Woodworking Materials Guide for Beginners! | Woodworking Handbook - LCETED - LCETED

This is a comprehensive article on woodworking materials used to provide simple and concise answers to many frequently asked questions regarding various materials such as plywood, MDF, veneer, laminate, particle boards, OSP, natural solid wood, blockboard, flush doors. Etc.

So, here are the frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to woodworking materials and the answers to them.

Is particle board the same as MDF

No. MDF is a strong and expensive material compared to particleboards. Particleboards are made from small pieces of wood (sawdust), while MDF (medium density fiberboard) is made from wood fibers.

What are the types of plywood in India used for making home furniture?

Two types of plywood are mainly used for home furniture.

· Commercial MR grade plywood,

· BWR grade (boiling water-resistant) plywood.

MR is moisture-resistant, BWR grade waterproof plywood. BWR is of excellent quality compared to MR quality. MR Plywood is also known as interior grade and BWR

Carpenters and interior designers in India often refer to BWR grade plywood as Marine Ply, although technically Marine grade plywood is different from BWR plywood.

What is Veneer?

Veneers are very thin slices of wood made from wood logs. A decorative veneer is often used to enhance the beauty of the furniture. Generally, veneers will be glued on the top of plywood or MDF in the case of kitchen cabinets, or over blockboard in the case of veneered doors.

What is blockboard?

The blockboard core is made up of rectangular wooden blocks called battons. These battons are sandwiched with thin layers of plywood veneer on both sides. this is why it's so outside of blockboard looks like plywood, but different on the inside. The batons inside are usually made from softwoods. Blockboards are cheaper compared to plywood.

What are softwood and hardwood?

Softwood and hardwood are the two categories of wood obtained from different types of trees. Hardwood is considerably better in strength and durability compared to softwood. Examples of hardwood are teak wood or gurjan wood. Examples of softwood are mango wood or pine wood.

What are the Types of Boards used in Woodworking?

Plywood Boards, MDF Boards, Particle Boards, OSB Boards, Finger Joint Boards, Laminate Flooring, HPL Boards and Acrylic Boards

Which wood is used to make plywood?

Most plywood boards are made using hardwood obtained from hardwood trees. Such hard plywood has good structural strength, durability and dimensional stability. Softwood can be used to make plywood, however, it is of low quality. Some manufacturers make plywood using both hardwood and softwood. In such cases, some of the layers (plies or veneers) used to make the plywood will be a mix of softwood and hardwood. If all the layers used are hardwood veneers, plywood is called 100% hardwood plywood.

How is plywood made?

Plywood is made by joining several layers of wood plies. Each individual plies is called a veneer. This veneer is obtained from wood chips. The logs are mounted on a woodworking machine and then rotated on their longitudinal axis, while a cutter peels thin layers (veneers) from the log. These veneers are placed one on top of the other and pressed together in a hot pressing machine under high pressure. The direction of the grain (direction of the tear lines) alternates at right angles to each successive layer of plywood, strengthening the plywood. The number of layers on a plywood board is usually an odd number, such as 3-ply, 5-ply, 13-ply.

How good is particleboard compared to plywood?

Particleboard is much weaker in strength compared to plywood. This is also very cheap. Most of the customized furniture built by carpenters is made using plywood, while particle board furniture is usually ready-made in furniture stores in India. Particleboards are much lighter (and less dense) than plywood, and such furniture can be easily identified by tapping with fingers or knees (which sounds hollow and weak). Therefore particle board furniture is weaker, less moisture-resistant and less durable compared to plywood, it usually comes in prelaminated and is very attractive.

What is the difference between MDF and HDF?

MDF stands for medium-density fiberboard and HDF stands for high-density fiberboards. The general rule of thumb in woodworking is that the higher the density of the wood, the stronger it will be. HDF is denser, so it is better and stronger compared to MDF.

What is the difference between decorative laminates and decorative veneers?

Decorative laminates are artificially created materials that are made from paper and plastic resins, while veneers are actually thin slices of natural wood. Veneers obtained from some trees are preferred over others for their beauty. Teak veneer, oak veneer and maple, cherry are some examples of popular veneers. Decorative laminates similar to wood veneers are also very popular. Veneers are generally more expensive than laminates.

How exactly are decorative laminates made?

