8.3.

Plywood Makeup
A plywood panel is made up of a number of veneers (thin sheets or pieces of wood). Veneer is obtained by rotating peeler logs
(approximately 8½-ft long) in a lathe. A continuous veneer is obtained as the log is forced into a long knife. The log is simply
unwound or "peeled." See Example 8.3. The veneer is then clipped to the proper size, dried to a low moisture content (2 to 5
percent), and graded according to quality.

Example

EXAMPLE 8.3 Fabrication of Veneer

The log is rotary-cut or peeled into a continuous sheet ofveneer. See Figure 8.3. Thicknesses range between
1/6 in. and
1/10 in. As with sawn lumber, the veneer is graded visually by observing the size and number of defects. Most veneers
may be repaired or patched to improve their grade. Veneer grades are discussed in Sec. 8.5.

Figure 8.3 Cutting veneer from a peeler log.

The veneer is spread with glue and cross-laminated (adjacent layers have the wood grain at right angles) into a plywood panel
with an odd number of layers. See Example 8.4. The panel is then cured under pressure in a large hydraulic press. The glue
bond obtained in this process is stronger than the wood in the plies. After curing, the panels are trimmed and finished (e.g.,
sanded) if necessary. Finally, the appropriate grade-trademark is stamped on the panel.

Example

EXAMPLE 8.4 Plywood Cross-Laminated Construction

In its simplest form, plywood consists of 3 plies. Each ply has wood grain at right angles to the adjacent veneer (Figure
8.4A).

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 Figure 8.4A

An extension of the simple 3-ply construction is the 3-layer 4-ply construction (Figure 8.4b). The two center plies have the
grain running in the same direction. However, the basic concept of cross-laminating is still present because the two center
plies are viewed as a single layer. It is the layers that are cross-laminated.

Figure 8.4B

Three-layer construction is used in the thinner plywood panels. Depending on the thickness and grade of the plywood, 5-
layer and 7-layer constructions are also fabricated. Detailed information on plywood panel makeup is contained in Ref.
8.14.

It is the cross-laminating that gives plywood its unique strength characteristics. It provides increased dimensional stability
over wood that is not cross-laminated. Cracking and splitting are reduced, and fasteners, such as nails and staples, can be
placed close to the edge without a reduction in load capacity.

In summary, veneer is the thin sheet of wood obtained from the peeler log. When veneer is used in the construction of plywood,
it becomes a ply. The cross-laminated pieces of wood in a plywood panel are known as layers. A layer is often simply an
individual ply, but it can consist of more than one ply.

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The direction of the grain, or strength axis, in a finished panel must be clearly understood. SeeExample 8.5. The names
assigned to the various layers in the makeup of a plywood panel are

1. Face—outside ply. If the outside plies are of different veneer quality, the face is the better veneer grade.

2. Back—the other outside ply.

3. Crossband—inner layer(s) placed at right angles to the face and back plies.

4. Center—inner layer(s) parallel with outer plies.

Example

EXAMPLE 8.5 Direction of Strength Axis. See Figure 8.5.

Figure 8.5 Standard plywood layup. OSB has a similar layup, and strength axis marking.

In standard wood structural panel construction, the face and back layers have the grain oriented parallel to the 8-ft
dimension of the panel. Crossbands are inner layers that have the grain at right angles to the face and back (i.e., parallel
to the 4-ft dimension). If a panel has more than three layers, some inner plies (centers) will have grain that is parallel to the
face and back.

When the stress in the panel is parallel to the 8-ft dimension, there are more "effective" plies (i.e., there are more plies with
grain parallel to the stress and they are placed farther from the neutral axis of the panel). The designer should be aware
that different section properties are involved, depending on how the panel strength axis is oriented relative to panel
supports. This is important even if stress calculations are not performed.

If structural calculations are required, the cross-laminations in plywood make stress analysis somewhat complex. Wood is
stronger parallel to the grain than perpendicular to the grain. This is especially true in tension, where wood has little strength
across the grain; it is also true in compression but to a lesser extent. In addition, wood is much stiffer parallel to the grain than
perpendicular to the grain. The modulus of elasticity across the grain is approximately
1/35 of the modulus of elasticity parallel to the grain.

Because of the differences in strength and stiffness, the plies that have the grain parallel to the stress are much more effective
than those that have the grain perpendicular to the stress. In addition, the odd number of layers used in plywood construction
causes further differences in section properties for one direction (say, parallel to the 8-ft dimension) compared with the
section properties for the other direction (parallel to the 4-ft dimension).

Even if the sheathing thickness and reference uniform load capacity are read from a table (structural calculations not
required), the orientation of the panel and its directional properties are important to the proper use of the plywood. To

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illustrate the effects of panel orientation, two different panel layouts are considered. See Figure 8.6. With each panel layout,
the corresponding 1-ft wide beam cross section is shown. The bending stresses in these beams are parallel to the span. For
simplicity, the plywood in this example is 3-layer construction.

Figure 8.6 Strong and weak directions of wood structural panel strength axis relative to supports.
Wood grain that is parallel to the span and stress is more effective than wood grain that is
perpendicular to the span and stress. Strength axis perpendicular to supports is more effective than
a strengh axis parallel to supports.

In the first example, the 8-ft dimension of the plywood panel is parallel to the span (sheathing spans between joists). When
the plywood is turned this way (face grain perpendicular to the supports), it is said to be used in the strong direction. In the
second example, the 4-ft dimension is parallel to the span of the plywood (face grain parallel to the supports). Here the panel
is used in the weak direction.

From these sketches it can be seen that the cross section for the strong direction has more plies with the grain oriented
parallel to the span. In addition, these plies are located at a greater distance from the neutral axis. These two facts explain
why the effective cross-sectional properties are larger for plywood oriented with the long dimension of the panel
perpendicular to the supports.

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