A brief overview,
highlighting the Brookside advantage

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Log Selection

The first step in the manufacturing process is our selection of high quality hardwood logs from managed forests in Africa. Timber experts cruise the forest to hand select each tree, choosing no more than one per acre. Only Obeche and Koto are harvested from Africa. Alpi, our Italian manufacturer, supplements production with plantation grown poplar.

Peeling the Logs

Once harvested, the trees are transported to the mill where they are trimmed, sawed to length and then debarked. The prepared logs are then mounted on a lathe, peeled into rotary veneer, and clipped to 25" veneer leaves. They are then dried, stacked and shipped to Italy for further processing.

Dyeing

Dyeing is the key to the remarkable color consistency of Brookline and Braewood. Technicians select the veneer leaves according to the color they wish to create and then stack the veneers in a stainless steel cage. The cage is submerged in a heated, pressurized vat which contains a water soluble dye. Once the dye has completely penetrated the veneer leaves, they are removed and dried. The veneer is now ready for gluing.

Gluing

Glue is layered between each leaf to create a stack. The stack is then pressed in a high pressure press to form a large rectangular block. The glue serves two important functions. It not only bonds the layers of veneer together, but by adding dye to the glue, it enhances the grain and adds character to the veneer.

Creating the Grain Pattern

The dyeing process ensures color consistency while the shape of the laminated block and the angle of cut control the grain pattern. Veneer leaves are glued together to form a block which is then shaped to produce a particular pattern (see diagrams below).

Creating Grain Pattern - 1 heart Creating Grain Pattern - 2 heart
Creating Grain Pattern - 3 heart Creating Grain Pattern - 4 heart

The veneer is pressed between a top and bottom mold to achieve the desired shape, which will then be sliced into individual veneer leaves.

Making Braewood

Braewood is created from two leaves of Brookline which are spliced together. The actual size of the finished face - 51" x 135" or 49" x 98 1/2" - is determined by the grain pattern. The sheet is combined with three layers of phenolic resin saturated paper, and mounted on the press. Intense heat and pressure fuse the veneer onto the phenolic paper backing. Then the Braewood sheet is removed from the press and trimmed.

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