: I've been following this thread with some casual interest, about to start my
: first stripped deck with standard quarter inch bead and cove cedar. With
: regard to the "yes, do it with thinner strips and rolling bevel"
: type responses, I have to ask about the issue of removing the glued deck
: from the forms prior to inner glassing. It seems that the structure would
: be significantly more fragile than with 1/4 inch B & C structure.

1. The glued joints are generally considered to be with glue which is stronger than the wood itself.

2. With a well fitted planed edge you have a smaller glue area than with the semicircular joint area of a bead and cove joint. The bead and cove joint gives about a 50% increase in joint surface area over a straight line joint. However, while the glue covers a greater surface area, the weaker edges of the cove, where the wood is very thin, make up a significant portion of the joint surface area. These will break off before the glue fails, so the joint is not really 50 % stronger.

3. When you work with thinner strips the surface area of the glue joint is smaller, but the weight of the strips is smaller by the same amount. You have less glued area and less strength, but those glue joints suport less weight.

4. The outside of the deck is covered with a layer of fiberglass cloth which is bonded to the surface of all the joined strips by an epoxy resin which is many times stronger than the wood. The strength of the glass layer does not depend on the thickness of the strips under it. Whatever strength it has is going to be the same whether the strips weigh 1 pound or 25 pounds. With a deck made of thin, light strips, the fiberglass is actually providing a greater percentage of the total strength of the combination.

4. Edge gluing has been used for many years to create wide wood panels out of narrow boards. It is a reliable process. Have some confidence in somthing with a proven track record.

There is absolutely no reason to assume that the combined strips which are edge glued to make the deck are any weaker than a single piece of thin cedar. Such a material is fragile, but can be handled with care. With the fiberglass cloth stuck to it this becomes much stronger than a thin board. There is little chance that it is going to simply fall apart. Certainly you could break it if you wanted to, but if you did, then at this stage you just put the pieces back on the forms and glue them back together.

Hope this helps to reassure you.

PGJ