What are man-made woods?
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Actually, the term “man-made” is a misnomer because in reality, they are still wood products and by-products just re-manufactured in a less costly and more efficient method. The furniture and home building industry is constantly pushing for more cost efficient building materials. Lumber companies are on the look out for ways to turn scrape and waste into new products.
The majority of the mass produced furniture today are made of man made wood or what they call sheet materials. These types of materials are made from real wood although they aren’t as solid as the original wood from which it was made.
Man-made boards are of different kinds and the most common sheet is the medium density fiber board or the MDF. This type of sheet is made of sawdust combined with glue and then formed and pressed into sheets. This sheet is preferred by woodworkers because it is inexpensive, versatile and very decorative depending on the maker. It takes paint easily. Weights a lot, but has little internal strength.
Particle board or chipboard is a man-made wood that is processed just like the MDF although its texture is much rougher. Don’t get it wet because it will absorb water like a sponge, warp and break apart.
Another common type of man-made wood is plywood which is made up of different layers of wood that has been coated together into a sheet. The individual sheet’s grain pattern is oriented at right angles to each other. This gives plywood for its thickness a significant amount of strength. Plywood is very popular because of its many uses including furniture, homes and even boats.
The oriented standard board is made out of larger chips of wood up to three and four inches long and about a 1/16 of an inch thick. The strands are layer in a criss cross pattern, glued and pressed together. The glue that is used withstands the elements and is suitable for external use. Many home builders like it and use it as decking material for the second story of a home and the roof decking.
If you were made to choose between a cabinet made of solid wood and a cabinet made of man-made wood what would be your choice? Let me a comment.
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