Veneers and Veneer-Based Materials

This chapter comprises the production of veneers, both, decorative veneer for appearance applications and veneer or plies for technical applications. Different veneer manufacturing steps including log preparation, steaming, soaking, and cooking before slicing or peeling the logs or flitches are highlighted. Aspects of sorting and grading of the round timber as well as the veneer are provided. A major part is dedicated to veneer drying and postprocessing the veneer sheets for the different tracks such as the use for decorative veneer or for plywood or LVL (laminated veneer lumber) production. Different layouts for production plants and different machine concepts are introduced and discussed in detail. An important part is the composition of veneer based panels and components such as plywood, molded plywood, and LVL (laminated veneer lumber), also in relation to the mechanical properties of the final product. The current national and international standards concerning the veneer-based products are addressed and a short market survey provides some insight to the importance of the sector of veneers and veneer-based products.