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One has often heard the terminology hardwood and softwood. For the purposes of this article, we will consider only the decorative hardwoods, since these make up the bulk of the "fancy face veneer" market. Some softwoods find their way into this area, but their importance heretofore has been minimal. To complete the definitions, however, hardwoods are generally considered to be the broad-leafed tree species, and softwoods the needle bearers. There are estimated to be some 90,000 different species under the broad heading of hardwood. Of these, only about 100 have ever been economically important in the fancy face veneer industry.
Another distinction should be made between the fancy face veneer industry and the commercial veneer industry. In the latter, the veneer is produced and handled in bulk as a commodity item. Both hardwoods and softwoods are used. The bulk of this veneer is used in construction grade plywood or for underlayment for more expensive veneers.
In the fancy face veneer industry, logs are produced and manufactured as individuals. The resulting veneer is sold on an individual basis with the criterion being quality and aesthetics.
Between the two is a commercial face veneer business which combines many of the aspects of both the above. The logs are manufactured and sold in bulk, but with an eye towards aesthetics. These are best exemplified by the mass market one-quarter inch thick, pre-finished, and vee-grooved plywood panels so popular today. Again, to narrow the scope of consideration, this article will be mainly concerned with the fancy face veneer industry from which the more decorative and exotic wood grains are produced.
The art of veneering is simply taking a thin slice of wood from a log, rather than a heavy board. The original veneering equipment was undoubtedly a crude saw. In fact, some veneer saws are still in use, but most have been replaced by knives. Use of a knife eliminates the dust which a saw produces, and increases the "yield" of a log. Today it is important both in terms of economics and conservation.
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