Grading HARDWOOD PLYWOOD Guide 2015 EDITION A G U I D E TO U N D E RS TA N D I N G P O P U L A R H A R D WO O D P LY WO O D FA C E V E N E E R G R A D ES BROUGHT TO YOU BY columbiaforestproducts.
WE KNOW OUR WAY AROUND A LOG ...AND THE CONTINENT HARDWOOD PLYWOOD MILLS Trumann, AR 800.760.3341 Old Fort, NC Chatham, VA Craigsville, WV 800.237.2428 Klamath Falls, OR 800.547.1791 Hearst, ON, Canada St. Casimir, QC, Canada 888.664.1964 HARDWOOD VENEER MILLS 800.231.4148 Presque Isle, ME Newport, VT Mellen, WI Hearst, Ontario Boardman, OR St. Casimir, Quebec Mellen, WI Presque Isle, ME Newport, VT Klamath Falls, OR Craigsville, WV Boardman, OR 541.945.8781 Chatham, VA CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 800.
From the tree to works of art: A guide to understanding the hardwood plywood standard Grading HARDWOOD PLYWOOD Guide An introduction from Ang Schramm Trees are amazing. They provide us with shelter, warm our hearths, and shade us from the heat of the summer sun.
VENEER CUTS AND MATCHING ROTARY PEELEDu SLICEDu An entire log is placed into a lathe and rotated in uninterrupted contact with the lathe knife, resulting in a cut that roughly parallels the growth rings to produce a bold and often variegated grain pattern.
VENEER CUTS AND MATCHING Once the veneer is cut, it can be laid up on a panel face in different sorts of “matching.” The appearance of the panel can be formal or casual, simple or busy based on the matching choice. Matching selections may be more obvious in some species than in others depending on the natural grain characteristic of that wood species.
ALDER (Alnus rubra) Common names: Alder, Red Alder Sources: North American west coast Description: Pink to red to reddish brown with large rays widely scattered and readily visible with the unaided eye. Prone to having numerous knots and burls with all clear wood the exception rather than the rule. Common cuts: Plain sliced, quarter sliced Uses: Decorative veneer for kitchen and bath cabinets and millwork.
ASH (Fraxinus americana, F. pennsylvanica, F. nigra) Common names: White Ash, Green or Red Ash, Black or Brown Ash Sources: USA and Canada Description: Generally creamy sapwood with light tan to relatively brown heart wood. Typical grain pattern for ring porous wood with coarse early wood and smooth late wood. Figure may be present and can be intense. Common cuts: Rotary, Plain sliced, Quarter sliced Uses: Cabinetry, millwork, and molding.
BIRCH (Betula spp.) Common names: White Birch, Yellow Birch, Red Birch Sources: USA and Canada Description: Light tan to pale yellow sapwood with red to ruddy heart wood. Grain is tight and smooth with normal amounts of figure and other characteristics. Common cuts: Rotary (primarily), Plain sliced (available) Uses: Decorative veneer and lumber primarily for kitchen cabinetry and furniture. Excellent surface for painting. Availability: Abundant Price: $ Birch Sap Plain Sliced A 6 columbiaforestproducts.
BIRCH (Betula spp.) Birch Natural Rotary Whole Piece A Birch Natural Rotary Whole Piece B Birch Natural Rotary Whole Piece C Birch Natural Rotary Whole Piece C CHERRY (Prunus serotina) Common name: American Black Cherry Sources: USA and Canada Description: Pink to reddish brown heart wood, blonde sap wood. Tight grain minimum early wood. Gum, pin knots, and burls are prevalent. Figure is common and may include heavy patterns such as ropey, mottled, chevron, and flare.
HICKORY (Carya spp.) Common names: Various common names, such as Pignut Hickory, Mockernut Hickory, Shellbark Hickory, Shagbark Hickory Sources: USA and Canada Characteristics: Pale yellow sapwood with light brown to reddish brown to gray brown heartwood. Some moderately coarse early wood, but otherwise hard and smooth. Some may contain color variation, color streaks, and rustic marks like worm track and bird peck. Same genus as Pecan.
MAPLE NATURAL (Acer saccharum, A. nigrum) Common names: Rock Maple, Sugar Maple, White Maple Sources: USA and Canada Characteristics: Sapwood varies from soft pinkish white to light yellow to light khaki in color. Surface is smooth, tight, and dense. Heartwood ranges from dark brown to green to black. Typically sold as white maple due to its broadly defined uniform light color. Growth rings are light and at times imperceptible.
MAPLE SAP (Acer saccharum, A. nigrum) Common names: Rock Maple, Sugar Maple, White Maple Sources: USA and Canada Characteristics: Sapwood varies from soft pinkish white to light yellow to light khaki in color. Surface is smooth, tight, and dense. Heartwood ranges from dark brown to green to black. Typically sold as white maple due to its broadly defined uniform light color. Growth rings are light and at times imperceptible.
RED OAK (Quercus rubra and related species) Common names: Red Oak, Northern Red Oak, Southern Red Oak; more than 10 other names Sources: North America Characteristics: Sharp contrast between coarse early wood and smooth late wood. Early wood vessels are typically open and not occluded. Heartwood color is light tan to pinkish to reddish brown to dark tan or khaki. Large rays produce pronounced flake appearance across the grain when the wood is quarter sliced. Rift cutting minimizes the flake appearance.
SAPELE (Entandrophragma cylindricum) Common names: Sapeli, Sapele Mahogany, Aboudikro Sources: Africa - widespread Characteristics: Heartwood seasons to reddish or purplish brown. Grain is typically interlocked, resulting in pronounced striped effect when quarter sliced. When interlocked grain is absent, appearance can be quite plain. Pommele figure from rotary cut veneer appears as diagonal waves of varying intensity.
