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This laminated material comes from Germany, and is made of hundreds of layers of European beech.
As woodworkers, we have an affinity for hardwood. Cherry, walnut, maple, poplar and oak. Those species are what built America, and they hold a special place in our hearts. However, there’s a time and a place where it makes sense to bring in another material. Plywood is the most common. The laminated layers are stable, stay flat, and are cost effective when you have large parts.
When I was searching for a solution to build the top of the Miter Saw Station, my initial thought was plywood. However, when I made a call to my local lumber yard (Liberty Hardwood), they suggested a material called BauBuche. This product, of German make, is an interesting product with a lot of potential, so I thought I would share a bit of info about it.
BauBuche is a product produced by Pollmeier out of Creuzburg. The product is designed for use in a variety of applications, ranging from interior design, to highly polished, architect-designed structures. What makes BauBuche unique is that the material is significantly stronger than a similar softwood product. This means that it can be used as structural timbers, far and above the limits of what traditional softwood building material would be.
BauBuche is manufactured out of hundreds of strips of European beech that have been glued together. Because of its construction, it’s flat, stable, and strong. Beams made from BauBuche have 66% less dead weight than reinforced concrete, match the compressive strength of 50/60 concrete, and is a sustainable and ecological alternative for green building initiatives.
Manufactured from natural beech, BauBuche has occasional knots, voids, and defects, but they don’t effect the overall structure.
Now, that’s all fine and dandy, but how does it work in the shop? Surprisingly well, actually. Now — because there’s a lot of layers of changing grain direction, you can get a little blow out (see the corner in the photo above). You’ll also find a uniform look, with occasional knots, as you see below. Not that big of deal, but be aware that it’s not a glassy smooth surface.
BauBuche is available in several different sizes and shapes. What I bought is what they call a panel — 35mm x 640mm x 3000mm. The total for that (approximately) 25″x 10’ piece was $250 at the time of publication. That equates to almost $8.90/bdft in hardwood terms. Pollmeier also makes BauBuche beams and boards. As I mentioned, Liberty Hardwoods (Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska) carries this product, but the company offers a dealer locator on their website, Pollmeier.com.
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