06.04.2018
There are around 40,000 wood species in total in the world. Only around half a percent of these, about 200 species, are basically usable for veneer. And only a few trees of each of these species are a real veneer tree.
The customer’s wish determines the tree search
The customer of the veneer producer is “king” in the truest sense of the word: With their wish they define how the veneer is ultimately to be procured. If the veneer producer has something suitable in stock the order is solved. If not, it becomes interesting: The expert or experts of the veneer company must then set off on a short or long journey. Yet what does the ideal veneer tree look like?
What distinguishes a good veneer tree
Ideally the veneer tree has regular, straight growth. The step should be as round as possible and not twisted. Also important is a uniform bark without a large number of knots in the important areas. In addition, the tree should not have any major damage, for example, due to a lightning strike or another fallen tree. The same applies to insect infestation or irregularities in the wood caused by animals. “If a tree fulfils these many requirements, it is taken to the veneer producer and is processed to the customer’s wishes”, explains Ursula Geismann. The result can then be wondered in its wonderful manifestation on designer furniture, in cars or even in the form of unusual objects such as washbasins, bath tubs, skis, kiteboards or even veneer spectacles. IFN/DS
How veneer is made: Veneer is obtained from the wood of selected trees, which are mainly grown in sustainably managed forests. The tree species mostly used are Maple, Beech, Oak, Ash and Walnut from domestic, European and in the case of Oak, Maple and Walnut, from American forests too. If the right tree has been found it is peeled, sliced or sawn. This produces sheets of wood, which are around 0.45 to 6 millimetres thick. These are dried, stacked according to quality and grade, are cut and are put together to form a deck. These veneer decks are then bonded and pressed onto substrate materials such as solid wood laminboards, particleboards, MDF panels, multiplex panels or plywood.
Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN)
Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN) e.V. was founded in 1996 by the German veneer industry and its partners. The purpose of the association based in Bad Honnef is to promote veneer as a material. It is funded and supported by European companies in the veneer industry, trade and the veneer processing industry as well as professional associations of the timber industry.
Photos 1+2: Perfect veneer trees. Photos: Furnir Otok
Downloads
PM-2018-IFN-Baumsuche 1.jpg (1.27 MB)
PM-2018-IFN-Baumsuche 2.JPG (1.08 MB)
The needle in the haystack: Not every tree is also a veneer tree
Bad Honnef. For the layperson, all trees look the same. But even nature lovers can mostly only say something about the tree species, the rough age of the tree and its individual living conditions. On the other hand, only specialists can identify a real veneer tree. “For a veneer tree only the inner values count. Identifying these requires many years of experience”, says Ursula Geismann, Secretary of Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN).There are around 40,000 wood species in total in the world. Only around half a percent of these, about 200 species, are basically usable for veneer. And only a few trees of each of these species are a real veneer tree.
The customer’s wish determines the tree search
The customer of the veneer producer is “king” in the truest sense of the word: With their wish they define how the veneer is ultimately to be procured. If the veneer producer has something suitable in stock the order is solved. If not, it becomes interesting: The expert or experts of the veneer company must then set off on a short or long journey. Yet what does the ideal veneer tree look like?
What distinguishes a good veneer tree
Ideally the veneer tree has regular, straight growth. The step should be as round as possible and not twisted. Also important is a uniform bark without a large number of knots in the important areas. In addition, the tree should not have any major damage, for example, due to a lightning strike or another fallen tree. The same applies to insect infestation or irregularities in the wood caused by animals. “If a tree fulfils these many requirements, it is taken to the veneer producer and is processed to the customer’s wishes”, explains Ursula Geismann. The result can then be wondered in its wonderful manifestation on designer furniture, in cars or even in the form of unusual objects such as washbasins, bath tubs, skis, kiteboards or even veneer spectacles. IFN/DS
How veneer is made: Veneer is obtained from the wood of selected trees, which are mainly grown in sustainably managed forests. The tree species mostly used are Maple, Beech, Oak, Ash and Walnut from domestic, European and in the case of Oak, Maple and Walnut, from American forests too. If the right tree has been found it is peeled, sliced or sawn. This produces sheets of wood, which are around 0.45 to 6 millimetres thick. These are dried, stacked according to quality and grade, are cut and are put together to form a deck. These veneer decks are then bonded and pressed onto substrate materials such as solid wood laminboards, particleboards, MDF panels, multiplex panels or plywood.
Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN)
Initiative Furnier + Natur (IFN) e.V. was founded in 1996 by the German veneer industry and its partners. The purpose of the association based in Bad Honnef is to promote veneer as a material. It is funded and supported by European companies in the veneer industry, trade and the veneer processing industry as well as professional associations of the timber industry.
Photos 1+2: Perfect veneer trees. Photos: Furnir Otok
Downloads
PM-2018-IFN-Baumsuche 1.jpg (1.27 MB)
PM-2018-IFN-Baumsuche 2.JPG (1.08 MB)
Perfect veneer trees. Photos: Furnir Otok
Perfect veneer trees. Photos: Furnir Otok