Transcript Chapter 10

Chapter 10
Panel Products
Copyright © 2009 Delmar, Cengage Learning
Objectives
• Identify the different types of panel products
• Understand the composition of the various panel
products
• Explain the advantages and disadvantages of
using panel products
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Introduction
• Panel products are important building materials
in today’s construction of cabinetry and furniture
• Frequently used panel products are:
– Plywood, fiberboard, particleboard and melamine
• These products have advantages such as:
– Being able to create large surfaces quickly
– Being more stable than solid lumber because of not
having a continuous grain pattern
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Plywood
• Cabinet grade plywood may replace lumber in
cabinets or furniture
– Provides the look of solid wood
– Less time consuming to work and therefore less
expensive to use
– Fabricated with fine veneer faces over a core
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Figure 10-1 Cabinet grade plywood.
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Plywood (continued)
• Cores used to create cabinet grade plywood
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Lumber core
Veneer core
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) core
Particleboard core
• Type of core used determines degree of stability
and the ability to hold fasteners
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Plywood (continued)
• Veneer that is placed on the front and back of
the plywood is cut in one of three ways
– Plain sliced
– Quarter sliced
– Rotary cut
• Possible to buy cabinet plywood that has already
been finished
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Fiberboard
• Created by mixing wood fibers with resin and
bonding them together by radio-frequency
adhesion or heat
• Has no grain at all, which makes it very stable
• Comes in high, medium, and low densities
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Figure 10-4 High-density fiberboard, or hardboard.
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Fiberboard (continued)
• High-density fiberboard (hardboard)
– Good choice for drawer bottoms and cabinet backs
– Extremely rugged
• Medium-density fiberboard (MDF)
– Provides a very smooth and stable surface
– Excellent choice for jig material
– Great base material for stained, printed, painted, or
laminated applications
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Fiberboard (continued)
• Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) (continued)
– Commonly used for furniture tops, drawer fronts,
moldings, and shelving
– Can be shaped easily
– Has some drawbacks:
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Hard on cutting edges of tools
Very heavy
Should not come into contact with water
Does not hold fasteners well
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Fiberboard (continued)
• Low-density fiberboard
– Not used by cabinetmakers
– Primary use is in upholstery industry
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Particleboard
• Not as dense as either hardboard or MDF
– Is an adequate and less expensive alternative
• Composed of small wood flakes, chips, and
shavings bonded together with adhesives
• Often used as a substrate for laminates
– Frequently used for plastic laminate countertops
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Particleboard (continued)
• Hard on cutting edges of tools
• Heavy
• Does not hold fasteners well
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Figure 10-6 Particleboard.
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Melamine
• Thermally fused, resin-saturated paper finish
applied over a particleboard core
• Highly stain and mar resistant
• Comes in a wide variety of colors and wood
grain looks
• Often the major component of inexpensive
furniture
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Melamine (continued)
• Requires no finishing; resin-saturated paper acts
as a finished surface
• Since it has a particleboard core, its disadvantages are same as those of particleboard
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Figure 10-7 Melamine.
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Advantages and Disadvantages of
Panel Products
• Advantages
– Stability
– Reduced production time in building cabinets
– Their use makes good ecological sense
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Advantages and Disadvantages of
Panel Products (continued)
• Disadvantages
– Edges of the sheets must be covered
– Poor fastener-holding ability; specialty fasteners have
to be used
– Have only a thin veneer covering the core; deep
scratches will reveal the core and give away the fact
that they are not solid lumber
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Summary
• Manufactured panel products are widely used in
the cabinet- and furniture-building industries
• Panel products include cabinet grade plywood,
fiberboard, particleboard, and melamine
• Panel products are far more stable than solid
wood
• Primary drawback to panel products is that the
core is visible on the ends; edges must be
covered
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