|
|
|
| Air Drying |
Earlier the most usual method of drying
veneers. These were placed as single or double leaves in so-called
stacking carriages and were dried completely without any technical
aids or fan. Very time-consuming. Natural drying has been replaced
by jet drying. |
 |
|
|
|
| Architectural Grade |
Top quality log and veneer length over
8'' (250 cm). |
|
|
|
|
| Backing |
The veneer sheet on the underside of a
plywood panel, corresponding in thickness, and often in species, to
the face veneer on the upper or exposed surface. Its grain runs parallel
to the grain of the core, and crosswise to the grain of the cross-banding. |
|
|
|
|
| Backing Board |
The boards which remain after slicing
wood. Much appreciated as solid wood because these generally include
the standing years and thus are relatively free of tension. |
|
|
|
|
| Bird's Eye |
Due to local sharp depressions in the
annual rings, accompanied by considerable fiber distortions. Once
the depressions are formed, succeeding growth rings follow the same
contour for many years. Rotary veneer cuts the depressions crosswise,
and shows a series of circlets called bird's eyes. It occurs only
in a small percentage of Maple trees. |
|
|
|
|
| Blister |
Produced by an uneven contour of the annual
rings. The veneer has the effect of being blistered. Must be cut rotary
or half-round. |
|
|
|
|
| Block Mottle |
An irregular form of figuring which runs
over the complete surface of the veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Blue Stain |
Blue stains on the surface of the veneer
which occur through insufficient water extraction when slicing (too
low heating capacity on the pressure bar or when slicing too fast)
because water remaining on the surface of the veneer turns blue through
oxidation. |
|
|
|
|
| Book Matching |
Achieved when successive
veneer leaves in a flitch are turned over like the pages in a book
and are glued in this manner. Since the reverse side of one leaf is
a mirror image of the succeeding leaf, the result is a series pairs.
Individual panels can be matched this way or you can achieve this
look over many panels by sequence-matching the panels. Book matching
is the most common match. A common problem in book matching is when
the tight and loose sides are matched and reflect light and stains
differently. This may yield color variations in some species which
may be minimized by proper finishing techniques. |
|
|
|
|
| Brocken Stripe |
A modification of ribbon stripe, the markings
tapering out and producing a broken ribbon. If the log describe in
ribbon stripe has a twist in the grain the stripes are short or broken. |
|
|
|
|
| Buckle |
Corrugation caused in the veneer leaf
when drying as a result of different drying runs and irregular annual
ring development within the veneer leaf.
The veneer has to be flattened again to make the veneer saleable. |
|
|
|
|
| Bundle |
Cut bundles of veneer generally containing
24 or 32 consecutive leaves in cutting sequence. |
|
|
|
|
| Burl Veneer |
Produced from a large, wartlike growth
on the trunk of the tree. The grain pattern typically resembles a
series of eyes laid side by side. Obviously the veneers leaf sizes
are generally small and additionally are defective. While producing
beautiful patterns, burl veneer is difficult to work with. |
|
|
|
|
| Butt |
The bottom end of a log or veneer frequently
featuring coarse annual ring development and undesired color variations
caused by its rootstock. |
|
|
|
|
| Butt Matching |
Achieved when veneers are matched as described
for book matching but the ends of the sheets are also matched. At
times, the veneer being used is not long enough to cover the desired
panel heights. In this case the veneer leaves can also be flipped
end for end and the ends matched. |
|
|
|
|
| Canker |
A disease of the European Oak which destroys
the structure in the veneer and appears as open defect in advance
stadium. Very difficult to recognize in the bark. |
|
|
|
|
| Cathedral Structure |
A grain appearance
characterized by a series of stacked V and inverted V. Pattern common
in plain-sliced (flat-cut) veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Center Matching |
Each panel face
is made with an even number of flitch sheets with a center line appearing
at the midpoint of the panel and an equal number of veneer sheets
on each side of the center line. The number of leaves on the face
are always even, but the widths are not necessarily the same. |
|
|
|
|
| Chatter Marks |
Deviation in veneer thickness caused through
vibration of the veneer block on the slicing machine or by wrong pressure
setting on the machine, showing on the veneer leaf as regularly distributed
cross running strips.
