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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



August 10, 1918 



A British View of Veneer 



America May Capture Business Formerly Done by Russia 



I HE London Timber Trades Journal, in its issue of 

 June 29, presents an interesting review of the 

 panel business and ventures a prophecy concern- 

 ing its future development. The article follows: 



The introduction of plywood dates back only about 

 twenty-five years. its merits appear to have been first 

 discovered in America, but in the early stages of its manu- 

 facture the need presented itself of finding an efficient 

 waterproof glue or cement; also the absence of appli- 

 ances for carrying out the work was experienced. The 

 inventive genius of the Americans, however, gradually 

 overcame early discouragements, and they soon perfected 

 the manufacture, which was subsequently imitated by 

 the Russians with such great success. 



In the furniture and cabinet trades the art of veneering 

 is of ancient origin; it was practiced to economize the 

 use of valuable woods for decorative purposes and fancy 

 varieties for marqueterie, etc. Two methods of manu- 

 facture have always been in general use; firstly, the slic- 

 ing knife for cutting veneers from the flat surface of the 

 boiled log: and, secondly, the sawn description, which 

 was made by means of circular saws, and subsequently 

 occasionally by large specially designed segment saws. 



It was a revelation to the trade that three veneers, with 

 the grain of the middle one placed in an opposite direc- 

 tion to that of the other two, firmly glued together under 

 pressure, thus forming a thin homogeneous body, should 

 make a board which, for lightness, strength, and adapta- 

 bility, cannot be surpassed by any other material ; and 

 as to its toughness and durability, any attempt to split or 

 chop a section of it will amply demonstrate. The under- 

 lying principle, however, of plywood was well known to 

 cabinetmakers of the old school, some of whose best 

 work was veneered on the underside as well as on the 

 polished surface, because it was found that, veneered on 

 one side only, there was a liability to a detrimental pull 

 on the fiber of the wood. 



Allied to plywood in a sense was the laminated or 

 built-up material in use for many years in the United 

 States. This sectional construction was found stronger 

 than solid boards, and it carried veneers better than solid 

 boards; there was no liability to warp or twist, and there 

 was the added advantage that for the middle sections 

 of the boards inferior timber could be satisfactorily intro- 

 duced. Piano cases, table tops, and other furniture and 

 cabinet work were made of built-up material veneered 

 with fine or fancy woods, but the advent of the light 

 three-ply veneered boards and panels had not then been 

 dreamed of. 



Probably the first machine used in this country for 

 peeling veneers from the round was a modification of 

 Ellis' lath-rending machine, which was patented by him, 

 and a number of machines erected in London some fifty 



years ago. The chief feature of this machine — which 

 turned out beautiful work — was that the automatically 

 adjustable blocks which carried the veneer knife were 

 mounted in semi-circular quadrant slides formed in the 

 frame of the machine, which enabled the knife to pre- 

 sent the same cutting angle to the wood as it became 

 reduced in diameter. The machine ran at fifty revolu- 

 tions per minute with round logs 22-inch diameter, and 

 produced veneers 4 feet 2 inches wide at about 58 feet 

 run per minute. It would cut from paper thickness up 

 to about % inch, and we believe one at least of these 

 machines is still running. 



With the improvements made in the rotary cutting 

 machine the manufacture of plywood was made possible 

 by the turning out of sheets, the width of which was only 

 limited to the width of the knife of the machine and the 

 length by the size of the logs. 



Perhaps almost the first acquaintance which the gen- 

 eral public gained of the use of plywood was confined 

 to the three-ply perforated chair seats, which speedily 

 came into general use, and many will recall the perfo- 

 rated seats of the tram cars imported some years ago from 

 the United States. Plywood is used for packing cases — 

 for the purpose of saving freight has long been recognized 

 — but the idea of boxes constructed in panel form, with 

 cleated corners, or the capabilities of wire weaving ma- 

 chines had not been worked out. 



The use of plywood has now become so general in 

 every branch of the wood industries that we are apt to 

 overlook the fact that the material is of such recent intro- 

 duction. Of all the developments connected with the 

 utilization of wood it is the most remarkable, and its 

 manufacture is a trade that will be permanent, and is 

 likely to expand to an extraordinary extent in the near, 

 future, as it offers a profitable outlet for the inferior 

 woods that have always been in little or no demand 

 owing to their coarseness or lack of strength. 



The uses to which plywood is now being put meet us 

 at every turn, and fresh avenues of consumption are con- 

 stantly opening up. Almost every wood that grows can 

 be utilized in its manufacture, and new factories are rap- 

 idly springing up in the various timber producing coun- 

 tries. In the near future there will be striking develop- 

 ments in the manufacture and uses of both three-ply and 

 multi-plywood, and the industry will exercise a strong 

 influence on the timber trade after the war. 



For many purposes the use of plywood has become a 

 necessity. Owing to the growing scarcity of wide planks 

 it has been welcomed by the trade, as the dimensions 

 of rotary cut sheets can be almost indefinitely extended, 

 if proper accessories for the manufacture are available. 

 On the score of economy plywood has much to recom- 

 mend it, bearing in mind the rapid contraction of the 



