VENEER & PLYWOOD

MANUFACTURE
TOPIC D
INTRODUCTION

• Veneer and plywood have a long history in converting forest resources into value added
products. Plywood is in fact a value added product of veneer.

• Veneer Wood veneer is a thin 0.3 to 6 mm sheet of wood having its grain parallel to
the surface. The sheet or lay on is peeled from a selected log by using
either a lathe or slicer. The following factors determine the quality and end
use of veneers produced.
• Plywood Veneers glued together like sandwich. Glue is positioned between each layer.
In plywood, each positioned at 90 degrees and there are always uneven number of
sheets used.
Plywood has better splitting resistance due to grains in adjacent layers running at
the right angle and nailing and screwing even closed to the edges in safe.
• To describe a veneer core plywood completely, it is required to indicate three constitutes.
The species of timber, or where a grouping system is used, the group of timber to which
the veneer was converted from, and any preservative treatment.
The grade of veneer used - typically this is confined to the face and back veneers. However
for some purposes such as structural, marine and aircraft plywood, the quality of all veneers
should be specified.
The bond or type of adhesive used plywood
• The manufacture of plywood can be divided into two main stages
The production of veneers
The assembly and pressing of veneers into plywood
• Plywood also claims a high versatility of end uses. its relatively simple to manufacture and has many
advantages over other wood converted products as well as some steel and sheet metal
applications.
• Types of veneer wood
1. Rotary Cut Veneer Is manufactured by advancing a rotating log against a stationary
knife. Since this cut follows the log's annual growth rings, a wide,
bold grain pattern is produced. Rotary cut veneer is a cost
effective method to obtain remarkable effects from birch, maple
and oak.
2. Plain Sliced Veneer
(also Known as Flat Cut or Crown Cut)
Is the most widely used. It is manufactured by
advancing a half log against a stationary knife in
an up-and-down movement. The resulting cut
is characterized by straight grain intermixed
with cathedrals. This method is moderately
priced and is available for most wood species.
3. Quarter Cut Veneer Uses the same cutting method as plain-sliced veneer, except the
log is cut into quarters prior to slicing. This method bisects
annual growth rings and results in a straight grain or ribbon-
striped (mahogany) appearance. Due to low yield from the log,
this veneer is usually more costly. Walnut, mahogany, oak and
teak are most often used.
4. Rift Cut Veneer Uses various species of oak. The rift, or comb-grain effect, is
obtained by slicing slightly across the medullar rays. This
accentuates the vertical grain and minimized the flake. Rift-cut
veneers are more expensive due to lower yield from the log.
• Types of Plywood
1. Regular Grade Plywood Used for temporary use.
2. Commercial Plywood Also known as interior grade or MR(moisture resistant) grade
plywood.
Used for making furniture that is unlikely to get wet.
3. Water Proof Plywood Exterior Grade or BWR (boiling water resistant) grade plywood
Used for making furniture that is likely to get wet.
Ex. Kitchen Furniture
4. Marine Plywood Superior quality and also costs more.
Used for furniture or products that are subjected to prolonged
water exposure.
Used mainly for industrial purposes and boat building.
PLYWOOD VS. SOLID WOOD
PROPERTIES SOLID WOOD
DEFINITION Solid wood is wood that has been
cut from a tree and contains wood
fibers throughout the piece of
lumber.
WOOD SPECIES
Far more choices of wood
species than engineered
wood. Red and white oak,
maple, hickory, and pine are
the most popular solids.
PLYWOOD
Plywood is an engineered wood
product made up of sheets of wood
veneer. The wood veneer boards
are pressed and bonded together
to create one solid piece.
Fewer choices than with solid
hardwood. Red oak, hickory,
and Brazilian Cherry are the
most popular wood species for
engineered flooring.
 PROPERTIES SOLID WOOD PLYWOOD

Most engineered wood floors are

PRE-FINISHED OR SITE-FINISHED
*Pre-finished is increasingly the
pre-finished. It is possible to
finish of choice for solids. *Site-
find a few dealers who sell site-
finished (also called unfinished)
finished engineered wood
accounts for about 25% of solid
flooring, Hurst Hardwoods being
hardwoods today.
one of them.

