Manufactured

Boards
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the idea of
where manufactured boards are most usefully used.
We will particularly look at the following boards which
are in common use in today’s workshop.

•Plywood
Chipboard
Blockboard
Modern techniques
Hardboard Intro
MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard)
Sterling Board (O.S.B. Orientated Strand Board)
 Manufactured Boards

Q) Why are Manufactured boards often referred to as

“Sheet Material? ”

Q) Who knows the most common size of sheet material ?

Q) What advantages do Manufactured sheet materials

have over natural timber?
 Manufactured Boards

Sheet materials cover a large area more quickly and

economically than natural timbers.

Sheet materials can be much more stable in service than

natural timber BUT ONLY IF USED CORRECTLY as we will see.

If a sheet material has been correctly chosen, a good finish

can be obtained to give a long lasting finish.

If a good finish is not essential then there are sheet materials

that can be obtained very cheaply (i.e.: Sterling Board)
 Q) What disadvantages do Manufactured
sheet materials have over natural timber?

M.D.F. and hardboards create a lot of dust which can become

very hazardous when used in large quantities. Indeed there
have been accusations of this dust being carcinogenic
although this is yet to be proven.

If a non Moisture Resistant (M.R.) or W.B.P.

(Weather & Boil-proof) sheet is used in a moist atmosphere
it will certainly warp or break down
 Q) What disadvantages do Man Manufactured
sheet materials have over natural timber?

Sheet materials can be awkward to handle in large sheet

sizes of 2440mm and greater.

Some sheet materials can be very heavy to handle such as

M.D.F., block-board and any sheet of 19mm thickness or
greater.
The Modern
process
The main features of Plywood are:
It is made by bonding alternating layers of timber veneer
(softwood or hardwood) at right angles to each other.

It is supplied in a range of thickness from 3mm to 25mm, all of

which will usually have an odd number of veneers as shown
The main features of Plywood are:
It is available in a variety of finishes from rough “sheathing
ply” for outside work to a high quality interior grade Birch
finish.
It’s grade: the term grade covers types of adhesives used ,
the durability of the veneers, the structural qualities and any
possible coatings for special purposes) all these combined
give the plywood its grade.
 What are the main uses of plywood?

Panels, wall cladding, furniture manufacture,

floor covering, Roof decking, Shuttering.

What do the following abbreviations mean

when applied to plywood bonding?

W.B.P Weather and boil proof

B.R. Boil resistant

M.R. Moisture resistant

Chipboards sheeting
It is made by chipping and grinding wood particles such as
spruce, pines, firs to produce the materials needed.
 Chipboard

The particles then

graded and
blended with
adhesives and
pressed before a
final sanding
process.
 Chipboard

It is supplied in a range of thickness from 13mm to 22mm

with sheet sizes as standard but also in (8ft x 2ft) with a
tongue and groove for flooring purposes.

It is sometimes produced with plastic finishes or or hardwood

veneers for kitchen units etc.
Veneer Cutting Methods
Plywood veneers are typically cut from the log four different
ways. These cuts, or how the veneer is peeled from a tree, will
determine the overall look of the panel in its completion. Below
we show these different methods and describe how they are
made.
 Blockboard
Wood strip cores are produced from dried boards,
previously cut from logs, they are first glued together to
form a laminated slab then are clad on both sides with
veneer to make up three or five ply
 Blockboard
This has a core made up of glued laminations of narrow wood
strips usually between 19 and 30mm wide.the overall sheet
sizes being the standard.
 Blockboard
The uses are similar to that of a veneered plywood, the main
differences being their bonding and durability, the glue used in
block board usually being a synthetic adhesive classified for
interior use although this is not always the case.
 HardBoard
Hard board is yet another of the wood waste products,the wood
is pulped by machine,bonded with adhesive and finally pressed
to a thickness of 3mm to 6mm.

Hardboard has many uses

including panelling ,wall
and floor covering.
 HardBoard
The surface is very tough and can be very difficult to penetrate
with panel pins.

For best results the hardboard should be wetted on its back side
and allowed to dry before use to prevent distortion after fixing.
This is known as conditioning.
 M.D.F.

M.D.F.
Is made to
conventional sheet
sizes and thickness
varying from
4mm to 30mm.
 M.D.F.
(Medium density fibreboard) this is also made from wood
fibres glued together with synthetic adhesives.

This is used extensively in joinery manufacture as well as

moulding of all shapes and sizes ( skirting, architraves etc.).
 M.D.F.
M.D.F. Can be machine routed and finished to any desired
shape or section, it can easily be worked with conventional
tools.

A moisture resistant board is also available for external use.

 O.S.B.
(Oriented strand board) this is widely used as a less expensive
alternative to exterior grade plywood.

It is made up of wood strands glued together in such a way as to

produce great strength as well as rigidity.
 O.S.B.
The strands are screened to remove dust and then dried in a
tumble dryer they are then blended with powdered adhesive
resin before being compressed to the desired thickness.

Sheet sizes are standard with thickness from 6mm to 25mm.

 Laminboard
This is very similar to blockboard, except that the core strips
are narrower, not exceeding 7mm in width.

The laminations are faced both sides

with a facing veneer similar to
blockboard.
Give some common uses for the following sheet materials?

Plywood Interior wall lining, flooring, framing,window linings,

Facia,barge boards (garages) (w.b.p)

Blockboard Doors, table tops, counters, furniture, wall panelling,door blanks

Chipboard Flooring, kitchen worktops, Kitchen units, general furniture,

roof decking(low grade) general joinery

Hardboard Flush door skins, backing for units, floor coverings, templates.

M.D.F. Mouldings, furniture manufacture, panels, Skirting, Architraves,

window linings, window sills, Laminate flooring.

O.S.B. Hoardings, cladding, packing cases, formwork,

roof decking, board up material, temp cover protection for floors
Storage, Handling and Stacking of Sheet Materials

Storage

The method of storage will depend upon the type of sheet and
where it is to be stored.

If the sheets are to be used and stored on site it is difficult to

ensure that correct storage and protection is given.

In most cases, protection will be in the form of a plastic sheet

covering. to ensure that sheets are not subjected to twisting and
bending, and are protected from rain.
Stacking plywood
Sheet Sizes
The table below shows some of the many sheet sizes available.
You will notice that the traditional common imperial sizes such as eight
feet by four feet are sometimes available as their metric equivalent such
as 2440mm x 1220mm sheets.
The nearest true metric size would be 2400mm x 1200mm.

Material Length (mm) Width (mm) Thickness (mm)

Plywood 1200, 2400, 2500, 3000, 3600 1200, 1220 4-30
Chipboard 2400, 2440, 2750, 3050, 3660 600, 1220 2.5-38
Hardwood 1220 to 3660 600, 1220, 1372, 1660 1.3-9.5
MDF 2440, 2745, 3050, 3660 1220 12-38
Blockboard 1220, 2440, 2500, 3050, 3660 1220 12-38
Laminboard 1220, 2440, 2500, 3050, 3660 1220 12-38
Recap Match-up

A
B
E G
F H
I K
J
O
N P