 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
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.
