Woodworking Network: Composite panels are made of small pieces of wood that are glued together. The basic idea of a composite material is that the properties of the composite are different (usually better) than the properties of the individual raw materials. There are at least 20 different wood composite products.
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Stagecraft gave us a very basic understanding of how plywood is made, so this just reinforced that and gave us some more information. I’d heard before that the glue holding plywood together is stronger than the wood itself, but this confirmed that. The article mentioned that the wood is sometimes finished with wax to protect against water, but that may interfere with gluing. It also stated that the ideal way to glue is after the surface has been opened a bit, so if people are worried about the strength of a joint, it would make sense to sand the adjoining surfaces, which would fix both of those problems. Chase did briefly mention that Formaldehyde was used in the adhesive, but I’m glad to know that is going away and safer alternatives are being used. The article stated that the internal pieces of wood may have things like imperfections and knots, so that is something to be aware of, even if the outside looks smooth on the outside.
This article is a good review of everything we talked about in ScecnoFab the other week. Sheet goods are incredibly versatile and come in such a wide variety that it can be overwhelming at first to figure out what is best for a certain application. First and foremost, we generally look to paints and the treatment that needs to be applied before making any rash decisions. This generally narrows things down, however sometimes there needs to be compromise in that department. Another major consideration is construction and joinery. Some sheets are easier to deal with than others, whether that be due to weight for handling or composition for machining. Strength can be a consideration, but truthfully we don't consider it beyond the thickness of the material. However, in plywoods we do have the added benefit of cross-grained laminations, which can be useful for building units that have forces that run in multiple directions. The one thing this article mentions that we didn't cover in class is grain rising, which doesn't really affect most of what we do. However, it is a good thing to keep in the back of your mind. A strategy to combat this is to wet the wood to raise the grain and then sand, This should knock down the swelled cells and prevent them from rising again when the finish is applied.
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