WHITE OAK (Quercus alba and related species) Common names: White Oak, with at least 10 commercially harvested members in this group Sources: North America Characteristics: Sharp contrast between coarse early wood and smooth late wood. Early wood vessels are typically occluded with a substance called tyloses. Heartwood color is light brown to light gray to medium brown. Large rays produce pronounced flake appearance across the grain when the wood is quarter sliced.
NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS It is common for wood to have naturally occurring anomalies that will show in the wood once peeled or sliced. Many of these natural characteristics add to the appeal of wood and can even enhance its value. BARK POCKET (large) BARK POCKET (small) Bark pockets are openings surrounded by bark on a veneer surface, usually associated with a loose or cracked knot.
NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS KNOTS SPRINGWOOD VINE MARK PIN KNOT INCONSPICUOUS PIN KNOT SUMMERWOOD Ring porous woods such as red oak produce two-tiered growth rings consisting of coarse-textured, darker appearing early wood (springwood) and smooth textured, lighter colored late wood (summerwood). WORM TRACK Worm track results when certain types of wood cells called parenchyma cells multiply to fill voids left in the cambium as a result of insect larval activity.
NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS FIGURE Figure is a general term used to describe any deviation from the normal DID YOU KNOW? FIDDLE BACK WATERFALL growth of the wood grain, known technically as wavy or curly grain. Figure is so common as to occur in all species to the extent that wood completely lacking in figure is the exception rather than the rule. Slicing or peeling veneer from a log with wavy grain often creates distinctive figure patterns that reflect light differently from the surrounding wood.
CORE TYPES Columbia specializes in making all-wood veneer core hardwood plywood, but we can also apply our faces and backs to a variety of other cores and core types we purchase from outside sources. FIR CORE (Abies spp.) West Veneer Core is produced by placing the “lines” of core veneers into the panel “sandwich” so that adjacent plies having a grain direction oriented at approximate right angles to each other.
GLOSSARY OF HARDWOOD PLYWOOD TERMS Annual ring (Annular Ring): See Blending: Color change that is means of adhesion. A core may be dling damage, dents or impressions Growth Ring detectable at a distance of 6 to 8 feet fabricated from hardwood or softwood (press fault) in a face or back, face or but which does not detract from the veneers of various thicknesses (VC), back visible due to excessive sanding overall appearance of the panel.
GLOSSARY OF HARDWOOD PLYWOOD TERMS Face: The better side of a decora- Formaldehyde: A pungent, irritating Grain: The pattern, size and direc- tive panel intended to be exposed in gaseous chemical commonly used tion of the fibers in wood or veneer. service. in many consumer products, that rift cut appearance. when off-gassed causes many acute False quarters: Sheets of veneer conditions including itchy watery consisting of individual components eyes, sore throat, and runny nose.
GLOSSARY OF HARDWOOD PLYWOOD TERMS Knot (pin): A knot ¼" or less in di- Medium Density Fiberboard ameter, with no missing knot material. (MDF): Engineered wood panel The center of a pin knot may be dark product consisting of wood up to 1/8" (conspicuous), or natural in reduced to basic lignocellulosic fiber color with no dark center (blending or bundles integrated with adhesive and inconspicuous).
GLOSSARY OF HARDWOOD PLYWOOD TERMS and/or glued into a face or back to be less than 100% usable due to Split: Same as check. Separation White: A highly generalized term veneer so as to achieve a sound a manufacturing defect such as a of wood fiber along the longitudinal frequently inappropriately used in ref- surface.
ANSI/HPVA HP-1-2009 STANDARDS© The Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association (HPVA) is an ANSI-accredited standards developer that works through its participating membership and other interested outside parties to develop a voluntary standard for hardwood and decorative plywood under due process guidelines set forth by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
ASH, BIRCH, MAPLE AND POPLAR: ROTARY-CUT, QUARTER CUT, PLAIN SLICED (From Table 3.1 ©) Natural Characteristics A Grade B Grade C Grade Small Conspicuous Burls & Pin Knots — Comb. Avg. Number 10 per 4 x 8' panel 16 per 4 x 8' panel No limit Conspicuous Burls — Max. Size 3/8" 1/2" No limit Conspicuous Pin Knots Average Number Max. Size: Dark Part Max.
ANSI/HPVA HP-1-2009 STANDARDS© HICKORY: ROTARY-CUT, QUARTER CUT, PLAIN SLICED (From Table 3.4 ©) Natural Characteristics A Grade B Grade Small Conspicuous Burls & Pin Knots — Comb. Avg. Number 64 per 4 x 8' panel No Limit Conspicuous Burls — Max. Size 3/8" 1/2" Conspicuous Pin Knots Average Number Max. Size: Dark Part Max. Size: Total 2 per 1 sq ft 64 per 4 x 8' panel 1/8" 1/4" No Limit 1/8" 1/4" Scattered Sound and Repaired Knots Comb. Average Number Max. Size — Sound Max.
ANSI/HPVA HP-1-2009 STANDARDS© BACK GRADES Grade Description (From Table 6 ©) 1 Back 2 Back 3 Back 4 Back Sapwood Yes Yes Yes Yes Discoloration & Stain Yes Yes Yes Yes Mineral Streaks Yes Yes Yes Yes Sound Tight Burls Yes Yes Yes Yes Sound Tight Knots Max. diameter 3/8" Max. diameter 3/4" Max. diameter 1 1/2" Yes Max. Number of Tight Knots 16 16 Unlimited to 1/2"; No more than 16 from 1/2" to 1 1/2" Unlimited Knotholes No 1/2" Repaired 1" 4" Max.
Grading HARDWOOD PLYWOOD Guide Special thanks to Veneer Technologies, Inc. for the sliced veneers shown in this book. columbiaforestproducts.