The veneer block vibrates when the log is not firmly clamped flat
on the cutting table. |
|
|
|
|
| Checks |
Small slits running
parallel to the grain of wood, caused chiefly by strains produced
in seasoning. |
|
|
|
|
| Clipping |
The clipping of veneers on the veneer
cutter whether the veneers are in their initial or in final production. |
|
|
|
|
| Cluster |
Only partially burled logs. |
|
|
|
|
| Complete Flitch or
Flitch Stock |
Veneers which are not only produced from
one log but where all leaves remain in their exact original log sequence. |
|
|
|
|
| Compression Wood or
Pressure Wood |
The zones given in soft wood through
irregular annual ring structure which are particularly hard and, therefore,
cause difficulties when slicing the veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Condensate |
The tannic acid which is yellow in color
and deposits on the surface of the veneer when it is dried too sharply. |
|
|
|
|
| Core |
There are four types
of core construction used in plywood panels: a) Lumber Core: Consists
of a heavy core of sawn lumber between crossbands. The thick center
core permits doweling, splining and dovetailing. b). Veneer Core:
Method of plywood construction consisting of 3,5,7 or more plies of
veneer laid with grain direction of adjacent plies at right angles
to each other. c). Particle Board: This type of core consists of chips
or flakes of resin-coated wood fused together under heat and pressure
to form a core for plywood. d). Mineral Core: Used for fireproof panel
construction. Veneers are bonded to a hard noncombustible material. |
|
|
|
|
| Cross Break |
Separation of the
wood cells across the grain. Such breaks may be due to internal strains
resulting from unequal longitudinal shrinkage or to external forces. |
|
|
|
|
| Cross Fire |
Figures which extend
across the grain as mottle, fiddle-back, raindrop and finger-roll
are often called cross figure or cross fire. A pronounced cross fire
adds greatly to the beauty of the veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Cross Grain |
Buckling of the veneers given through
irregular growth or through logs under high tension. It shows itself
also as darker coloring down the annual rings. |
|
|
|
|
| Crossband |
The veneer sheet
between the core and face veneer. Its grain runs at right angles to
the grain of adjacent layers, thereby providing the remarkable stability
of hardwood plywood. |
|
|
|
|
| Crossbar |
Type of figure or
irregularity of grain resembling a dip in the grain running at tight
angles, or nearly so, to the width of the veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Crotch Veneer |
Produced from the
portion of the tree just below the point where it forks into two limbs.
The grain is twisted, creating a variety of flame figures. Often resembles
a well formed feather. The outside of the block produces a swirl figure
that changes to full crotch flame figure as the cutting approaches
the center of the block. |
|
|
|
|
| Curly |
Found mostly in
Maple or Birch, and is due to the fibers being distorted and producing
a wavy or curly effect in the veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Curly Fishbone Figure |
Typical figure development especially
in beech which is generally considered to be degrading. |
|
|
|
|
Cut Mark |
A raised or hollowed
cross grain cut caused generally by a nick in the knife. |
|
|
|
|
| Defect, open |
Checks, splits,
open joints, knotholes, cracks, loose knots, wormholes, gaps, voids,
or other openings interrupting the smooth continuity of the wood surface. |
|
|
|
|
| Diamond Match |
This is generally
done with a straight grain veneer. If a rectangle is divided into
4 quadrants, the veneers match at an angle to the quadrant line, and
the grain forms a V at these lines. The result is a diamond shape
formed by the grain directions. |
|
|
|
|
| Discolorations |
Stains in wood substances.
