A note on face veneer checking in maple plywood

Abstract

A common challenge related to hardwood plywood is checking along the grain of face veneers. This study tested the hypothesis that face checking of rotary peeled maple veneer plywood will be greater on the loose side of the veneer and that checking will be reduced by the application of a clear film-forming finish. Fifteen panels were constructed with the tight side of the face veneer oriented out (i.e. exposed to the atmosphere) and 15 with the loose side of the face veneer oriented out. Half of each panel was finished with lacquer and the other half left unfinished. Panels were conditioned in a hot, wet chamber, visually inspected, and then inspected again after conditioning in a hot, dry chamber. Contrary to conventional wisdom, panels oriented with the tight side of the face veneer oriented out checked significantly more than panels with the loose side oriented out. There was no effect due to finishing. Because these findings are contrary to established practices, further investigation is warranted.

Keywords

Hardwood plywood Furniture panels Veneer checking Finishing

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American National Standards Institute . 1986. Surface texture (surface roughness, waviness, and lay). American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York, USA. ANSI/ASME B46·1-1985.

Anonymous . 1997. Moisture management for the control of checking and warping in hardwood plywood panels. Technical brief. Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Association, Reston, VA, USA.

Blackwell

. 1947. Checks in the finish of veneered surfaces. Ind. Finish. 23 (8): 77–80.

Cassens

, Leng

, McCabe

. 2003. Face check development in veneered furniture panels. For. Prod. J. 53 (10): 79–86.

Christiansen

, Knaebe

. 2004. Diagnostic guide for evaluating surface distortions in veneered furniture and cabinetry. US Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI, USA. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-143.

Denig

, Wengert

, Simpson

. 2000. Drying hardwood lumber. US Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI, USA. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-118.

Forbes

. 1997. Understanding and minimizing veneer checking on furniture panels. Wood Products Notes. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.

Funck

, Forrer

, Butler

, Brunner

, Maristany

. 1992. Measuring surface roughness on wood: a comparison of laser scatter and stylus tracing approaches. Proc. SPIE 1821: 173–184.

Gilmore

, Hanover

. 1990. Suggestions for preventing or minimizing veneer checking. Wood Products Notes. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.

10.

Grunewalder

, Brown

, Randolph

. 2006. Method for reducing face checking of a wood product. US Patent Application US 2006/0134435 A1.

11.

Holcombe

. 1952. Surface checking in furniture panels. J. For. Prod. Res. Soc. 2 (5): 122–127.

12.

McMillen

. 1975. Physical characteristics of seasoning discolorations in sugar maple sapwood. US Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI, USA. Research Paper FPL-RP-248.

13.

Panshin

, de Zeeuw

. 1980. Textbook of wood technology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

14.

Rappold

, Smith

. 2004. An investigation of the relationships between harvest season, log age, and drying schedule on the coloration of hard maple lumber. For. Prod. J. 54 (12): 178–184.

15.

Schoning MR . 2008. Method of reducing surface checking on wood compositions. US Patent Application US 2008/0271842.

16.

Schramm

. 2003. A complete guide to hardwood plywood and face veneer. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press.

17.

Suchsland

. 2004. The swelling and shrinking of wood: a practical technology primer. Madison, WI: Forest Products Society.

18.

Yan

, Lang

. 1958. The story of paramount furniture, Quebec: veneer checking and warping. Can. Woodworker 58 (11): 20–23.