Wood Veneer, How to Handling and Utilize

Wood veneer is a thin layer of wood. It is made of a log of timber that is sliced into thin sheets of wood. Wood veneer is then attached to the core panel and widely used to make panel board in the furniture industry. Most of the big and wide panels for furniture are made from veneer. With the proper gluing then the panel of veneer panel or plywood is more stable than solid wood panel.

The main properties of wood veneer are: base color, grains and pores character, and the absorption to the finishing material is determined by the type of wood used to make veneer. The character of the wood veneer is also determined by the thickness of the veneer and how the wood is sliced. Wood veneer is available in various thicknesses.

The veneer type and quality.

The veneer is widely available in the woodworking industry. The main properties of the veneer, such as the wood base color, the pores, and the grain character of the veneer, are determined by the wood type that is sliced. The furniture industry can select the veneer type in accordance with the appearance of the wood panel board it needs to make furniture. Veneer is available in almost all types of wood, so you can choose any veneer easily.
Veneer is also available in various grades of quality and thickness. The selection of the veneer also should consider the thickness and grade of the veneer. To produce the panel boards, normally you use the 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm thick. Thick veneer is expensive, while too thin veneer has a high risk of getting problems in the woodworking process. Thin veneer has the risk of glue bleeding at the gluing and the “cut off" at the sanding process.
Other things to be considered are the quality and grade of the veneer. Veneer is made from wood that could have varied properties. The quality of the veneer is according to the quality of the wood that was sliced to make the veneer. Same with the wood; the wood veneer is classified according to the veneer grade. But as an engineered wood product, the veneer quality can be controlled easier than the wood log. Veneer with good quality (high grade) is used on the exposed part of the panel board, while veneer with lower grade is mostly used to layer the back panel or the unexposed part.

The storage of the veneer.

 

The veneer is dried at the veneer manufacturer before it is marketed. The wood veneer is always marketed in dry condition, but the veneer is a hygroscopic material; it will absorb and release water according to its environment's humidity. The veneer should be stored in a dry room that has a stable humidity. Veneer is usually stored in a dehumidifier or conditioning room, where it is kept at low humidity.

wood veneer panel

The veneer is laminating to make the panel.

The veneer laminating requires precision work, and skilled people are needed. The veneer is cut to a certain size to produce the desired shapes and patterns, and then the pieces are joined together according to the desired pattern. The grafting and unification of the pieces of veneer have to be done neatly; the imperfectness at the joint will be seen at the veneer panel.

The veneer pieces are unified and glued together by using special tape or yarn. The series of veneers is then glued to the core board and pressed until the glue is dry to make a “wood panel.”.

According to the gluing process, there are two kinds of veneering: the hot press and the cold press. Hot press is the veneer process when drying of the glue is done by heat. If the drying is done without heating, it is called a cold press. In the hot press, a steel panel plate is heated to press and heat the wood veneer; the glue can dry in just a few minutes. The temperature of the plate depends on the type of wood and glue used, but usually ranges from 70 to 100 degrees Celsius.
The cold press is a simpler process; it does not use heat, and the glue is dry at room temperature, but a longer drying time is needed.
There are many cores that can be used, i.e., MDF, particle board, and laminated wood. Particle board is the most inexpensive material, but it is not as strong as laminated wood or MDF. The veneered particle board panels will also produce "wood-looking" panel board, but it will not be as strong as wood or MDF. It is mostly used to make low-end furniture products.

M.D.F. is a stronger engineered wood product because it is homogeneous and stronger, but it is a more expensive material. The MDF is usually used as the core material for panel boards when furniture with better quality is needed.

Laminated wood, or bare core, is stronger and more natural. The laminated sengon wood is the most often used wood. Sengon wood is relatively lightweight, inexpensive, and durable. The laminated wood should be stronger than the M.D.F. or particle, but since it is wood, it could have varied properties.

There are two important things at the core preparation: the moisture content and surface flatness. The moisture content of the cores should be as close as possible to the moisture content of the veneer. The moisture content should be according to the standard of the moisture content of the wood product. The glue used is usually water-based; since then, the gluing process will tend to raise the moisture content of the panel. The moisture content of the core and veneer should be kept at around 10%.
 
The core should have a flat and even surface to make a well attachment with the wood veneer thereon. The sanding for surface calibration with a wide belt sander is needed to produce the flat and even core panel. 

Sanding the veneer panel. 

After the cores are attached with veneer and a wood-looking panel is made, then the proper sanding is required. The sanding is purposed to remove the tape that is used to unify the veneer pieces, to clean the dirt or stain, and also to produce smooth and flat surfaces. Sanding to the veneer should be done carefully; too much sanding is risky to cut through the veneer layer. The veneer sanding process is principally very similar to the wood sanding. It should be started with # 100 or # 120 grade sandpaper and ended with # 240 or # 180 grade sandpaper.