All posts

Why use plywood?

Tarmeko LPD produces its products mainly out of birch plywood. This article is about plywood as a material, why it is so special and why it is better than solid wood. 

Plywood is a layered material, which is made out of many veneer sheets that are glued together. Usually, the rotary cut veneer is used for plywood production. It means, that the veneer is peeled in a special machine as a continuous tape from a rotating round log. The log has to be soaked or steamed before peeling.

Veneer production 
Veneer production

The thickness of the plywood can vary: it depends on the machinery that is being used for production and what is the end product's purpose. This material has all of the good qualities of wood: it is natural, warm, strong and stable. Interior designers value plywood's concrete shape and natural effectively striped cross-section. In Estonia, the most common plywood is the strong and light-coloured birch plywood.

Bent plywood component

Main strengths of plywood compared to solid wood:
*There can be many types of plywood. The easiest way to categorize different plywoods is that there are plywoods for indoor or outdoor use. The most common plywoods are suitable for indoor use. Water-resistant plywoods are suitable for outdoor use. In addition, there are special plywood types like aircraft plywood. Thanks to such diversity the usage for plywood is wide.

*Tarmeko LPD produces mainly bent plywood furniture and components. The thin veneer layers that are put into a mould provide the wanted shape and soft edges. This enables to make designs better and more interesting. The soft edges are valued greatly for children's furniture since it makes the products safer for children to use. 

Bent plywood component
*Strength - glue, that is between each veneer layer, gives the furniture additional strength.
*Stability - plywood furniture has longevity and the products maintain at the same time their shape and quality.

Sources:
1) https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vineer
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_veneer
3) http://www.postimees.ee/1503873/triibuline-lemmik-vineer
4) http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/remodeling/question154.htm
5) https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon
6) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plywood
All photos are from Tarmeko Photo Gallery.