Common veneer stains are sap stains, end stains, blue stains, stain
produced by chemical action caused by the iron in the cutting knife
coming in contact with the tannic acid of the wood, and those resulting
from the chemical action of the glue. |
|
| Divider |
A strip of wood placed between the veneers
to increase the strength of a pallet or to ensure the stability of
the flitches stacked in log-form. Also separates the different logs
from each other. |
|
|
|
|
| Door Length |
Log and veneer lengths between 205 cm
and 250 cm required by the door industry. |
|
|
|
|
| Drier Prints |
Black patches are given on the surface
of the veneer caused by defective, uncleaned or unserviced drier belts.
These black patches cause problems when sanding and treating the surface
of veneers. |
|
|
|
|
| Egg Shape |
A structure in the crown cut bundle desired
by the piano industry. Required by them for the fronts and lids of
their instruments. |
|
|
|
|
| Face |
The better side
of any plywood panel in which the outer plies are of different veneer
grades. Also veneer spliced to a certain pattern and cut to exact
size. |
|
|
|
|
| Fiddle Back |
A fine, strong,
even, ripple figure as frequently seen on the backs of violins. It
is found principally in Mahogany and Maple; cut occurs sometimes in
other woods. |
|
|
|
|
| Figure |
The pattern produced
in a wood surface by annual growth rings, rays, knots, deviations
from natural grain such as interlocked and wavy grain, and irregular
coloration. Appears across the grain. Mottle, fiddleback and raindrop
are often called cross figure or cross fire. |
|
|
|
|
| Fingered Heart |
Irregularly developed heart. |
|
|
|
|
| Flake or Ray |
Flake figure is
developed only in those species which have very heavy medullary ray
growth, specifically Oak, Lacewood, and Sycamore. When the saw or
knife cut is directly on or near to the radial, it is close to parallel
with the medullary ray and therefore develops the Flake effect. |
|
|
|
|
| Flares |
Irregular veneer marking which generally
is not desired. |
|
|
|
|
| Flat Cut |
Also called Plain
Slicing, it is the most common method of veneer manufacturing, producing
a grain pattern known as cathedral. Because each leaf in the flitch
is similar, a consistent and even matching pattern is possible. Flat
cut veneer is ideally suited for wall panels and furniture. |
|
|
|
|
| Flashy Look |
Expression for irregularly alternating
spiral grain which causes more or less irregular markings in the veneer.
Especially found in Black Cherry veneers. |
|
|
|
|
| Flitch |
a) A Section of
a log made ready for cutting into veneers.
b) After cutting, all bundles are laid together in sequence as they
were sliced. |
|
|
|
|
| Four Piece Match |
Special method used for burl veneers to
produce highly decorative surfaces and patterns. Four veneer leaves
in succession are turned twice and folded up once. |
|
|
|
|
| Furniture Grade |
Veneer differing in length from 1.00 m
to 4.00 m within one log which can be worked by the living room furniture
industry.
|
|
|
|
|
| Grading |
Quality-related grading of veneers and
the pricing of the various grades. |
|
|
|
|
| Grading Price |
Price determination for a veneer log. |
|
|
|
|
| Grain |
Size and arrangement
of the cells and pores of the living tree. Grain is not synonymous
with figure. Woods fall into three groups: Fine grained (Birch, Cherry,
Maple, etc.), medium grained (Walnut, Mahogany, etc.) and coarse grained
(Oak, etc.).) Coarser grained woods can usually be cut to develop
a more conspicuous pattern. |
|
|
|
|
| Gum |
Black spots or patches which can occur
in Black Cherry veneer. They are not arranged in a regular pattern
but can be positioned quite differently from one veneer leaf to the
next. |
|
|
|
|
| Half Round Slicing |
Similar to rotary
peeling, also producing a high veneer yield. Used primarily to add
width to narrow stocks by increasing the plane of cut. Also used to
enhance a particularly wild grain pattern. Matching is possible because
the leaves can be kept in sequence. Half round cutting may be used
to achieve flat cut veneer appearance. |
|
|
|
|
| Hairs |
Fine hair streaks which particularly occur
in Pear and Maple. They can be distributed over the entire surface
of the veneer and are considered to be degrading in quality. |
|
|
|
|
| Hardwood |
General term used
to designate lumber or veneer produced from broad-leafed or deciduous
trees in contrast to softwood, which is produced from evergreens or
coniferous trees. |
|
|
|
|
| Heartwood |
The non-active center
of a tree generally distinguishable from the outer portion (sapwood)
by its darker color. |
|
|
|
|
| Heavy Textured |
The annual ring structure of fast growing
trees which produce the undesirable coarse marking in the veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Herringbone |
Veneer strips are
