Lateral holding strength of dowel joints constructed of plywood and oriented strandboard

Both plywood and oriented strandboard (OSB) are widely used in furniture frame construction. A study was undertaken to determine the ability of plywood and OSB to resist lateral forces such as occur when the front rail of a sofa is loaded in either the vertical (edge) or horizontal (flat) direction. These tests developed basic strength data for dowel joints constructed of both plywood and OSB in furniture frames. Results of the tests indicate that the lateral shear strength of dowel joints constructed of plywood and OSB are sufficiently strong for several frame applications such as top rail to back post joints in sofa frames. However, joints subjected to high levels of lateral force such as front rails in sofas equipped with sinusoidal type springs or other seat foundation materials that impose high front to back loads on the rails need to be reinforced. The study provided a database of strength values that can help in the product engineering of frames constructed of plywood and OSB.