Core for core wound paper products having preferred seam construction

1. A two-ply core having a generally round cross-section with an inner circumference and an outer circumference, said core comprising an inner ply and an outer ply joined together in face-to-face relationship without an intervening ply therebetween, said inner ply and said outer ply each having a predetermined width defined by two edges and being spirally wound together to form a hollow cylinder having an inner ply gap or an outer ply gap defined by the respective edges of said inner ply or said outer ply, one of said inner ply and said outer ply subtending an arc greater than 360.degree. so that said core has a wall thickness of not less than two plies and not more than three plies throughout and forming an inner ply overlap or an outer ply overlap respectively, said inner ply overlap being disposed on the inner circumference of said core, said outer ply overlap being disposed on the outer circumference of said core, said inner ply overlap and said outer ply overlap being radially aligned with said outer ply gap or said inner ply gap, respectively.

2. A core according to claim 1 wherein said core has at least a two-ply thickness throughout its entire surface area and a three-ply thickness at said overlap.

3. A core according to claim 2 whereby said core has two oppositely disposed ends and wherein at least one overlap extends from one said end of said core to the other said end of said core.

4. A method of making a two-ply core having a generally round cross-section with an inner circumference and an outer circumference and a length defined by opposed ends, said method comprising the steps of:

providing two plies; and

winding said plies together in face to face joined relationship to form an cylindrical core having a wall throughout its length of not less than two plies, whereby said two plies comprise an inner ply and an outer ply, said inner ply and said outer ply each having a predetermined width defined by two edges and having an inner ply gap or an outer ply gap defined by the respective edges of said inner ply or said outer ply, one of said inner ply and said outer ply subtending an arc greater than 360.degree. so that said core has a wall thickness of not less than two plies and not more than three plies throughout and forming an inner ply overlap or an outer ply overlap respectively, said inner ply overlap being disposed on the inner circumference of said core, said outer ply overlap being disposed on the outer circumference of said core, said inner ply overlap and said outer ply overlap being radially aligned with said outer ply gap or said inner ply gap, respectively.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein said step of providing said plies comprises providing an inner ply and an outer ply, each said inner ply and said outer ply having opposed edges, said opposed edges defining an inner ply gap or an outer ply gap, respectively, and wherein said core has at least two plies in said plurality.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said step of winding said plies comprises winding said plies so that one of said inner and outer plies overlaps itself at an edge of said ply and is circumferentially aligned with said ply gap of said other ply.