LENSLeft
Furniture component
boards sawn from
one plank. The boards
are cut to dimensions
in the cabinet plan
and are then prepared
for joineryRight
A wood rack with
wood planks. Wood is
stickered where each
plank is separate
from the other. This
allows air to circulate
around a board
equalising EMC of
the wood. Stickering
minimises cupping,
twisting, and bowing
of rough boards
Below
A cabinet panel
formed by gluing
together boards,
shown earlierLeft
Baltic birch plywood
(bottom two), MDF
above, chip-board
at topacclimated, tension forms when a plank is sawn and
exposed to air.PLYWOOD AND ENGINEERED WOOD
Plywood consists of layers of veneers, or plies, glued
at right angles to the other. The outer ply is the face;
inner plies form the core. Inner plies make a panel
strong and dimensionally stable. Plywood sheets come
in standard widths and lengths.
Particle board, waferboard, or chip-board are
man-made woods. Wood particles, wafers, and fibres
are glued using resins. Particle board consists of
sawdust or planer shavings, with resin added to form
a panel. It is then pressed at a high temperature and
trimmed to the desired length and width.
It is in your best interests to buy good-quality wood
for projects. I have seen projects fail from improperly
dried wood. I have seen warped door panels and
cabinet frames caused by stressed wood. Storing
wood correctly with air circulation prevents warping.Wood moves even after it is sliced into boards and
assembled into furniture or wood objects. Wood is not a
dimensionally stable medium. It absorbs and releases
moisture depending on the environment it is in, causing
it to expand and contract. Wood moves along its width
but not along its length. In furniture making, frame and
panel construction was developed to house large panels
in a wood frame. A small gap surrounds the panel to
absorb expansion and contraction. Unless wood
movement is factored into your woodworking projects,
you run the risk of your workpiece coming apart.MovementMovement