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Support
Our Veneer Slicing Quick Reference Guide is a simple
graphic illustration, demonstrating the methods for slicing veneer logs
and the resulting wood grain characteristics.
Download Veneer Slicing Quick Reference Guide PDF (1.5MB). Please
note, on the left, the 5 Keys to Veneer selection: Color, Cut, Figure,
Quantity and Length. For questions on veneer specifics or for support
in selection of the perfect wood for your project, call directly to any
of our project managers. Should you or your office be interested in a
short, 20 minute refresher on this topic with reference guides and visual
demonstrations, please contact us, we enjoy hosting such events. These
can be held at your office, or in our factory as part of an educational
tour.
Samples
Design Workshops offers finished, clear and
natural, type samples of wood veneer for specific projects and for architectural
libraries. For samples, email info@designworkshops.com.
Please be sure to review the 5 keys to veneer selection on our veneer
slicing reference guide to focus your quest for an appropriate wood that
will meet your specific criteria. Custom, stained, species specific type
samples are also available- billable on an hourly basis. When contracted
for a project, we provide accurate control samples of the wood, with color
and finish for approval. Designers often choose to participate, working
closely to review specific logs via full length leaf samples. This can
be accomplished at Design Workshops, on the project location, or at your
office.
“Green”
Veneer
For further information regarding the availability
and issues regarding environmentally sustainable veneers, please check
out our FSC Veneer & Lumber link.
Budgeting
Veneer prices vary depending upon grade, quality, and like any other commodity
- prices fluctuate based upon market demand. At the time of this writing,
average architectural grade veneer, (i.e. quartered, non-figured domestic
maple) sells for approx. $.80 per sq. ft., whereas highly sought after
woods such as tightly figured, fiddle-back Anegre or Sycamore with long
lengths can sell for $2.50 per sq. ft. or more. Specialty veneers such
as Birdseye Maple or Burls can sell for upwards of $5.00 per sq. ft. Labor
involves veneer layout, trimming, clipping, splicing into faces, patching,
and hot pressure application to substrate; raising the square foot price
to approx. $10-20. Once properly finished and field installed by a professional
trained carpenter, high quality, sequenced-matched, veneered architectural
panels cost approx. $75-85 per sq. ft.
Value engineering a project - The concept of saving money
by substituting for a less expensive veneer often arises. Yet, as the previous
paragraph demonstrates- for most applications substituting veneer will at
best generate a 1%-1.5%, savings on the overall cost of an installed panel.
The careful selection of a specific flitch, combined with a conscious specification
for the use of the veneer, can minimize waste thereby generating a better
value. Important are the decisions regarding the layout of the panels, i.e.
veneer sequencing and reveal positioning, along with the detailing of reveals
between the panels. A brief conversation with a Design Workshops Project
Manager can go a long way towards building to your budget and avoiding the
dreaded value engineering meeting. Please feel free to call us with any
questions.
The How’s and
Why’s
The use of wood veneer dates back to ancient Egypt. Veneering is a method
of slicing a material with precision blades into very thin (for wood,
approx. 1/40” thick) leaves and then applying those leaves to the
surface of an object such as a wall panel. For architectural grade veneers,
the highest grade, tallest and straightest trees are selected from the
forest. Height being measured from the base to first branch. The veneer
log is sliced at a veneer mill after soaking in a steam bath to soften
the log. Once sliced and dried, the flitch or collection of veneer leaves/slices
are numbered and bundled in the exact order of slicing so that when displayed
in sequence, the subtle variations of the wood grain and figure patterns
flow smoothly. Veneer widths are determined by both the method of slicing
and by the circumference of the tree trunk. Veneer lengths are determined
by the height of the tree, measured from the base of the tree to the first
branch, on average 10ft. The net square footage of wood panels that can
be obtained from a single flitch or log of veneer is commensurate to the
size of the tree. This can vary greatly by species and by individual tree.
For large surface areas, it is not uncommon to utilize multiple flitches
with similar or identical traits. To fabricate wide surface areas within
a single panel, multiple leaves of veneer are stitched or glued together
to create a face. When fabricating an architectural panel, a face of veneer
is glued to the selected substrate using a high pressure hydraulic flatbed
heated press. To prevent warping, a dimensionally equal face of veneer,
although lower grade, is always applied to the back of the substrate to
balance the stress on the panel. Using wood veneer one achieves both a
40X greater yield of select visible surface vs. solid lumber, and when
applied to substrate materials (such as MDF or Particle board panels)
a greater structural stability than solid lumber; it is less susceptible
to dimensional shifting, warping, splitting and/or checking.
Reconstituted Veneer
This is a type of veneer, often called “recon”, that has interesting
applications. Recon veneer is loosely defined as man made veneer which
uses real wood fiber with natural colorants to simulate various color,
figure and grain seen in real wood veneers. Certain large species of tree,
Obichi in Africa, and Italian Poplar grow in abundance, yet are not commonly
selected for veneer slicing due lower grain and color quality.
These species are rotary sliced and spliced into large sheets for production
and then embossed with grain, color and texture patterns to simulate a wide
variety of species. A website detailing this manufacturing process is provided
by Craftwood.
FSC certified recon veneer to the best of our knowledge is not available
at this time. Brookside
Veneer does offer SGS certified recon veneer manufactured from plantation
grown Italian Poplar not LEED
recognized. Also see
A Comparative Analysis of International Forestry Schemes.
Designers and Architects often ask if trees felled on-site can be used for veneer in their interiors projects. Locally in California, this is often cost prohibitive, as the nearest qualified veneer slicing mills are located in Oregon and shipping logs north slicing and returning dried veneer is usually a budget breaker. Whereas, for solid lumber, on rare occasions this may be an option, for information on this valuable resource contact the P.A.L. Foundation/East Bay Conservation Corp.
Need More?
Detailed in-depth graphic information regarding logging, veneer selection, slicing, specifying, layout, panel matching and more can be obtained through the publication Veneer Solutions published by the Architectural Woodwork Institute.
