Veneers

McDing · September 21, 2008, 7:38am

I am looking for a source for wood veneers. All types. Bamboo, Balsa, Cherry, whatever. Anyone know of a good source?

lpcdefg · September 21, 2008, 12:05pm

check out joewoodworker.com

PaulJensen · September 21, 2008, 2:10pm

If you are a wood freak, it’s a fantasy land…

Edensaw.com is simply AMAZZZZZING…!!!..

Their on-line catalog is minimal, but their on-floor inventory is unsurpassed…

Worth the time to call…

Quote:

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Each flitch is a natural fingerprint, a jewel, never to be repeated.

Veneer yields up to 300% greater surface coverage than solid lumber.

Covering larger areas with veneer and utilizing solid trim for depth and contrast offers you the greatest design flexibility as well as the best use of a precious resource.

We offer the most extensive selection in the Western U.S.

Edensaw Woods is the Northwest distributor for Herzog Veneers, Brookside Veneers and Jacaranda.

Available in raw, 2ply wood, phenolic and paperbacked, we supply more than 30 domestic and over 100 imported species.

Veneers are available in varying thickness from 1/42” to 1/8”.

[=Black][ 4]Call 1-877-333-6729 for the latest information or fill out our on-line form.[/][/]

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Hardwood Veneer Glossary of Terms

BACK VENEER - 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.

BIRD’S EYE - A decorative feature common in hard maple, and to a lesser extent in a few other species. The figure is due to small conical depressions in the outer annual rings, so that the later growth follows the same contour, probably for many years. Rotary veneer cuts the depressions crosswise, and shows a series of circlets called bird’s eyes.

BLISTER - This veneer has the effect of being blistered due to uneven contour of the annual rings. Usually rotary cut or half round.

BOOK MATCHING - A term used in veneering when adjacent sheets from a flitch are opened like opening a book. The back of one sheet is matched with the face of the next sheet. This gives a light and dark effect due to the light reflecting from

the fibers which slant in opposite directions. This may yield color variations in some species which may be minimized by proper finishing techniques.

BROKEN STRIPE - This is a modification of ribbon stripe. The markings taper out, due to the twisted grain, so that the ribbon stripe is not continuous, and is short or broken.

BURL VENEER - Produced from a large, wart-like growth on the trunk of the tree. The grain pattern typically resembles a series of eyes laid side by side. The appearance is highly decorative.

BUTT MATCHING - Achieved when veneers are matched as described previously for book matching. The ends of the

sheets are also matched. Sometimes the veneer being used is not long enough to cover the desired panel heights, and in

this case the veneer leaves can be flipped end for end and the ends matched.

CATHEDRAL - A grain appearance characterized by a series of stacked “V” and inverted “V”. This pattern is 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 is always even, but the widths are not necessarily the same.

CHECKS - Small slits running parallel to the grain of the wood, caused chiefly by strains produced in seasoning.

CROSS BREAKS - A separation of wood cells across the grain. Such breaks may be due to internal strains resulting from unequal longitudinal shrinkage or to external factors.

CROSS FIRE - Figures extending across the grain such as mottle and fiddleback are often called cross figure or cross fire.

A pronounced cross fire adds greatly to the beauty of the veneer.

CROTCH VENEER - This is produced from the portion of the tree just below the point where it forks into two limbs. The grain is twisted, thus creating a variety of flame figures. The pattern 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. Especially valuable in Mahogany.

CURLY GRAIN - Ornamental figure in wood due to the fibers forming irregular curves or undulations. Large undulations produce “wavy” grain.

DEFECT, OPEN - Open joints, knotholes, cracks, loose knots, wormholes, gaps, voids or other openings interrupting the smooth continuity of the wood surface.

DIAMOND CUT - This is usually done with straight grain veneers. If a rectangle is divided into four 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 - Any change in the normal color of wood. It may be due to fungi or chemical action. In softwoods abnormal color, except “blueing”, usually denotes decay.

FACE - The better side of a prepared piece of wood, also veneer spliced to a certain pattern and cut to exact size.

FIDDLEBACK - Ripple. An undulating appearance of a smooth surface. Fine wavy grain common to sycamore, mahogany and maple, but occurs sometimes in other woods.

FIGURE - The pattern produced in a wood surface by annual growth rings, knots, deviations from natural grain such as interlocked and wavy grain, and irregular coloration. Appears across the grain.

FLAKE - Flake figure is developed only in those species which have very modularly 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 modularly ray and therefore develops the “Flake” effect.

FLAT CUT - The most common method of veneer manufacturing, producing a grain pattern known as cathedral. Each leaf in the flitch is similar; therefore a consistent and even matching pattern is possible. Flat cut veneer is ideally suited for wall panels and furniture.

FLITCH - A log, or part of a log, trimmed and prepared for conversion into veneers. After cutting, all bundles are laid together in sequence as they were sliced.

