- Experimental tests were conducted on double lap timber joints bonded with different adhesives, including stiff epoxy and softer plastic adhesives. - The tests found no significant differences in load-displacement curves or influence on strength between the different adhesives. Failure occurred brittlely in the timber. - Numerical modeling confirmed the softer adhesives reduced stress magnitudes but also increased the stressed volumes. - A probabilistic approach is needed to explain the relationship between stress and strength, rather than a direct correlation, due to size effects and the brittle nature of timber. - While ductile adhesives reduce stresses, they do not necessarily increase joint strength as expected based on a stress-