Laminates are a mixture of paper and plastic. Two types of papers and two types of resins are used in its manufacture. A brown paper is soaked and saturated with phenolic resin, and another decorative paper containing the printed design is soaked and saturated with transparent melamine resin. These resins make the paper hard and brittle. These two papers are then pressed together under high heat and pressure to form the surface of the laminate. Laminates are scratch and water-resistant and are the most common way to decorate plywood.

Is solid wood better than plywood?

Natural solid wood is a homogeneous material, while plywood is made from layers of wood glued together. In the most severe adverse conditions, the layers of plywood will split, but solid wood will not cause such a problem. Solid wood can also play its part in problems such as shrinking or expanding or creating cracks. The general consensus among woodworkers is that natural solid wood is better than plywood. This means that a table made of solid teak wood is better than a table made using teak wood plywood. However, natural solid wood furniture is more expensive than plywood furniture.

What is Veneered MDF?

Veneered MDF means that natural veneer is glued onto the MDF wood substrate. The use of such materials in the manufacture of kitchen cabinet doors is very common.

What is decorative plywood?

Nowadays some plywood companies offer prelaminated plywood. This eliminates the cost and time required for carpenters to glue-laminated sheets to plywood. Such pre-laminated ready-to-use plywood is also called decorative plywood.

What is marine quality plywood?

Marine-grade plywood is made for extreme outdoor applications such as building boats and for carpentry work on ships. Therefore, it is said to be marine grade. It is not commonly used for furniture as it is more expensive compared to MR or BWR plywood.

What are the Types of Plywood?

The three most well-known types are:

· Commercial plywood

· Waterproof plywood

· Marine plywood

What are the IS codes for plywood used for home furniture?

ISI marked plywood has the IS code number mentioned above the ISI mark, and a CM/L number mentioned below the mark. The IS code is the document number that contains the detailed quality specifications of that type of plywood, and the CM/L number can be used to identify the company that has made the plywood. The IS code for MR grade and BWR grade plywood is IS:303, and the IS code for Marine grade plywood is IS:710

Also Read: Indian Standards: IS codes for plywood, Particleboards, and MDF

What is an artificial veneer?

Artificial veneer refers to decorative laminate or any other material such as wood surface. Veneers, on the other hand, refer to natural wood veneers obtained by cutting (slicing) wood. Natural veneers are more expensive.

What are Rotary-Cut and Slice-Cut Veneers?

Veneers are usually obtained in a rotary-cut manner in which the logs are rotated while a cutter peels the veneer layers from the log. Slice-cut veneers on the other hand are obtained by cutting logs without rotation. The slice cutting method is used with the most expensive wood types because this method is capable of producing the highest quality decorative veneers.

Where to use blockboard instead of plywood?

There is a tendency to bend or sag in the middle when very long pieces of plywood are used. Such a problem does not arise in blockboards made from the centre of the blocks. Therefore, when making any kind of furniture, when the length of the boards is 7 feet or more, it is preferable to use a blockboard rather than plywood. This is why cupboard doors, bookshelves and panels are often created using blockboards.

What are the standard dimensions (size and thickness) of plywood sheets in India?

Standard plywood sizes are available in India in square feet as well as its corresponding value in mm.

8′ x 4′ (ft) – 2400 x 1200 (mm) The most common size of plywood sheets in India.

8′ x 3′ (ft) – 2400 x 900 (mm)

7′ x 4′ (ft) – 2100 x 1200 (mm)

7′ x 3′ (ft) – 2100 x 900 (mm)

6′ x 4′ (ft) – 1800 x 1200 (mm)

6′ x 3′ (ft) – 1800 x 900 (mm)

Here is the article for standard plywood thickness and dimensions in India.

What are the standard dimensions (size and thickness) of plywood sheets in countries like USA, Canada, UK?

Standard plywood sizes, which are available in in countries, like USA, Canada, UK

8′ x 4′ (ft) – 2400 x 1200 (mm)

9′ x 4′ (ft) – 2740 x 1220 (mm)

10′ x 4′ (ft) –3050 x 1220 (mm)

7.8′ x 4′ (ft) – 2400 x 1220 (mm)

8.2′ x 4′ (ft) – 2500 x 1220 (mm)

What are the standard dimensions of laminate sheets (size and thickness)?