used and matched to both sides of the center line, at an angle. The
resulting appearance is reminiscent of the bones of a fish as they
are attached to the back bone. |
|
|
|
|
| Holes, worm |
Holes resulting
from infestation of worms. |
|
|
|
|
Ingrown Bark or
Inbark |
Bark occurring especially in burl or burr
logs within the heart wood which has been overgrown.. |
|
|
|
|
| Joint |
The line between
the edges or ends of two adjacent sheets of veneer or strips of lumber
in the same plane. |
|
|
|
|
| Knots,
inconspicuous pi |
Sound knots 1/4
inch or less that do not contain dark centers. Inconspicuous or blending
pin knots are barely detectable at a distance of 6' to 8', do not
seriously detract from the overall appearance of the panel, and are
permitted in all grades. |
|
|
|
|
| Knot, open |
Opening produced
when a portion of the wood substance of a knot has dropped out, or
where cross checks have occurred to produce an opening. |
|
|
|
|
| Knot, sound, tight |
Knots that are solid
across their face and fixed by growth to retain their place. |
|
|
|
|
| Lamination |
The process of gluing
or bonding the component sections of the plywood into a single permanent
until stronger than the original wood itself. |
|
|
|
|
| Light Scratch |
Very fine knife scratch which disappears
from the veneer when the surface is sanded and as a result does not
degrade the veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Log |
The section of a tree that can be sawn
or used for veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Log Run Parcel |
A completely converted log parcel which
is offered and sold as veneer with all its grades included in it. |
|
|
|
|
| Longwood |
The trunk of the
tree that begins just above the stump and continues to just below
the crotch. Most veneers are cut from longwood by quarter, rotary
or flat cutting. |
|
|
|
|
| Looseside |
In knife-cut veneer,
that side of the sheet that was in contact with the knife as the sheet
was being cut. The bending of the wood at the knife edge causes cutting
checks. |
|
|
|
|
| Mild Texture |
Very fine and slow growing wood which
produces a beautiful, even marking in the veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Minerals |
Dark patches or pockets in wood, especially
occurring in the American Oak. |
|
|
|
|
| Miscut |
Veneer defect caused in the processing,
generally leading to fluctuating veneer thicknesses. |
|
|
|
|
| Mottle |
A variegated pattern
which consists principally of irregular, wavy fibers extending for
short distances across the face. If there is also some irregular cross
figure in a log with a twisted interwoven grain, the broken stripe
figure becomes a mottle. |
|
|
|
|
| Panel Length |
Log and veneer lengths between 250 cm
and 360 cm required by the paneling industry. Quality generally not
as good as bedroom furniture length. |
|
|
|
|
| Parcel |
A quantity of veneer prepared for the
customer, often sorted into uniform qualities. |
|
|
|
|
| Particleboard |
A panel composed
of small particles of wood and wood fiber that are bonded together
with synthetic resin adhesives in the presence of heat and pressure. |
|
|
|
|
| Pecky |
Pockets of disintegrated
wood caused by localized decay, or wood areas with abrupt color change
related to localized injury such as bird peck. Peck is sometimes considered
as a decorative effect such as bird peck in pecan and hickory or pecks
in cypress. |
|
|
|
|
| Pepper |
The thin black knots in yew veneer which
are the typical figuring of yew veneer. The more pepper there is and
the more regular this pepper is distributed over the surface the more
valuable the veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Pin Knot |
Fine, overgrown pin knots which can only
be seen with great difficulty on the bark. Appears as a black streak
at the end of the log. |
|
|
|
|
| Ply |
A single sheet of
veneer, or several pieces laid with adjoining edges, which form one
layer in a piece of plywood. |
|
|
|
|
| Plywood Hardwood |
A panel composed
of an assembly of layers or plies or veneer (or veneers in combination
with lumber-core, particleboard-core, MD-core, hardboard-core material)
joined with an adhesive. Except for special constructions, the grain
of alternate plies is always approximately at right angles, and the
face veneer is usually a hardwood species. |
|
|
|
|
| Pommele |
Comes from the French word "Pommelé"
(Pomme = Apple). The term given to a regular veneer marking which
resembles apples. |
|
|
|
|
| Quarter Slicining |
This cut requires
the largest diameter logs and produces straight grained veneers. The
quarter slicing of oak can result in the appearance of flake. |
|
|
|
|
| Quarters |
The bundles from a log which are given
after opening the flitch (and, sometimes, cutting out of the heart)
where the annual rings are cut radially at an angle of 90 degrees
by the knife.
