The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

The Practical Built In Funiture

Plywood consists of three or more sheets of very thin wood bonded together with glue under pressure. The wood is cut by revolving a log against the edge of a knife.

This cuts a thin slice from the circumference so that the grain markings are far different from those of regularly sawn wood — and rarely as interesting. These thin slices are placed one on top of another, with the grains running in alternate directions. This gives the plywood equal strength across and along the sheet. The glue used to bond the sheets may be either water-resistant or actually waterproof. If the built-in structure is to be exposed to excessive dampness or the weather, you should get the waterproof exterior variety.

In the thicker sizes it is not always necessary to have the tremendous strength that many thin plies would give. Therefore, some of the thick boards are made with a lumber core. This type of plywood has the thin plies on the outside; between them is a thick center core composed of strips of solid wood.

Many of these play woods are available with one or both outer surfaces formed of decorative woods such as mahogany, birch or walnut. Another interesting plywood surface is striated — that is, marked with fine parallel grooves (Fig. 114a). You can get unusual effects by using small panels of this, alternating the direction of the striations. Still another decorative board is a plywood with the soft surface wood burnished away so that the hard grain stands out (Fig. 114b). This is called Etchwood.

Then there is a somewhat different type of laminated board, thick and stiff, made of wood flakes.

This lightweight, woodfiber material — its name is Novoply — has an interesting surface because of the embedded wood chips (Fig. 115). The surface is light in color and is especially useful as a base for wood or plastic veneer. It makes excellent sliding doors and paneling.

Finally there is a laminated board that is not made of wood veneer or ships. This compressedfiber board has a light-colored, pebbled surface with inner layers of a delicate blue that identify it as Upson-board. It is available in water - resistant and waterproof types and in thicknesses ranging from 3/8 inch (6-ply) to 3 16 inch (4-ply). It can be painted or papered. For most cabinet work the material should be applied to a light wood frame.