SANDING PROPERTY It can be sanded numerous

times. Eventually, solid
It can be sanded for only once or
hardwood will become too thin
twice lightly, before the thin
after years of sanding,
upper layer wears away.
compromising its structural
integrity.

Solid hardwoods are nailed or Easier than solid hardwood as

stapled down. Solid hardwood is you have a greater range of
Ease of Installation
never installed on a floating installation methods: stapling or
basis. nailing, click, or glue.

**Prefinished floors have the finish applied during manufacturing.

Unfinished floors have the finish applied on-site - at the customer's
home.
 PROPERTIES SOLID WOOD PLYWOOD

Excellent. Well-maintained
Good, but not as long as solid
solid hardwood will last for
hardwood. Because the surface
decades. Moisture is the
is thin, it can become chipped
enemy of this organic
or de-laminated if stressed
OVERALL DURABILITY product. Wood floors do stand
beyond normal conditions. Yet
a chance of being salvaged
its ability to hold up to limited
after flooding, but they will
moisture helps bring up its
never perfectly return to their
durability rating.
former shape.

Poor. Never recommended for

Good; better than solid
bathrooms, basements, or
hardwood. Its plywood base
other areas where moisture is
is dimensionally stable,
prevalent or even
meaning that it warps and
expected. Still, solid hardwood
flexes less easily upon contact
HOLDS UP TO MOISTURE can resist some moisture. Site-
with moisture than solid
finished wood flooring (as
wood. Fibers in plywood run in
opposed to pre-finished),
cross-wise layers, a far more
though, does have a sealed top
stable structure than solid
layer that can shed some
wood's parallel fibers.
moisture.
 PROPERTIES SOLID WOOD
Solid hardwood encompasses a
greater range of wood hardness
than engineered. Hardness
HARDNESS
ranges from extremely soft and
appropriate only for utility
areas to extremely hard.
Best in living areas, bedrooms,
hallways, dining rooms. While
it's wise to avoid solid wood in
kitchens, installation can be
WHERE TO INSTALL
acceptable if waterproof mats
are placed near sink and
dishwasher. Mostly not okay to
install in bathrooms.
PLYWOOD
Hardwood plywood has
excellent surface hardness, and
damage- and wear-
resistance. Soft hardwoods
such as pine will not be found
in engineered wood format.
All areas mentioned for solid
wood flooring. Again, best to
avoid any kind of organic
material in kitchens, but it can
be made to work with proper
precautions. Can be installed
below-grade with proper
subfloor and as long as
basement has absolutely no
moisture problems.
 PROPERTIES SOLID WOOD PLYWOOD

Engineered wood is constructed to

Solid hardwood is prone to
be more dimensionally stable
expansion, warping, and cupping to
Dimensional stability through multi-ply design. This
a significant degree if exposed to
allows greater resistance to
temperature changes.
temperature changes.

Engineered wood is for those

Solid hardwood is for purists
who want the look of wood but
who have long-time prospects
who have a practical
in mind, yet do not mind
bent. Engineered wood lets
installing different types of
you install it in a few more
BOTTOM LINE flooring in different parts of
rooms of the house than you
the house, according to
can with solid wood. It will
need. Solid wood will return
return value, but will not have
value many years down the
the longevity that solid wood
road.
has.
BASIC STEPS IN VENEER MANUFACTURE

1. Selecting the log

Plywood is made from several different species of trees.
The first step in the manufacturing process of plywood is
the selecting of the logs. The logs that are selected are
chosen for their straightness and roundness. Logs are
then transported from the forest concession to the mill
to be processed.
2. Conditioning
On arrival at the mill, logs are conditioned. Mills
will use various methods to retain the moisture
in the logs, many opting for sprinkler systems.