Typical stripy structure of the veneer. |
|
|
|
|
| Random Matched |
(Mismatched) A panel
having the face made up of specially selected dissimilar (in color
and grain) veneer strips of the same species and generally V-grooved
at the joints between stripes to stimulate lumber planking. |
|
|
|
|
| Resin Pockets |
Resin pockets in softwood which produce
holes in the veneer and are thus degrading. |
|
|
|
|
| Reversed Diamond |
This is commonly
done with a straight grain veneer. A rectangle is divided into 4 quadrants.
The grain direction is from the center point to the outside edge in
each quadrant. The resulting appearance is that of a series of Vs
formed by the grain match at the joint line pointed in at the center
point. |
|
|
|
|
| Ribbon Stripe |
Result of quarter-slicing
a log and the appearance actually is between broken stripe and plain
stripe. It gives the general appearance of a ribbon sometimes slightly
twisted. |
|
|
|
|
| Rift Cut |
Produced by cutting
at a slight angle to the radial to produce a quartered appearance
without excessive ray flake. The rift cut method, commonly used for
Oak, can only be used on sizable logs. Rift cut veneer can easily
be sequenced and matched. |
|
|
|
|
| Rope |
If the twist in
the grain of broken stripe is all in one direction, a rope figure
results. |
|
|
|
|
| Rotary Peeling |
The log is turned
in a circular motion against a knife, peeling off a continuous thin
sheet of wood veneer (like unrolling wrapping paper). It is the most
economical method of producing veneer, resulting in the highest yield.
The grain is inconsistent and leaves are most difficult to match.
This type of veneer is best suited for paint grade or utility surfaces. |
|
|
|
|
| Rough Cut |
Irregular shaped
areas of generally uneven corrugation on the surface of veneer, differing
from the surrounding smooth veneer and occurring as the veneer is
cut by the lathe or slicer. |
|
|
|
|
| Running Match |
The panel face is
made from components running through the flitch consecutively. Any
portion of a component or leaf in starting the next panel. |
|
|
|
|
| Sapwood |
This is the outer
portion of the tree. As additional layers of growth accumulate on
the outer perimeter, the inner layers of the sapwood becomes heartwood.
Sap is lighter in color and the differentiation in color and thickness
of the sap layer varies considerably by species. |
|
|
|
|
| Scratch |
A notch which runs across the veneer
leaf caused by a faulty knife. Typical slicing fault which makes the
further use of the veneer questionable. Fine knife scratches are eliminated
by grinding the knife. |
|
|
|
|
| Sequence |
The sequence of veneer leaves within a
bundle and the complete log. |
|
|
|
|
| Single Bundles |
Bundles of veneer taken out of their regular
sequence within the log so that the sequence is no longer given. Generally
lower qualities or quarters. |
|
|
|
|
| Shake |
Cracks in the lumber which follow the
course of the annual rings. Part of trunks with this defect are not
suitable for producing veneer or sawn timber. |
|
|
|
|
| Short Length |
Log and veneer between 0.80 m and 2.00
m in length. |
|
|
|
|
| Sliced |
Veneer produced
by thrusting a log or sawn flitch into a slicing machine which shears
off the veneer in sheets. |
|
|
|
|
| Slip Matching |
Means that veneer leaves in a flitch are
slipped. Successive veneer leaves in a flitch are slipped one alongside
the other and edge-glued in this manner. The result is a series of
grain repeats, but no pairs. The danger with this method derives from
the fact that grain patterns are rarely perfectly straight. Sometimes
a grain pattern runs off the edge of the leaf. A series of leaves
with this condition could usually make a panel look like it is leaning.
