Building with Wood, the California Way: DIY Mass Timber Takes Root

Hey there! Let me tell you about something pretty neat happening right here in California. We’re all hearing more and more about mass timber, right? It’s this fantastic way to build using big chunks of wood, promising a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional materials like steel and concrete. It’s a global trend, and honestly, it makes a lot of sense, especially in a place like California with so many trees.

The Mass Timber Dream Meets California Reality

You’d think with all our forests, we’d be churning out mass timber left and right. But here’s the kicker: for years, if you wanted to build with mass timber in California, you had to get it shipped in from other states or even overseas. Crazy, right? Why? Well, setting up a big, modern mass timber plant, especially for things like Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), is a massive undertaking. We’re talking tens of millions of dollars in investment, needing highly skilled folks, and wading through complex certification processes. It’s a big hurdle, and frankly, many attempts to get local production off the ground have stalled or just plain failed.

Meanwhile, our forests are, to put it mildly, a bit overgrown. Decades of forest management practices (or lack thereof) combined with climate change and drought have left them dense and vulnerable. This is a huge part of why we’re seeing such devastating wildfires. To make our forests healthier and safer, we need to do a lot more forest restoration work, which means thinning out trees. But what do you do with all that wood, especially the smaller stuff? We need a *high-added value* use for it, something that makes the restoration work economically viable. Current options like firewood or basic lumber often don’t cut it.

Enter the DIY Revolution for Wood

So, we’ve got this demand for mass timber, an abundance of wood needing a purpose, and a big, expensive barrier to traditional manufacturing. What if we could find a different way? A *low-tech*, *low-cost* way to get started? That’s exactly what this research dives into – a kind of *DIY mass timber* strategy.

Instead of jumping straight to the complex, high-investment products like CLT that need fancy hydraulic presses and structural adhesives, the focus here is on the “low-hanging fruit.” Think products that are simpler to make, require less specialized equipment, and don’t demand a huge, skilled workforce from day one. We’re talking about things like Nail-Laminated Timber (NLT) and Dowel-Laminated Timber (DLT). These aren’t new inventions; they’ve been around forever, often called “mechanically laminated timber.” NLT, in particular, is even described pretty clearly in building codes, which is a huge plus! If you follow the instructions, you can make code-compliant panels without needing extra testing and approval, unlike products using structural adhesives.

The beauty of this approach is that it significantly lowers the barrier to entry. We’re talking about a startup cost that’s potentially just a fraction of what a big CLT plant would need. It doesn’t require a massive industrial complex or a huge network of supporting industries right away. It’s something that smaller businesses, even existing woodworkers or sawmills, can potentially pick up.

Putting the “How-To” Out There

The core idea was to develop simple, illustrated instructions – like a “how-to” guide – for making these low-tech mass timber panels. Think IKEA or LEGO manuals, but for building components! These guides break down the process into simple steps, showing you what tools and materials you need and how to put it all together. They even cover things like using different types of wood and how craftsmanship can play a role.

These guides were shared with interested folks across California. And guess what? It worked! In just about a year and a half, three different groups actually started manufacturing engineered wood panels using local wood from local forests. This is huge! It shows that this smaller-scale, decentralized approach isn’t just a nice idea; it’s actually viable and can *kickstart* local production capacity where none existed before.

Why Low-Tech is High Potential

Let’s dig a little deeper into why NLT and DLT are such good starting points:

• Lower Initial Investment: You don’t need multi-million dollar presses. Basic woodworking tools and a pneumatic nail gun can get you started.
• Code Compliance: NLT is often prescriptively allowed in building codes (like California Building Code 2304.9.3). Follow the rules, and you’re good to go structurally. This bypasses costly and time-consuming product certifications needed for glued products.
• Minimal Skilled Workforce: While knowing wood helps, the basic assembly process is straightforward and doesn’t require years of specialized training in mass timber production.
• Less Supporting Infrastructure: You don’t immediately need a complex supply chain for adhesives or specialized machinery maintenance.

This isn’t necessarily about replacing big, centralized mass timber factories down the line. Those have their place, benefiting from economies of scale and producing products like CLT. But this *DIY* or *craft mass timber* approach is complementary. It’s about creating opportunities in forested communities, adding value to local wood, and supporting forest health by providing a market for the material coming out of restoration projects.

The How-To in Practice

So, what does making NLT actually involve? The basic idea is simple: stack dimensional lumber boards on their edge and nail them together in a specific pattern. The guides lay this out clearly.