Logs will then eventually make their way to the

Log Pond. Logs are submerged in water for an
extended period of time so that they are easier
to cut down to size and easier to peel. Some
mills in colder climates have heated log ponds as
the heat also improves the quality of the peeling;
they refer to this as hydro-thermal processing.
3. Debarking the logs
Before the logs are cut and peeled, the
bark must be removed. Mills use industrial
machines to de-bark logs as they continue
along the production line.
4. Cutting the logs
De-barked logs then move on to be cut
to size. The size that the logs are cut to is
usually dependent on the production at
the time of cutting; finished panel size &
grain direction play a part in the cutting of
logs.
5. Peeling & Clipping
The logs will be peeled into thin veneers.
The veneers produced can come in the form
of continuous sheets, or immediately clipped
into a predetermined width and length.
Veneers with visible defects are clipped off.
As a result, clipping leaves some veneers end
up with a smaller surface area. This, however,
isn’t a problem, because these smaller
veneers can be joined together to form
standard 4×8 or 3×7 sheets.
6. Sizing & Grading
Following peeling, the veneers are moved
along the production line in long streams.
They need to be cut to size and go
through an initial grading process. Grading
is use to check for defects in the veneers,
cutting to the required sizes and then
separating potential face veneers from
core veneers.
7. Drying the Veneers
At this point, the veneers are still wet from being
soaked in the log pond. The veneers must be dried
for a variety of reasons; from protecting the wood
from fungal decay to increasing the mechanical
properties of the finished board.
Most mills use large, industrial dryers, often
connecting to the log peeler via conveyor belt;
however, more frugal methods can also be used. For
example, some log peelers in China leave the
veneers out in the open to dry throughout the day.
8. Repairing Defects
Once dry, veneers need to be repaired where
defects exist. In the case of Birch Plywood for
example, open knots (where branches used to
be) can be 'plugged' in. Splits in veneers on
plywood can also be filled in and mis-sized
veneers can be finger-jointed together
Some mills have a machine that scans the
veneers and automatically plugs open holes or
knots.
VENEER SLICING METHOD
PLYWOOD MANUFACTURE

• The trees used to make plywood are generally smaller in diameter than those used to
make lumber. In most cases, they have been planted and grown in areas owned by the
plywood company.These areas are carefully managed to maximize tree growth and
minimize damage from insects or fire.
• Here is a typical sequence of operations for processing trees into standard 4 ft by 8 ft
(1.2 m by 2.4 m) plywood sheets:
• The logs are first debarked and then cut into peeler blocks. In order to cut the blocks
into strips of veneer, they are first soaked and then peeled into strips.
1. Felling the trees Selected trees in an area are marked as being ready to be cut down,
or felled. The felling may be done with gasoline-powered chain saws or
with large hydraulic shears mounted on the front of wheeled vehicles
called fellers. The limbs are removed from the fallen trees with chain
saws.
The trimmed tree trunks, or logs, are dragged to a loading area by
wheeled vehicles called skidders. The logs are cut to length and are
loaded on trucks for the trip to the plywood mill, where they are
stacked in long piles known as log decks.
• 2. Preparing the logs As logs are needed, they are picked up from the log decks by rubber-
tired loaders and placed on a chain conveyor that brings them to the
debarking machine. This machine removes the bark, either with sharp-
toothed grinding wheels or with jets of high-pressure water, while the
log is slowly rotated about its long axis.
The debarked logs are carried into the mill on a chain conveyor where
a huge circular saw cuts them into sections about 8 ft-4 in (2.5 m) to 8
ft-6 in (2.6 m) long, suitable for making standard 8 ft (2.4 m) long sheets.
These log sections are known as peeler blocks.
3. Making the veneer Before the veneer can be cut, the peeler blocks must be heated and
soaked to soften the wood. The blocks may be steamed or immersed in
hot water. This process takes 12-40 hours depending on the type of
wood, the diameter of the block, and other factors.
The heated peeler blocks are then transported to the peeler lathe,
where they are automatically aligned and fed into the lathe
one at a time. As the lathe rotates the block rapidly about its long axis, a
full-length knife blade peels a continuous sheet of veneer from the
surface of the spinning block at a rate of 300-800 ft/min (90-240 m/min).
When the diameter of the block is reduced to about 3-4 in (230-305
mm), the remaining piece of wood, known as the peeler core, is ejected
from the lathe and a new peeler block is fed into place.
The long sheet of veneer emerging from / the peeler lathe may be
processed immediately, or it may be stored in long, multiple-level trays
or wound onto rolls. In any case, the next process involves cutting the
veneer into usable widths, usually about 4 ft-6 in (1.4 m), for making
standard 4 ft (1.2 m) wide plywood sheets. At the same time, optical
scanners look for sections with unacceptable defects, and these are
clipped out, leaving less than standard width pieces of veneer.
The wet strips of veneer are wound into a roll,
while an optical scanner detectsany
unacceptable defects in the wood. Once dried
the veneer is graded and stacked. Selected
sections of veneer are glued together. A hot
press is used to seal the veneer into one solid
piece of plywood, which will be trimmed and
sanded before being stamped with its
appropriate grade.
The sections of veneer are then sorted and stacked according to grade.
This may be done manually, or it may be done automatically using
optical scanners.
The sorted sections are fed into a dryer to reduce their moisture
content and allow them to shrink before they are glued together. Most
plywood mills use a mechanical dryer in which the pieces move
continuously through a heated chamber. In some dryers, jets of high-
velocity, heated air are blown across the surface of the pieces to speed
the drying process.
 As the sections of veneer emerge from the dryer, they are stacked
according to grade. Underwidth sections have additional veneer spliced
on with tape or glue to make pieces suitable for use in the interior
layers where appearance and strength are less important.
Those sections of veneer that will be installed crossways—the core in
three-ply sheets, or the crossbands in five-ply sheets—are cut into
lengths of about 4 ft-3 in (1.3 m).
4. Forming the plywood sheets When the appropriate sections of veneer are assembled for a
particular run of plywood, the process of laying up
and gluing the pieces together begins. This may be done
manually or semi-automatically with machines. In the simplest
case of three-ply sheets, the back veneer is laid flat and is run
through a glue spreader, which applies a layer of glue to the
upper surface. The short sections of core veneer are then laid
crossways on top of the glued back, and the whole sheet is
run through the glue spreader a second time. Finally, the face
veneer is laid on top of the glued core, and the sheet is
stacked with other sheets waiting to go into the press.
The glued sheets are loaded into a multiple-opening hot press. presses
can handle 20-40 sheets at a time, with each sheet loaded in a separate
slot. When all the sheets are loaded, the press squeezes them together
under a pressure of about110-200 psi (7.6-13.8 bar), while at the same
time heating them to a temperature of about 230-315° F (109.9-157.2°
C). The pressure assures good contact between the layers of veneer, and
the heat causes the glue to cure properly for maximum strength. After a
period of 2-7 minutes, the press is opened and the sheets are unloaded.
The rough sheets then pass through a set of saws, which trim them to
their final width and length. Higher grade sheets pass through a set of 4
ft (1.2 m) wide belt sanders, which sand both the face and back.
Intermediate grade sheets are manually spot sanded to clean up rough
areas. Some sheets are run through a set of circular saw blades, which
cut shallow grooves in the face to give the plywood a textured
appearance. After a final inspection, any remaining defects are repaired.
The finished sheets are stamped with a grade-trademark that gives the
buyer information about the exposure rating, grade, mill number, and
other factors. Sheets of the same grade-trademark are strapped t
ogether in stacks and moved to the warehouse to await shipment.
PLYWOOD GRADING

