Splicer Usa
2008
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Splicer Usa
Reclaimed Wood Veneers
From lumber to reclaimed wood veneers- the journey
Reclaimed wood veneers are very new to the market place. Viridian Wood Products is the only company that I know of that produces reclaimed wood veneers here in the USA. The process of transforming reclaimed lumber into a veneer is a technically challenging process involving many technologies, both old and new.
Reclaimed wood veneers- The first step.
Wood that is chosen to take the journey to becoming a veneer must be thoroughly screened to meet strict criteria before processing. Reclaimed wood must be sound and free of any defects including nails, rocks, checking, splitting, or loose knots. Once the reclaimed lumber is determined to be free of these defects, the material is cleaned up with a planer on all four sides to expose the grain and any hidden defects overlooked in the cursory inspection.
Cooking the lumber
Wood is held together by a substance called lignin. It is lignin that holds the cellulose fiber together to form a piece of lumber. Lignin is a very tough substance and needs to be softened up before the wood can be cut. The reclaimed lumber is loaded into a type of oven that constantly bathes the wood in steam. This steam bath varies from 190 degrees up to 212+ degrees, and lasts for several days, depending on the species of wood and thickness. During the cooking process, the lignin becomes softer and more pliable. This allows the reclaimed wood to be sliced into reclaimed wood veneers.
Slicing the lumber into reclaimed wood veneers
The very hot lumber is quickly shuttled to a cutting station. This station consists of a cutting machine called a Marunaka . (Pronounced mer-in-na-ka) The Marunaka slices the reclaimed lumber very thinly. The production line also consists of a conveyor system that moves the reclaimed lumber in boiling water that looks like a merry-go-round. The lumber that is to be made into the reclaimed wood veneers is loaded into the conveyor system and set into motion. One at a time the reclaimed lumber is fed into the Marunaka to be sliced. The Marunaka forces the wood through an opening that is only big enough for the piece of wood. A very sharp knife protrudes slightly forward from the bed of the machine taking a thin slice of wood from the bottom of the board as it passes through the machine. The slice of wood it takes off falls onto another area, where an operator judges the quality. The wood is passed through the machine and back into the conveyor system to be re-heated as it waits its turn in line for the next slice. The lumber must be kept at a very high temperature while slicing or the lignin in the wood will begin to harden, making the cutting much more difficult.
Making the reclaimed wood veneers into sheets
Once the slice of wood comes off of the Marunaka, it is fed into an industrial drier. This machine looks a lot like a large sander but is noticeably quieter. Some veneer driers use hot air and fans to dry the veneers. Other more modern driers use radio frequencies, like a microwave oven to dry the veneer within mere minutes. The veneers are carefully stacked in the sequence from which they were cut. Each board is carefully reassembled as a pack of veneers for more processing down the line. At this stage, some veneer slicers will let the freshly dried veneers acclimate for several days while the equilibrium in the wood returns to a normal state.
Trimming the Veneers
The edges of the ragged veneers must be trimmed to be perfectly straight as well as parallel to each other before the veneers can be made into a sheet. A machine called a double knife veneer guillotine does the job quickly and efficiently. This machine simultaneously holds a stack of veneers tightly down, while two knives slice through all of the veneers, making a clean cut.
Composing the reclaimed wood veneers into sheets
This reclaimed walnut veneer has been composed into a 4x8 sheet and is ready for pressing. Once the veneers have been sliced and trimmed, they are ready to be composed into a larger sheet so that they can be pressed onto a core to make 4x8 architectural panels. The process starts with a stack of veneers and a glue station that prepares the veneers for bonding. The veneers are stacked tightly with one edge showing, revealing the edge. of the grain. A special type of glue is sprayed onto the edges of the veneers that dries, but does not bond wood to wood without the help of some heat. This heat activated glue is left to dry
Putting it all together.
Once all of the veneers have had the heat activated glue applied to their edges, it is time to compose the veneer into a sheet. This process is done on a machine called a splicer. This machine looks like a very large sewing machine with almost no moving parts. The only thing you will notice moving is a small feed chain several inches wide that runs the length of the machine. Two veneer strips are placed next to each other with the edges almost touching. The feed chain of the splicer has a "V" pattern printed onto the chain that forces the two veneer strips to mate perfectly, while simultaneously applying heat for several feet of the feed chain. This combination of applied pressure and heat bond one strip of veneer to another instantly. This process is then repeated until the desired size of the sheet is achieved. Please look for my nest blog posting about how reclaimed wood veneers are pressed onto plywood to make architectural paneling.
About the Author
Owner of Viridian Reclaimed Wood Products in Portland Oregon.
Label and narrow web splicer and rewinder combo, MBSC & STR from Martin Automatic, Inc.