GRAIN - The size and arrangement of the cells of the living tree. Woods fall into three groups: Fine grained (Birch, Cherry, Maple, etc.), medium grained (Walnut, Mahogany, etc.) and course grained (Oak, etc.). Coarser grained woods can usually be cut to develop a more conspicuous pattern.

HALF ROUND SLICING – This is similar to rotary peeling, also producing a high veneer yield. Primarily used 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.

HARDWOOD - General term used to designate lumber or veneer produced from broadleaf or deciduous trees in contrast to softwood, which is produced from evergreens or coniferous trees.

HEARTWOOD - The inner part of exogenous trees that normally does not contain living cells. Also called true wood.

HERRINGBONE - Veneer strips are used and matched to both sides of the centerline, at an angle. The resulting appearance is reminiscent of the bones of a fish as they are attached to the backbone.

JOINT - The line between the edges or ends of two adjacent sheets of veneer or strips of lumber in the some plane.

KNOTS, OPEN - Opening produced when a portion of the wood substance of a knot has dropped out, or where crosschecks have occurred to produce an opening.

KNOTS, PIN - INCONSPICUOUS - Sound knots ¼ inch or less that to not contain dark centers. Inconspicuous or blending pin knots are hardly detectable at a distance of approximately 6 feet and do not seriously detract from the overall appearance of the panel. These are permitted in all grades.

KNOTS, 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 unit stronger than the original wood itself.

LONGWOOD - The trunk of the tree is the part that begins just above the stump and continues to just below the crotch. Most veneers are cut from longwood by the quarter, rotary or flat cutting methods.

MATCHING OF BURLS, CROTCHES & STUMPS - These wood figures need special treatment when being matched into faces because of their generally exotic grains. Burls and crotches have a tendency to be buckled. When making a panel face it is usually necessary to flatten and patch the veneer. They also have a tendency to develop fine hairline splits, so must be carefully handled in manufacturing. This extra labor usually adds to the expense of using these grains, however the results are well worth the cost.

MOTTLE - A term applied to figured wood that gives the impression of an uneven surface, although smooth. Broken wavy patches across the face, twisted interwoven grain with irregular cross figure, which is the mottle. The effect is due to reflected light on the uneven arrangement of the fibers. The value of cabinet wood is increased greatly when it is mottled.

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 - These are areas, or pockets of disintegrating 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 cypress.

QUARTER SLICING - This cut requires the largest diameter logs and produces straight grained veneers. The quarter slicing of oak can result in the appearance of flake.

REVERSED DIAMOND - This is usually done with straight-grained veneer. A rectangle is divided into four quadrants. The grain direction is from the center point to the outside edge in each of the quadrants; the resulting appearance is that of a series of “V’s” formed by the grain match at the joining line pointed in at the center point.

RIBBON STRIPE - The appearance is between broken stripe and a plain stripe as a result of quarter slicing a log. It gives the general appearance of a ribbon sometimes slightly twisted.

RIFT CUT - This method is commonly used for Oak, and it can only be used on sizable logs. Produced by cutting at a slight angle to the radial to produce a quartered appearance without excessive flake. Rift cut veneer can easily be sequenced and matched.

ROPE - This results when the twist in the grain of broken stripe is all in one direction.

ROTARY PEELING - The log is turned in a circular motion against a knife peeling off a continuous thin sheet of wood veneer. This 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 lathe or slicer cuts the veneer.

RUNNING MATCH - The panel face is made from components running through the flitch consecutively. Any portion of a component left over from a face is used as the beginning 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 become heartwood. Sap is lighter in color and the differentiation in color and thickness of the sap layer varies considerably by species.

SLICED - Veneer produced by thrusting a log or sawn flitch into a slicing machine that shears off the veneer in sheets.

SLIP MATCHING - 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. Sometimes a grain pattern “runs off” the edge of the leaf because the grain patterns are rarely perfectly straight. A series of leaves with this condition could make a panel look as though it is “leaning”. In book matching the pairs balance each other.

SOFTWOOD - Lumber or veneer produced from needle and/or cone bearing trees.

SPECIES - A distinct kind of wood.

SPLICED FACE VENEERS - Face veneers that have been joined together in any one of several matching effects through the careful factory process of tape less splicing.

SPLITS - Separations of wood fiber running parallel to the grain.

STREAKS (MINERAL) – A natural discoloration of the wood substance.

STUMP VENEER - This veneer is produced from the base of the tree. The grain pattern always swirls, twisted and often accompanied by cross fire and patches of burl.

TIGHT SIDE - A term applied to the concave side of knife-cut veneer, which is in compression. The back or convex side often has slight ruptures and is called the loose side. The face of rotary cut veneers.

VENEER - A thin sheet of wood that has been rotary cut, sliced, or sawn from a log or flitch. Veneering goes back to the early days of the Egyptians, which would be approximately 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 for form a panel.