Laminated Bridge Cap Construction

[Farrell]

To: Laminated Bridge Cap Builders

Do you folks make up a sheet of capping material and then cut it up like a regular bridge cap? With that method, you could treat it just like traditional bridge capping and make the cap for the long bridge out of several pieces, or you could cut it out in one piece, but then you won't have preferable grain orientation. I would imagine anyone doing it this way would then have a two or three piece bridge cap?

Or do you cut the individual laminates to conform to the bridge curve first. Each laminate layer might be made of three or four pieces. Successive layers would have the 1.5 mm-thick butt joints offset from one another (staggered). Then laminate it together. That way you make each cap custom fit for the bridge and you get preferred grain angles, and a strong one piece cap for the entire long bridge. That is the way I am doing mine, although I suspect it is not the way others are doing it.

Enlighten us.

Terry Farrell