In the book matching the pairs balance each other. |
|
|
|
|
| Softwood |
General term used to describe lumber or
veneer produced from needle and/or cone-bearing trees. (See Hardwood). |
|
|
|
|
| Species |
A distinct kind of wood. |
|
|
|
|
| Spliced Face Veneer |
Face veneers that
have been joined in any one of several matching effects through the
careful factory process of tapeless splicing. |
|
|
|
|
| Splits |
Separations of wood fiber running parallel
to the grain. |
|
|
|
|
| Stain |
Color changes in the log when same has
been stored too long. Direct radiation from the sun or too dry an
atmosphere furthers this development. This is why logs for storage
are waxed on the ends or sprinkled with water to avoid this development. |
|
|
|
|
| Streaks or Mineral |
Natural discolorations
of the wood substance. |
|
|
|
|
| Stripy |
More or less clearly contrasting color
stripes in the veneer which are generally considered as degrading.
Known above all in the European Oak. |
|
|
|
|
| Stump Veneer |
Produced from the
base of the tree. Here the grain pattern is always swirly twisted
and often accompanied by cross fire and patches of burl. The sizes
are normally small. |
|
|
|
|
| Thick Cut |
Veneers which are produced in other thicknesses
than those laid down in the DIN Standard.
Usual thicknesses are 0.9 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm and 2.5 mm. Larger
thicknesses are usually produced as sawn veneers, i.e. cut on the
block bandsaw. |
|
|
|
|
| Tight Side |
In knife-cut veneer, that side of the
sheet that was farthest from the knife as the sheet was being cut
and containing no cutting checks (lathe checks). |
|
|
|
|
| Tree Burl |
Burl wood in which the burl is developed
above ground in the tree. Such burls are Oak, Ash, Poplar, Elm. |
|
|
|
|
| True Quarter |
The cutting of the log into four quarters.
In the case of Oak this gives a higher portion of veneers with fine
flakes. However, the yield is generally smaller than when converting
in other ways. |
|
|
|
|
| Twist |
Spiral-shaped growth of a tree caused
by external influences, for example, wind. Slicing problems can occur
through the annual rings breaking away from each other thus causing
open spots where the spiral grain is strongly twisted. |
|
|
|
|
| Underground Burl |
Burl log where the burl development is
in the root and the burl is either completely or partially under the
ground. These logs have to be dug out to obtain them, an operation
which is generally done by hand in order not to damage high quality
burls. Underground burls are Myrtle, Walnut, Maple and Vavone or Redwood
Burl. |
|
|
|
|
| Veneer |
A thin sheet of wood, rotary cut, sliced
or sawn from a log or flitch. Veneering goes back to the early days
of the Egyptians, about 3,500 years ago. Down through the years and
cultures, veneering has enriched furniture and architectural interiors
with sheets of rare and beautiful woods bonded to other plain, sturdy
wood based substrates to form a panel. |
|
|
|
|
| Wavy Grain |
Wavy marking of the veneer which is given
through such annual rings. |
|
|
|
|
| Wrapping |
A process to "wrap" three-dimensional
areas (profiles, curved edges, etc.) with veneers. To some extent
this has replaced the molded edges made of solid wood. |
|
|
|
|
| Yellow Gum |
Yellowish brown patches in American Black
Cherry, which are considered to be degrading because they are still
visible after surface treatment. |
|