Getting Started: The Basic Setup

For a basic setup to make code-compliant NLT panels, the tool list is surprisingly short. You primarily need a pneumatic nail gun, construction-grade nails, and structural lumber boards that are dried, graded, and cut to length. Theoretically, you could even use a hammer, but a nail gun is way more realistic for actual production! Add in some clamps, a square, a tape measure, and maybe a miter saw, and you’re pretty much set. We’re talking about a potential startup budget of around $1000 for tools. That’s incredibly accessible compared to a traditional factory!

The key is following the nailing pattern and requirements specified in the building code (like Table 2304.9.3.2 in the California Building Code), which tells you exactly how many nails to use, what type, and where to put them based on the board size and how the panel will be supported. Standard lumber sizes mean you can easily make panels up to about 20 feet long, which is plenty for many building applications.

Stepping Up Production with Jigs

While you can make panels on the ground, building a simple fabrication *jig* can make the process much more efficient and improve quality, especially if you plan on higher production rates. A jig helps keep the boards square and aligned as you nail them. These jigs can be built from simple materials and adapted to your needs. Even with a jig, the startup cost remains relatively low. At this level, you might start thinking about material handling and storage space, but it’s still far from the complexity of a large factory.

Beyond the Standard: Craftsmanship and Variety

One really exciting aspect of this small-scale, *craft mass timber* approach is the potential for variety and customization. While the building code gives you the basic recipe for standard NLT, local fabrication allows for experimentation and craftsmanship that big factories might not easily offer.

Think of it like this matrix of possibilities:

• Feedstock: You’re not limited to perfect, standard dimensional lumber. You could potentially use smaller off-cuts as fillers, repurpose salvaged lumber (if it meets structural requirements), or even mix different local wood species based on what’s available from forest restoration.
• Finish: You can play with the surface aesthetics. Maybe char the wood using a technique inspired by Japanese *Yakisugi* for a unique look, or apply different finishes. Architects and manufacturers can collaborate to create panels with specific visual qualities.
• Profiling: The edges or surfaces of the boards can be shaped (profiled). This isn’t just for looks; profiling the bottom surface can improve acoustics, and side profiles can help prevent air gaps or increase shear transfer between boards. You could even profile boards to vary the panel’s strength along its length, optimizing material use.
• Assemblies: While NLT is generally a one-way spanning product (the wood grain runs in one direction), small-scale production allows for exploring more complex assemblies, like making curved panels by varying the stacking angle. You could even explore nailed or doweled versions of cross-laminated panels.

This opens up a world of possibilities for creating mass timber products that are not only structural but also beautiful and tailored to specific project needs, reconnecting wood construction with the idea of *craft* rather than just industrial production.

Seeing it Happen: Early Success Stories

The real proof of concept comes from the fact that people are actually doing this! The dissemination of these *DIY* guides and the support provided through programs like the University of California – Berkeley’s Cooperative Extension have led to tangible results.

We’ve seen three groups in California jump in and start producing mass timber panels:

• Forestree Collective near Sebastopol: They’re a sawmill and wood products company that used the guides to assemble NLT panels for a small building right at their sawmill site. They even used hardwood nails made by Lignoloc and wood from small treetops from their restoration work – talk about local utilization!
• Mad River Mass Timber in Korbel: A collaboration between Schmidbauer Lumber Inc. and North Fork Lumber Company, they’ve started producing DLT panels using a homemade jig. They’re working with Hemlock-fir from their area.
• Urban Machine, All Bay Lumber, and UC Berkeley Wood Lab in Oakland: This group is focusing on using reclaimed lumber from deconstruction sites. They designed and built a custom machine to speed up the DLT production process after starting with manual trials. This is a fantastic example of circular economy in action!

These aren’t just theoretical projects; these are real businesses and initiatives making real mass timber panels right here in California.

Looking Ahead: Making a Bigger Dent

Now, the big question is: can this *DIY mass timber* approach scale up enough to really make a significant *dent* in the huge amount of wood that needs to come out of California’s forests for wildfire prevention? It’s still early days, and that remains to be seen.

However, the success so far is incredibly promising. This alternative route to mass timber manufacturing offers several key advantages:

• It can be deployed much more rapidly than building a traditional factory.
• It requires minimal capital costs to get started.
• It creates immediate, community-based employment opportunities.
• It can be expanded to multiple forest regions, supporting decentralized manufacturing.
• When paired with local sawmills and the available workforce, it directly supports resilient forest management practices by providing a market for the wood.

The hope is that as these initial producers grow and more stakeholders get involved, this grassroots movement, supported by craftsmanship and practical guides, can truly establish a thriving local mass timber industry in California. It’s about building smarter, building greener, and helping our forests stay healthy, one nail (or dowel!) at a time.

Source: Springer