Production process for manufacture of a laminate

An automated method of accumulating individual sticks procured from a source of wood or log material into separate groups, the method comprising:

• determining one or more physical parameters or qualities of each of the individual sticks, by subjecting each of the individual sticks to a structural test or a structural vetting routine;
• attributing a prescribed value or other quantifier to each of the individual sticks of which the determined one or more physical parameters or qualities fall within a predetermined range;
• accumulating together the individual sticks of the same prescribed value or other quantifier into one of the separate groups;
• assembling, into an end-wise jointed composite stick, the individual sticks from each of the separate groups;
• adjusting the predetermined range to vary the prescribed value or other quantifier to be attributed to one or more subsequently determined individual sticks by adjusting one or more of the predetermined range, a lower limit of the predetermined range, and an upper limit of the predetermined range, such that a relative proportion of a quantity of the one or more subsequently determined individual sticks that are accumulated into each of subsequent groups is sufficient for a subsequent assembly of the one or more subsequently determined individual sticks from each of the subsequent groups into an end-wise jointed composite stick;
• accumulating together the one or more subsequently determined individual sticks of the same varied prescribed value or other quantifier into one of the subsequent groups;
• and
• assembling, into an end-wise jointed composite stick, the one or more subsequently determined individual sticks from each of the subsequent groups.