Before we examine the causes of poor quality of plywood, we will briefly explore what plywood is and how it ismanufactured. The word ‘Ply’ originates from the French word ‘Plier’ which means ‘to fold’. Plywood is a wooden material which is made up of plies or wood veneers glued together. Each ply is laid onto the previous such that the grain structure of each successive layer is perpendicular (cross-grained). This is done to reduce the shrinkage and strengthen the final product. These large and flat sheets of veneers glued together are then pressed and dried to form plywood of various grades.

Process of making plywood

• Logs of timber tree trunks commonly known as log decks are brought to the plywood mill where the debarking machine removes the bark with sharp-edged grinding wheels
• The debarked logs are then peeled into thin veneers using a rotary lathe machine. The veneers are in the form of continuous sheets which are clipped into a particular length and width as per the specifications. During this time, veneers with defects are removed.
• The final pressed sheets are bonded with the use of adhesive and then further pre-pressed in a cold press at an appropriate temperature and a controlled hydraulic pressure.

The causes which hamper the quality of Plywood:

There are several reasons for poor quality of the plywood. In this section we will explore the quality of wood being affected due to uneven gluing and fluctuating temperature:

• 1) Uneven Gluing – as it has been shown in the video, uneven gluing of the veneers causes inadequate bonding between the sheets. In return, the final product after manufacturing is often weak and is easily breakable.
• 2) Fluctuating temperature – Another reason which causes poor quality of plywood is pressing of sheets at fluctuating temperature. Adequate heating and even drying of the sheets is very important and any carelessnessduring the process can result in weak plywood.

We, at Chitwan Ply, understand the importance of good quality plywood and several factors which might result in poor quality product. We care for your requirements and about the issues which might arise later on during use. We totally understand that every piece of ply used in the construction of your dream home needs to be of top quality. Therefore our plywood is subjected to a series of rigorous testing procedures during various stages of manufacturing. This ensures that you get only the best quality plywood. At Chitwan Ply we strive to provide our customers with the top quality plywood at the best possible cost.

Read More