Strength of Appalachian hardwoods finger-jointed at elevated moisture content

The feasibility of finger-jointing green hardwood species in the longitudinal direction was investigated. Nominal sized pallet stringers and deck boards from low-quality hardwood species that don't require kiln-drying were used in the evaluation process. The primary purpose of the investigation was to proof test an existing jointing-gluing technology with the potential to provide adequate strength and stiffness of the materials after jointing. Statistical analyses of the results indicated the potentiality of the green finger-jointing process. After 30 days, the jointed specimens demonstrated at least 70 percent of the solid wood's strength values. Moduli of elasticity values, obtained by testing the jointed products, were comparable to that reported in the literature on similar species. In this manuscript the authors use the U.S. Customary Units intentionally along with the indication of SI equivalents.