built beautiful with glulam by Unalam. They not only used our wood to create an inviting entrance but also incorporated it into their swimming pool enclosure. 

Glulam is a great choice for high humidity and condensation areas such as pools, indoor water parks, and ice rinks. Pressure treated lumber, glued into heavy timbers like these, inhibits rot, does not rust, and naturally discourages dripping caused by condensation. 

This YMCA was designed by kramer + marks architects of Ambler, PA.


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Pitched And Tapered Beam: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

September 2, 2015, 7:00 am
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Pitched and Tapered Beams are another classic glulam shape that, like the Tudor Arch, takes advantage of a curved and shaped glulam member to support a simple building shape with a beautiful structure. A pitched and tapered beam is ideally used for a clear, symmetrical roof span of low slope, most commonly 3/12. The beam is shallow at supports, tapers to a deeper section near midspan, and has a curved middle section to transition between the two roof planes.

Pitched and tapered beams are very commonly used on top of cantilevered columns to create simple picnic pavilions, but can be used in a variety of buildings when a single, clear span beam runs up and down a roof slope. Radial tension forces tend to be high at the curved section of these beams, so southern yellow pine is recommended, as other species usually require steel reinforcing. Inside radius for the curved section should be 20' or greater for the most economical design.


*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.
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Striking Glulam Timber Entrance At REI

September 8, 2015, 7:00 am
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This angled glulam entry canopy makes the new REI store in Lawrence Township, NJ very hard to miss. The photos, below, show the building from many different angles. 

A special thank you to our longtime NJ sales reps - Dajon Associates, Inc. for sending us these photos.

If you want your business to stand out from the crowd, think Unalam!



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Curved Beam: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

September 9, 2015, 7:00 am
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A curved beam refers to a beam of constant cross section and typically with a constant radius of curvature. Straight beams are typically fabricated with a slight amount of curvature, or "camber", but a curved beam will be bent to a much greater degree.

A curved beam may look similar to an arch, but its design is significantly different. A curved beam is designed to span without relying on any horizontal restraint at supports. Beam forces will tend to straighten the
curved beam, so radial tension forces will be present, and southern yellow pine is the recommended species.

*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.
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Syracuse.com Article On Glulam Timber Onondaga National Lacrosse Pavilion

September 15, 2015, 7:05 am
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Unalam team members finishing an arch leg for the arena
Unalam note: In May and June we manufactured the structural glulam for this amazing new Onondaga Nation arena. It is getting a lot of attention leading up to the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship, both for its beauty and how quickly it was completed. Our entire team worked tirelessly to get this done, and we are very proud to have been a big part of this project. Here is one of the great news stories running now in the Syracuse media about the arena. The games start at the end of this week, and we can't wait to visit Tsha' Thoñ'nhes this weekend and take in some lacrosse action.

Onondaga Nation builds $6.5M arena in record time for lacrosse championship
by Sarah Moses
ONONDAGA NATION – In 2010, England would not allow the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team to enter the country to compete in the world championships because the players were traveling on their Haudenosaunee passports.

The traditional Iroquois passports, accepted internationally for three decades, were suddenly considered inadequate as countries adopted new rules requiring more sophisticated and secure travel papers.

Travel will not be an issue this year for the Iroquois team. Next week the Onondaga Nation will be the site of the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship, the first international sporting event held on indigenous lands.

Seventeen games of the tournament will take place in a gleaming new $6.5 million arena built in record time to host teams from 13 nations.

"We're excited for the games to come home," said Tadodaho Sidney Hill, the spiritual leader of the Onondaga Nation. "We're proud to host and we want to make everyone feel welcome ... even England."

Workers have been putting the finishing touches on the wood-and-stone arena that is called Tsha' Thoñ'nhes, which means "where they play ball."

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Knee Brace: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

September 16, 2015, 7:00 am
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A "knee brace" is a diagonal member that connects a beam and column near their joint. 
Structurally, this could potentially serve various purposes:
  • act as a strut for the beam, shortening its effective span or supporting a cantilever
  • act as a brace for the column, shortening it's unbraced length
  • create rigidity in the beam to column joint to act as a moment connection
In practice, knee braces are often used simply for aesthetic purposes. When included in analysis, they can have a significant effect on load path and unwanted impacts on attached members - so decorative knee braces are usually detailed with slip connections, and structural knee braces often have substantial connections.  

*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.
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VIDEO: Unalam Visits The Onondaga Nation Lacrosse Pavilion

September 22, 2015, 10:52 am
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The 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship is being held in the Syracuse, NY area, including in two Onondaga Nation arenas. This is particularly significant because it is the first international sports tournament ever held on indigenous lands.

The Onondaga Village Pavilion - officially named Tsha’ Thoñ’nhes - "where they play ball" - was built with glulam timber that we manufactured. The entire project was completed in a very short amount of time, and we were thrilled to be able to see our first game of Box Lacrosse there last Sunday.

The tournament continues through this week, and if you are in this area we highly recommend that you visit the pavilion to watch a lacrosse game. The schedule is available on the WILC page (they also have live streaming for those of you who are out of the area.) We are sure that you will have as much fun as we did!
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Girt: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

September 23, 2015, 7:00 am
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Girts in the end wall of the Sidney Center Fire Department
Beams are typically installed as floor and wall framing to support vertical weight. Sometimes a beam is installed in a wall to resist horizontal pressures caused by wind, these beams are often referred to as "girts." In this case, the beam spans between large, full height columns, and smaller infill framing spans vertically from foundation to girt and girt to roof.

The girt may or may not be required to support the weight of the wall above it or doors hung below it. Depending on the relative strength and deflection requirements of the wall weight supported and wind pressures resisted, girts can be oriented with their strong axis vertical or horizontal.

