Reconstituted veneer is a defect-free man-made real wood veneer.
Using the fast-growing wood to replicate the natural wood veneer.
With the systematic dyeing, restructure, and mold forming, to replicate natural wood veneers.
Such as oak, walnut, ebony, teak, Zebrano, rosewood, ash, wenge, etc.
Additionally, designers can create exotic wood grains, like burl veneer, grey veneer, cats eye veneer, birds eye veneer, etc.
Let me explain the reconstituted veneer manufacturing process step by step.
Step 1. Veneer design
At the beginning of all, we need to design the reconstituted wood veneer sheet specification and colors according to clients` requests.
After that, production engineers will know what size of raw materials is best for production.
And then, we design the raw wood veneers` colors, dyestuff, and veneer dyeing process.
Moreover, mold is also a very important part of the veneers’ design steps.
Step 2. Raw veneer production
Usually, raw veneers standard sheet is in 2600mm length, 670mm width with thickness about 0.65mm to 0.75mm.
Those raw veneer sheets are rotary cut from Poplar logs or Ayous/Obeche logs.
As for some special length reconstituted veneer for interior wood door.
We will cut to 1900mm, 2300mm length raw veneers.
Even some special carpentry and joinery work.
We have to cut 3100mm to 3500mm length Ayous/Obeche veneer sheets to make extended length recon veneers.
Step 3. Raw veneers drying
The rotary cut veneer sheets can be used for the dyeing process directly.
But if we want to keep some raw veneers as stocks, we have to make drying with wood veneer dryer.
Usually, the moisture content rate should be about 8% to 18%.
To keep good stability of moisture content rate for each part of veneer sheets.
This is a very important factor to decide the bonding strength of reconstituted wood blocks.
Step 4. Raw veneers grading
Generally, raw veneer sheets grading includes two parts:
● Sorting by colors
The rotary cut raw veneers are sorted by color light, medium, deep.
In this way, it will be helpful for dyeing uniformly for each sheet of raw veneers.
Moreover, it can save the dyestuff and production costs.
● Sorting by defects
In this regard, defects mean the live knots.
Usually, crown cut grain veneer designs are not allowed to use those defects raw veneers.
But, for quarter grains and fine line grains veneers designs, we can use those veneers.
Because those live knots do not affect the finished veneer quality.
Step 5. Raw veneer dyeing (include bleaching)
As earlier mentioned, the sorted raw veneer sheets will be bleached first, then dyeing to the desired colors.
In this step, the quality of dyestuff will affect the color fastness of reconstituted veneers.
We had a consult in 2018 from Dubai, one joinery and fit-out company buy recon veneers from Dubai veneer suppliers.
Those grey recon veneers discolor after few weeks.
So their interior wood door and door frames have different colors even buy the same reconstituted veneers.
But in Australia wood veneer markets, most of the buyers request the reconstituted veneer with high color fastness.
Step 6. Dyed veneer drying
The dyed veneer sheets are wet.
So we need to dry the dyed veneer sheets by veneer dryer.
This is one of the most important processes in reconstituted veneer production.
We have to control the moisture content rate of veneer sheets from 6% to 16%.
In fact, the different adhesive has a different request for the moisture content rate of veneer sheets.
A suitable moisture content rate will make a better bond strength of reconstituted wood blocks.
Step 7. Dyed veneer repair
In simple words, dyed veneer repair is going to cut the defects on dyed veneer sheets.
Such as open knots, decayed knots, worm holes, discoloration, etc.
The workers cut those defects on each leaf of dyed veneers.
Listen, just cutting is not enough to have perfect raw materials.
The professional workers have to control the cut bevel edge.
Step 8. Apply the glue on dyed veneer sheets
With the wood veneer glue spreader, apply the adhesive evenly over the dyed veneer sheets.
Remember, this step is the main process in reconstituted veneer production.
The ingredients of the adhesive, gram weight of glue, glue spreading evenly, and temperature.
Those are the 4 most important parts of the wood veneer glue spreading process.
If there are problems in this step, the finished wood blocks will be not suited for veneer slicing.
If so, the finished reconstituted veneer will be unqualified.
There will be many split problems if glue spreading control badly.
Step 9. Mould press forming
Put the glued veneer sheets into the mould, then press it to form a big wood block.
Those big wood blocks have a higher density.
A few days later, we will cut those wood blocks to cuboid or parallelepiped.
In this instance, the mould decides the sliced veneer grains.
Usually, a professional reconstituted veneer manufacturer will keep many moulds.
Step 10. Veneer Slicing
In this step, you can see the veneer sheets are sliced from those cuboid or parallelepiped wood blocks.
An experienced worker can control the slicing machine and slicing knife very well.
With this, it can protect the slicing machine and avert the knife marks on the veneer surface.
Step 11. Grading
Reconstituted veneer grading act by the split, glue marks, knife marks, discoloration, stain, disappearance, grains, etc.
In worldwide, there is no common standard for reconstituted veneer grade.
So you will see the prices are much different from different recon veneer suppliers.
Even for some low-end wood veneer markets, there is no grading process.
No matter big holes and open splits, the importer takes all the sliced recon veneers.
Step 12. Packing
The graded veneer sheets will be put on the pallet, then cover with a plastic film bag, then cover with a carton box again.
Finally, cover the top pallet and band with a steel strap.
For some LCL shipping orders, we will cover plywood to 4 sides of the pallet to avoiding the damage during transportation.
More info please visit the original supplier https://www.woodenave.com/about-us/
