6 - Performance characteristics of woods - Manufactured boards

Question 1

Plywood

Answer 1

Thin layers of wood and placed and glued at 90 degrees to one another and compressed. Good strength in all directions, no train weakness. Always has an odd number of layers.

Structural work, indoor furniture, floorboards

Question 2

Marine plywood

Answer 2

Similar to plywood, but is gap free. Uses specialist water and boil proof glue to make it water resistant.

Boat panelling, dashboards etc.

Question 3

Aeroply

Answer 3

Plywood made from high-quality timber, like birch. Available in thin sheets, lightweight, easy to bend around a frame.

Laminated furniture, laser cut products

Question 4

Flexible plywood

Answer 4

Odd number of layers, with the outer layers made from flexible open-grained timber. Can be bent and glued around a frame.

Laminated furniture, curved panels

Question 5

Chipboard

Answer 5

Wood chips compressed with a resin such as urea formaldehyde

Usually veneered or covered with polymer laminate. Used in kitchen units, shelves and flat-pack furniture

Question 6

MDF

Answer 6

Compressed wood fibres, sometimes urea formaldehyde is added. 2 smooth faces, either on its own or with a timber veneer.

Furniture such as book cases, cabinets and desks

Question 7

What is a veneer?

Answer 7

Thin slide of wood less than 3mm thick

Decorative covering for all manufactured boards

Question 8

What is an MF laminate?

Answer 8

Thin sheets of MF polymer (melamine formaldehyde). Hard, tough, chemical resistant.

Decorative coverings for chipboard. Used for kitchen worktops etc.