*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.
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Span: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

September 30, 2015, 5:55 am
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The term "span" refers to the distance between supports for a beam or truss. Because supports themselves have some dimension to them (such as an 8"x8" post), several terms are used for clarity:
  • Span - typically refers to the dimension from center to center of supports along the beam axis.
  • Clear Span - refers to the space between closest edges of support.
  • Horizontal Span - horizontal distance between centers of support.
  • Design Span - the length used for beam calculations. Typically equal to the beam's span, but can be the clear span plus half the required bearing length at each end.
*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.
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Article: State officials mark improvements at Wellesley Island, Grass Point State Parks

October 1, 2015, 7:00 am
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Unalam note: This is an article about a project at Wellesley Island State Park that we supplied glulam for in late Spring 2015. We are very happy to see that the new building is now open. We would like to thank Barry Halperin, architect from beardsley architects+engineers, who designed this project, for sharing the article with us and our customer on this job, Eagle Associates of Cazenovia, for choosing us to supply the glulam.

State officials mark improvements at Wellesley Island, Grass Point State Parks
click here to view article with photos
By GORDON BLOCK
WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES STAFF WRITER
PUBLISHED: SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2015 AT 12:30 AM

WELLESLEY ISLAND — Millions of dollars in improvements to parks were described as “transformative,” as their development was marked Friday.

“It’s more accessible, more welcoming,” said Rose H. Harvey, state parks commissioner. “It’s everything you want state parks to be.”

At Wellesley Island State Park, the improvements included a $2 million bathhouse at the park’s beach, which includes an improved concession area, arcade and covered pavilion.

“It’s about making it a family event, all day, on the river,” she said.

The arcade project will be finished over the winter by park staff.

The improvements also included $850,000 toward upgrading the park’s RV camping loop, making it full-service in its electric, water and sewage connections.

State officials and lawmakers toured the park’s improved facilities Friday morning.

The consolidation of the playground, pavilion and other amenities at one site, rather than a smaller pavilion and an adjacent barn across the street, was seen as an improvement for safety.

“The kids were constantly running in circles and crossing the road,” said Brian C. Thomas, regional capital facilities manager.

As the tour took place on the island, parks officials marked the creation of a new bathhouse at Grass Point State Park, at a cost of $735,000.

Ms. Harvey said research she’d seen indicated that every dollar in state funding for parks generated $7 in economic activity.

“It’s not only for us; it’s for the locals nearby,” she said. “You’ll see more use of the park, and those users will fan out.”

The money for the works comes from the state’s NY Parks 2020 program, which has infused $900 million for such efforts from 2011 to 2020.

“It’s a nice synergy,” Ms. Harvey said. “To be exercising, to be healthy, and at the same time helping the economy.”

In addition to the Jefferson County projects, state parks has invested about $1 million for an accessible trail at the Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area, near Massena, that will feature multiple scenic outlooks.
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Girder: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

October 7, 2015, 7:00 am
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Particularly large beams, or a beam that supports other beams, are often referred to as "girders." Structurally, a girder performs and serves the same function as a beam, but it can be convenient when talking about a framing system to use the term beam for typical framing members, and girder for members supporting the beams.

Because girders often need to be larger than beams, the term is sometimes used to describe large beams in general.

*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.
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S-Curved Glulam Arches Are In

October 8, 2015, 11:36 am
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Remember the S-Curved Glulam Arch that we blogged about earlier? In case you forgot, here's a link to the video:

Well, the building is going up now and we have some photos to share of the process.

 It's a beautiful building and we hope you enjoy seeing the process of making it.
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What Are These Squiggly Glulam Beams?

October 13, 2015, 7:00 am
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We ran across these curved and treated glulam beams in our finishing department. They will be going into a Veteran's Memorial park that is right around the corner from our plant.


They will make a wavy roof structure that is designed to evoke a flying flag and they were glued with treated material because they are exterior.

We're really proud to be involved in this local project!
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Joist: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

October 14, 2015, 7:00 am
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Another word used to describe particular beams is "joist." A joist typically refers to small, closely spaced beams in floor framing. For example, a floor system might consist of plywood sheathing supported by dimensional lumber joists spaced 16" apart. The joists could span to glulam beams spaced 12' apart, the glulam beams to glulam girders, and the girders to columns.

*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.
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How Do You Make Indoor/Outdoor Glulam Arches?

October 20, 2015, 7:00 am
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When your glulam is going to be installed outdoors, treated lumber should be your first choice to ensure longevity in the wood. But, treatment does add expense, and sometimes only part of your column, beam, or arch is going to be exposed outside. In that case, it makes sense to treat the exterior part of the glulam and feather in untreated material where it will not be subject to the elements.

This is an example of one partially treated arch that we recently made in our plant, and there were 15 other half arches just like this on the full job. The green colored wood is treated, the rest is not. You may notice that the finger joints in the individual glulam plies are staggered. This takes careful work by our team and is done for structural reasons. Although stacked joints are technically allowed in most cases, it is always better to stagger all joints, so that's what we do.



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Gable: Wednesday's Word Of The Week

October 21, 2015, 6:00 am
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For the next few "Word of the Week" entries, we will be covering words that describe parts of a building. While not specific to glulam construction, these do frequently come up and are useful when describing a building.

Our first word is "gable." A gable is basically a wall that comes to a peak. The simplest type of house shape, with a ridge the full length of the house, is called a "gable roof" because the walls at the ends of the ridge come to a peak and are therefore gable walls.

*Each Wednesday our structural engineer, Rik Vandermeulen, discusses a new term associated with glulam manufacturing. He will do this until we run out of words. If there is a timber or glulam term that you have heard of and want to know more about, let us know in the comments.
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