Engineered Wood Panels Panel Materials Wood panels are

Engineered Wood Panels

Panel Materials • Wood panels are manufactured in several forms: – Plywood: • Thin plies are laminated to form various thicknesses – Composite plywood: • Veneer faces are bonded to different kinds of wood cores. – Nonveneered panels: • Includes waferboard, particle board and OSB

Plywood • Constructed by gluing together layers (plies) of wood with the grain at right angels to each other. • Odd number of plies are used. (3, 5, 7) • Outer plies are called FACES (or face and back) • Next layers are called CROSSBANDS. • The other inside layer is called the CORE. – 2 most common types of cores are veneer and lumber.

Types of Plywood • 2 types: – Exterior: • Bonded with waterproof adhesives. – – Used for boats, siding, concrete forms Interior: • Bonded with adhesives that are not waterproof. – Used for cabinets, furniture, and inside construction Plywood is available either softwood or hardwood.

Size and Grade • 4’x 8’ standard size. • Thicknesses vary: • Grades: depends on the quality of the face and back veneers. – Hardwoods: • 1, 2, 3, 4 • Exp: 1 -2 – Softwoods: • N, A, B, D • Exp: A-A Common practice to designate in a general way the grade by G 2 S or G 1 S.

Hardboard • Made of refined wood fibers pressed together to form a hard, dense material. • 2 types: – Standard – Tempered: impregnated with oils and resins that make it harder, heavier, more water resistant and darker. • Available in S 2 S or S 1 S • Thicknesses from 1/12 to 5/16. • Panels are 4’ wide and either 8, 10, 12, 16 feet long.

Particle Board • Made of wood flakes, chips and shavings bonded together with resins or adhesives. • May be constructed of layers made of different size wood particles. • Used extensively as a base for plastic laminates and veneers. • Range in size from 1/4” to 1 -7/8” thick • 4 x 8’ is most popular size.

Waferboard • Produced form high quality flakes of wood about 1 -1/2”square. • Flakes are bonded together under heat, pressure and phenolic resin (waterproof adhesive). • Standard size: 4 x 8’ – 1/4” to 3/4” thick

Oriented Strand Board • OSB • Made of wood fibers adhered to each other with suitable resins and glues. • Arranged in layers at right angles to each other.

Medium Density Fiberboard • MDF • Manufactured from a wood fiber-resin combination that is formed into a mat of random fiber orientation. • Hot press finished. • Smooth finish. • Excellent machinability. • Panel of high strength.