Blockboard, the cheap engineering wood product

Block-board (lumber core) is an engineered wood product that is widely used in the woodworking industry. Block-board is a panel made from barecore as the inside part with layers of veneer at the outer surface. As the panel, block-board is very similar in looked with plywood. As the plywood or veneered m.d.f., the block board is also used to replace the solid wood to make panels. Block board may be less strong then the plywood, it is limited in thicknesses choice, but it is cheaper and work well to make panels. 

blackboard panel

In many cases the block board gives some more advantages to make wood panels. It has good screw holding and can be considered as solid wood; it has a good resistance to warping and the most important is cheaper. It is commonly used to make doors, tables, shelves, paneling and partition walls especially with the cheap price. 

The cheap wood are usually used to make the barecore as the inside part of the block board. Sengon wood could be the best material to make the barecore. The sengon wood is inexpensive, lightweight, soft but it has high resistant to the insect attacked become the ideal material as the inside part of the block-board. 

The wood veneer with good appearance is used as the outer part of block-board. The veneer will determine the looked of the board. When we used the sengon wood as the barecore. then wood veneer that commonly used are the mahogany, sungkai or meranti especially since they can be sourced in the nearby area. The other wood veneer with nice appearance such as: teak, oak, maple, pine are also can be used as the face veneer. 

The barecore’s surface is not even as the m.d.f. or particle board, then the veneer ply at the back and the face must be thick enough to make the flat and even panel. The 2 or 3 layer wood veneer is commonly used as the face and back to make the good quality block-board. Block-board is marketed in standard size 2440mm x 1220mm as the other engineered wood board. The 25 mm thickness is the commonly available in the market, but the other sizes can be produced if necessary. The block-board cannot be too thin since it is made of laminated wood, then it must be thick enough to get the strength. 

Block-board can be used to substitute the plywood, veneered m.d.f. or particle board or even the wood panel in the woodworking industry. It can be cut, screwed, nailed and glued together to make any wood product. It can be used to make panel for furniture, door, windows, and even flooring. It can used to make any flat product for indoor uses, but not for outdoor uses. It is made of wood bar that is not strong enough for outdoor uses. With special glue and wood it can be specially made for outdoor uses, but then the price will not compete with the solid wood panel. 

The advantages of block-board. 

• Block-board is cheap

Block-board as a board panels is cheaper than solid wood panel, veneered M.D.F. or plywood. It may be more expensive with the particle board, but it has better properties the the particle. Block-board s the good material  to make any panel with the looked as the solid wood panel, with cheaper price. It  can be laminated, cut and unified as the wood pieces. It has good properties to be machined and processed in the woodworking process. It may be not as strong as the wood panel or m.d.f. or even plywood, but it is considered strong enough to make many wood product such as furniture, door, window, etc. 

• Block-board is stable. 

It is an engineering product, then it has control and stable properties then the solid wood panel. It is made of many layer of wood bars that are laminated and glued together. It has less risk to get the crack, and warping problem as the solid wood. Since it is laminated with the veneer at the face then it also has more even color and looked comparing with the solid wood. With the proses prose and setting it will be more stable properties the the solid wood. 

Finishing for block-board.

The finishing for block-board is the same with the veneer panel.  We need to consider the color the grain and pores pattern and the character of the veneer. In many cases the finishing process we do is about the same with the finishing process for the solid wood. It can be finished in any color as the wood. Since it has veneer at the face then the transparent wood color finish should be the best choice.