Standard Thickness of laminate sheets:

Brands of laminates typically have a thickness of 0.6 mm to 1.5 mm. thicker self-supporting Compact laminates on the other hand have a thickness ranging from 3 mm to 30 mm

Standard Sizes of laminate sheets:

The most standard size of laminate sheets manufactured by most laminate companies is 8'x 4 '(8 ft by 4 ft). 38 mm × 1219 mm (8′×4′), 914 mm × 2134 mm (3′×7′)

What is the basic difference between plywood and plyboard?

Plywood is common, referred to as ply, while blockboards are commonly referred to as boards. The term 'plyboard' is often printed on finished products and the company usually manufactures plywood and blockboards. Some companies print it as 'plyboards', others as 'ply & board' and some others as 'plywood and blockboard'.

What is flexible plywood?

Flexible plywood is a special type of plywood that can be easily bent without breaking into pieces. This can be very useful for creating any type of furniture that should have curved surfaces.

Also read: Flexible Plywood | Standard Sizes and Thickness | Uses - lceted

What is fire-retardant plywood?

Fire-retardant plywood does not burn as easily as ordinary plywood. It has a low tendency to catch fire, the fire does not spread quickly on the surface, and the plywood burns very slowly. Fireproof plywood is often used for woodworking in public places such as restaurants, auditoriums, theatres, museums, and on public vehicles such as trains.

Also read: What Is Fire Retardant Plywood? | Uses | LCETED

What is concrete shutter plywood?

It is used in building construction works. concrete slabs or columns, wooden moulds are made by this concrete shutter plywood. These moulds are called formwork, and shuttering plywood is used to create such formwork. It is very high-quality plywood similar to Marine quality, completely waterproof, can withstand temperature changes and has excellent dimensional stability. Shuttering plywood often has a phenolic film surface (similar to a laminated surface) so it is also called film-fastened concrete shuttering plywood.

What are sapwood and heartwood?

Sapwood is the outer layer of a tree (outer rings), and the heartwood is the central part of a tree. The membrane of the living tree provides water from its roots to all the leaves of the tree. Heartwood in many species of wood is usually dark in colour and is dry, dense, and hard compared to sapwood. However, the sapwood has a smooth end, while the hardwood usually has knots.

What is phenolic plywood?

Phenolic plywood means the same as Phenolic film-faced shuttering plywood

Article: Phenolic plywood | Film-faced Concrete Shuttering plywood

What is phenol-bonded plywood?

Any plywood bonded to individual veneers using phenolic resins (synthetic plastic resin) can be called phenol-bonded plywood. BWR (waterproof exterior quality) plywood and marine-grade plywood are made by bonding veneers using a phenolic adhesive phenol-formaldehyde. On the other hand, MR grade plywood is made using UF (urea-formaldehyde) adhesive.

What is OSB?

OSB - Oriented Strand Board. It is another type of engineered wood product in which the wood fibres (or wood scales) are stacked on each other at specific angles or orientations. Such strong surfaces make OSB a strong material. Mix the glue with the fibres and press the mixture under high pressure to form these boards. It is considered a good material for interior use and is often used in flooring and cladding applications, and is sometimes used in the manufacture of furniture. Oriented strand boards are very rarely used in India.

What do lumber and timber mean?

Trees are cut down (felled) to obtain logs. These logs are further peeled or cut into standard sizes for use in other applications for making veneer and plywood. Lumber and Timber mean more or less the same thing. It is a cut tree that is in its original state or at a stage of processing. This means it varies slightly from country to country.

What is carved wood furniture?

Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object. Source: Wikipedia

What is the basic difference between sunmika and laminates?

Sunmika is one of the well-known laminate brands in India. It entered the laminate industry early in India, so many people in India including carpenters and interior designers refer to laminates as sunmika. There are also many well-known laminate brands in the market, e.g. Formica and Greenlam laminates.

What is a flush door?

Flush doors are a type of blockboard with very thin layers of plywood (about 2.5 mm thick) on its face. Flush doors can be solid core or hollow core. A solid core has solid software blocks inside, while a hollow core has a small substructure inside. Hollow-core flush doors are commonly used to make partitions, while solid core flush doors are used to create room entry doors in homes.

Also, Read This Below Article To Gain More Knowledge On Woodworking Materials

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Indian Standards: Is Codes For Plywood, Particle Boards, And Mdf