Sliced veneer vs. peeled veneer

Many people have asked what is the difference between VENDIA marine plank and normal plywood. We will introduce more detailed the differences and features of VENDIA and normal plywood in a separate posting, but today we are introducing the differences in making the veneers. 

The both, VENDIA and normal plywood are made of veneer but the most significant difference is the way how the veneer is cut. VENDIA marine plank is made of sliced veneers whereas plywood is made of peeled veneers. What is the difference between sliced veneer and peeled veneer then?

Photo: hrzn.net

Sliced veneer is made by shaving veneer sheets from the log. By slicing, the grain pattern will remain natural. Also the veneer surface remains unbroken and it doesn’t include small micro-cracks such as in veneer made by peeling. The features of sliced veneer are better than peeled veneer, and therefore it is often used for more demanding purposes. The appearance of the veneer depends on the cutting direction. The face veneers of quarter cut VENDIA marine plank are sliced radially and face veneers of crown cut VENDIA are sliced tangentially. Appearance of radially sliced veneer is straighter and more regular than tangentially sliced veneer.

Surface of the sliced veneer remains unbroken.

Surface of the peeled veneer includes small cracks.

Peeling is cost-effective method to make veneers. When peeling, the log is rotating against a stationary blade. This method produces continuous “rug” of veneer. The veneer is curved and it has to be flattened before using, at the same time causing small micro-cracks on the surface of the veneer. This weakens the longevity and life of the veneer. Also the finishing is more difficult than in sliced veneer. The blade slices through growth rings and then the appearance of the veneer is not so natural than in sliced veneer.

Crown cut VENDIA marine plank.

Quarter cut VENDIA marine plank.

The most significant disadvantages of peeled veneer for boatbuilding are the small micro-cracks. The small micro-cracks of peeled veneer expose the plywood panel to decay fungi. As a result the paint or varnish can be damaged over the time. These small cracks allow also the water absorption to the traditional marine plywood. The most important advantages of sliced veneer for VENDIA marine plank are the beautiful and natural appearance and longevity.

Sulkava Rowing Race

VENDIA was present at Sulkava Rowing Race from Friday to Saturday on 11.-12.7.2014. On VENDIA’s stand people got a chance to explore a new type of marine plank and also to admire a wooden boat made of quarter cut VENDIA marine plank. There were lots of people visiting on the stand because of the opportunity to participate to the draw, where the prize was this wooden boat.

This wooden boat is manufactured by a boatbuilding students Johannes Leppävuori and Jarmo Parviainen from Ingman College of Crafts and Design. The boat is designed by a boatdesigner Jarmo Häkkinen and the model is called Venla. The material used on the boat is quarter cut VENDIA marine plank.

The wooden boat and also VENDIA marine plank as a material attracted wide admiration among the visitors especially because of the appearance of the marine plank. Visitors liked the beautiful and knot-free surface of the marine plank. Also the boatbuilders visited on the presentation stand praised the assertiveness and bendability of VENDIA marine plank.

Saimaa ringed seal also liked VENDIA marine plank. Luontoliitto was photographing there material for their campaign about preserving the Saimaa ringed seals. Also VENDIA got a chance to get a picture with Saimaa ringed seal.

The winner for the wooden boat was drew on Saturday on 12^th July at 18.00 pm. The lucky winner and new owner for the boat is Terttu Tuominen from Salo. The previous day Terttu participated in Sulkava Rowing Race of 60 km and she told that winning the boat topped of her Sulkava Rowing Race event. Before the win she has told to her acquaintances that winning this beautiful boat would be her dream come true. Now Terttu told us that she has rowed a lot with this boat. We also heard that the boat is easy and light to row.

Congratulations to Terttu and have a pleasant rowing with the new boat!  

Sulkava Rowing Race 11.-12.7.2014 - Win a wooden boat!

VENDIA is present at Sulkava Rowing Race from Friday to Saturday on 11.-12.7.2014. On VENDIA presentation stand you can explore a new type of VENDIA marine plank as raw material for wooden boat building. On presentation stand there is also introduced a wooden boat made of quarter cut VENDIA marine plank.

You will find VENDIA's presentation stand from the market area of Sulkava Rowing Race. The presentation stand is located right across from the competition office (place T7 on the map).

Win the wooden boat for yourself! The boat is manufactured by the boat building students Johannes Leppävuori and Jarmo Parviainen from the Ingman College of Crafts and Design. The value of the boat is 2.500 euros. It is possible to participate in the draw either on VENDIA's presentation stand or in the separate draw website. The draw sheet will be opened on Friday 11th July at 12:00 am on VENDIA's website. Official draw among the participants is performed on Saturday 12th July at 18:00 pm at Sulkava Rowing Race. We will contact the winner personally.

Welcome to Sulkava Rowing Race!