• A plywood is graded as A, B, C, D or E depending on the inherent defects in wood and

the manufacturing defects visible on finished panels.
• The grade of the plywood describes the grade of the face first followed by the grade of
the back.
• The face of the plywood is the one with a better quality and the back is its opposite side.
• Grade A is practically without defects.
Grade A Grade C Grade E
Grade B Grade D
The letter grades typically come in pairs, where one letter refers to the "better" side, called
the face, and the other letter to the back side, opposite the face.
Each sheet will have two grades, such as AC. The first letter is the face veneer grade, and
the second is for the back veneer. Some plywoods have a third letter, X, that designates
them for exterior use.
As such, a sheet of A-C plywood will be very well finished on the face with a relatively
unfinished back. Conversely, construction grade plywood would be C-D (commonly
referred to as CDX plywood), which is great for structural use but not suited to be finish
material.
• From highest quality to lowest, here’s what to look for:
• “A” Grade. Sanded smooth, paintable. Though some neatly made manufacturer repairs are
acceptable, you should have little trouble finding A-grades that are free of repairs and knots.

• “B” Grade. Solid surface with some repairs, usually football-shaped patches and/or wood filler. May
have tight knots (no chunks of wood missing) up to 1 in. Some minor splits.
• “C” Grade. Tight knots to 1-1/2 in. and knotholes to 1 in., some splits and discoloration.
• “D” Grade. Knots and knotholes up to 2-1/2 in. Some splits. Generally no repairs.
• Even within the different plywood grades, you’ll likely find a wide range in the number of repairs or
defects.
END