Engineered timber products are manufactured from cross-laminated sheets of veneer bonded under heat and pressure. There are different types of plywood for various purposes, such as regular grade for temporary use, and marine grade for prolonged water exposure. Specialty plywood includes flexible plywood that can be rolled, and fire retardant (FR) grade for fire safety. Plywood comes in various thicknesses and sizes. MDF and particle boards are manufactured from wood fibers or particles mixed with glue and pressed. MDF is isotropic while particle boards are weaker and more sensitive to moisture. Block boards are made of wood blocks for applications like shelves and furniture. Veneer is thin wood sliced for covering panels, while laminates

1. engineered TIMBER PRODUCTS

2.  Manufacturing Process:
• manufactured from sheets of cross-laminated veneer
• panel strength and stiffness in both directions are
• maximized
• bonded under heat and pressure with durable,
• moisture-resistant adhesives
 Types of plywood
 Regular grade plywood
o Used for temporary use
 Commercial plywood
o Also known as Interior grade or MR (Moisture resistant) grade plywood
o Used for making furniture that is unlikely to get wet
 Water proof plywood
o Also know as Exterior grade or BWR (Boiling water resistant) grade plywood.
o Used for making furniture that is likely to get wet e.g. Kitchen furniture
 Marine Plywood
o Superior quality and also costs a lot more
o Used for making furniture or products that are subjected to prolonged water exposure
o Used mainly for industrial purposes and boat building.
Plywood:

3. Special types of plywood
 Flexible Plywood
• Also called as flexi ply
• Can easily be rolled up
• Used for creating round and curved shaped furniture
 FR grade: Fire Retardant
• Used in places where fire risks have to be reduced
• Surface is treated with fire resisting chemicals
 Termite-Resistant and Borer-proof
• Offers protection from external pests that can destroy the wood.
 Structural Plywood
• Suitable for construction applications where structural stability is required
 Concrete Shuttering Plywood
• It has a shiny phenolic film over the surface
• Used to create wooden molds for concrete casing
Properties of Plywood
 Thickness available
• MR grade (Moisture Resistant): 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 15, 18, 21, 25 mm
• BWR grade (Boiling Water Resistant): 4, 6, 9, 12, 16, 19, 25 mm
• Shuttering plywood: 6, 12, 15, 18, 21, 25 mm
 Sizes available (in sq. feet)
• 8x4 , 8x3 , 7x4 , 7x3 , 6x4 , 6x3

4. • There are two main types of fiber boards
1. HDF : High density fiber board
• Density: 700-1450 kg/m³
2. LDF/MDF : Low/medium density fiber boards
• Density: 600-800 kg/m³
MDF is more common out of the two.
Made from wood fibers .
Wood fibers are mixed with glue and go through a
hot-press machine.
• Uses:
• Used for making better quality ready made
• often used in loudspeaker enclosures
• used for custom-made requirements such as for making wardrobe doors and for the
shutters of kitchen cabinets.
Fiber boards:

5.  Benefits of MDF
• Some varieties are less expensive than many natural woods
• Isotropic (properties same in all directions) ,so no tendency to split
• Consistent in strength and size
• Flexible. Can be used for curved walls or surfaces.
• Shapes well.
• Stable dimensions (won't expand or contract like wood)
• Easy to finish (i.e. paint)
• MDF boards are stronger, and hence costlier than plywood, particle boards and block
boards.
 Drawbacks of MDF
• Low grade MDF may swell and break when saturated with water.
• May warp or expand if not sealed.
• Dulls blades more quickly than many woods
• Weaker compared to plywood,
• Subject to significant shrinkage in low humidity environments.
• Similar to particle boards, MDF boards are also not nailed. Screws are used instead

6.  Making:
• made from very small particles of wood
(sawdust and small wood flakes)
• wood particles are mixed with glue
• mixture is firmly pressed together using a hot-press machine
 Uses:
• Used to make ready-made furniture, kitchen cabinets, false ceiling, wall panels, and
partitions
 Classification:
• OSL: One sided lamination.
• Only one side of the (the top surface or show surface) is laminated,
• BSL: Both sided lamination.
• Both the top and bottom surfaces are laminated .
• BSL is costlier than OSL.
 Properties:
• Age usually not more than 5yrs
• Very sensitive to water and even moisture
• Very light weight
• Eco-friendly as it is made up to waste wood particles
Particle boards:

7.  Make:
• Core is made of solid elongated blocks of soft wood
• hardwood veneer for the surfaces
 Classification Based on the wood used
• Softwood
• Hardwood
 Classification Based on use:
• Exterior Grade
• Also known as BWP or BWR grade block board
• Better water resistance
• Interior Grade
• Also called MR grade (Moisture Resistant) block board
• Suitable for indoor use
 Uses
• For making long book shelves
• For making tables and benches
• Block board Doors and Solid core flush doors
• Single and double beds, and Settees (Diwan) for sitting.
• Lengthy wall panels.
Block boards:

8. In wood working, veneer refers to thin slices of wood,
usually thinner than 3 mm (1/8 inch), that typically are
glued onto core panels to produce flat panels such as
doors, tops and parts of furniture.
There are two main types of veneer-making equipment
used commercially:
 A rotary lathe in which the wood is turned
against a very sharp blade and peeled off in one
continuous or semi-continuous roll. Rotary-cut veneer
is mainly used for plywood.
 A slicing machine in which veneer that looks like sawn pieces of wood such veneer is referred
to as "crown cut".
Wood veneer:

9.  Manufacturing process:
• made of brown base paper and decorative paper, use of resins make the paper hard and
brittle, the two papers are hard pressed together
 Types of laminates:
• HPL : High pressure laminates (commonly fixed by carpenters over plywood while
making the furniture)
• LPL : Low pressure laminates (directly bonded to Particle Boards or Fiber Boards)
 Laminate Sizes
• Standard size : 8'x 4‘ Special sizes : 3’ x 7’ and 5’ x 12’
• Types based on thickness
– Regular laminate sheets
• Thickness ranges from 0.6-1.5mm
• Glued or other adhesives
– Compact Laminates
• Thickness ranging from 3 mm to 30 mm
• These are self-supporting and hence do not need to be glued
• Types based on usage
– Decorative use (Importance is given to Look and feel)
– Industrial use (Importance is given to high strength , durability, and resistance to
scratches ,wear and tear)
Laminates