Now when you choose new furniture, you may know plywood is a great choice for furniture, but what is it actually? Most people may simply say it is one type of wood only. Here is wikipedia explain: Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or “plies” of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another.

Plywood is probably the most popular and versatile man-made woodworking material available in home centers today. It is a laminated product made up of numerous thin strips of wood laid in alternating directions and bonded with glue into strong, stable sheets. Because of this construction method, plywood is less susceptible to expansion and shrinkage.

These thin layers of maple or birch veneer are actually part of the plywood, as each veneer or ply is glued with its grain at right angles to adjacent layers creating strength and durability.

A board of solid wood hewn from the trunk of a single tree is somewhat unstable and likely to expand or shrink across the grain-based upon the moisture content present in the wood. While the board is much stronger and less likely to expand or shrink along the grain, it is much more likely to split with the grain than against.

Today we will discuss how plywood is made.

Step 1  Block Selection

Log selection is the first part of the process it involves careful identification and segregation locks from face back and core veneers in terms of species physical geometry and quality the prime object is to produce veneer from species with accepted physical and aesthetic characteristics.

Step 2  Debarking

Logs are loaded into the debarking station

Step 3  Cut

Measure conditioned logs and mark length for cross-cutting to standard size.

Then standard lengths logs are fed into a debarking machine to remove the bark and improve cross-section roundness.

Step 4  Recycled waste

wood waste is captured for recycling or to be used as fuel.

Step 5  Peeling

The log is turned against a sharp knife

The logs go through a series of rotary blades which progressively shave off the bark

and barkless logs enter the rotary peeling machine it works like a giant pencil sharpener shaving off a continuous thin sheet called apply hence the term plywood.

Step 6  Veneer Core

This turns the log into a ribbon of wood in seconds

It will be sorted by grade and sent to a dryer, Blades on both sides trim the ply producing neat straight edges.

Step 7  Clipping

Step 8  Glue spreader

Core veneer is fed into a glue roller

The compose plies or veneers are bottled additives types of additive to be applied depend on the plywood produced for.

Step 9  Assembly

The layers of veneer are hand-stacked into a plywood sandwich.

These smaller size veneers are joined together to form standard sheets.

Each adjoining layer is rotated up to 90 degrees in a process we call cross-graining. Cross-graining Plywood is able to resist splitting when nailed at the edges, minimize expansion and shrinkage and bump up its stability.

Step 10  Composure dry and hot press

Individual panels are sent to the press where heat and pressure are applied, and ply is now perfectly flat and solidly boned.

Press flies or composed paddles are pressed at ambient temperature at a controlled hydraulic pressure after which the glue solidifies to form the mini applies in each pattern this process also helps to flatter the plywood.

Step 11  Trimming and Sanding

Panels will be trimmed to size

The panels are patched and sanded.

the conditioned panel are sent to a smooth finished surface and uniform thickness the panel can either be sat it on the face side or both face and back sides depending on market specifications and after which it will be trimmed to its final size.

Step 13  Packaging and Stacking

Finished plywood units are packaged and shipped

Look at the video how plywood is made.