Any Back: Any veneer can be used to balance back of panel. Also refer BAMO back.

Back: The category of cheaper veneers that are glued to the back of a panel in order to balance better quality veneers glued to the front face
Balance construction: A balancing back of equal or similar density to face veneer to prevent warping by moisture and/or pulling bleed through: glue or components of glue that have seeped or penetrated through the veneer sheet that show as a blemish or discoloration on the surface.

B.A.M.O.: Back at manufacturer’s option. Often used where back of panel is not seen. Also referred to as Any Back.

Blue stain: Occurs where there is contact of green timber with iron. (ii) Affects of fungal attack. Blockboard: Composite board consisting of a core made up of narrow timber strips edge-glued to form a slab (core stock) which is then veneered Birdseye: Figure in veneer exhibiting numerous rounded areas resembling small eyes. Book-matched: veneer leaves are alternately folded out as if opening the centre spread of a book; so that one veneer is a mirror image of the next (the most widely used method). Box match: Veneers are end matched and side matched before being joined together in square/box pattern.

Bundle: Comprises consecutive leaves of veneer, usually bound in groups of 24 or 32 leaves. Burls/Burr: abnormal growth producing tightly packed buds and knots. A highly decorative veneer that mostly appears as rings and dots. Crazing: fine cracks which occur on or under the surface of a lacquer coating Cross band: where the grain direction runs along the width of the panel. Standard practice is for veneers to be laid with the grain direction along the length of the panel (long band). Crotch: (See “Flame”). Crown (cut): the appearance produced generally by the flat cut method.

Curl: (See “Flame”). Curved plywood: Layers of veneer bonded together and moulded by pressure into a variety of shapes. Cure: The irreversible process of changing the physical properties of an adhesive by chemical reaction to attain a bond. Curly: A strong irregular figure found in North American Maple and Birch. Delamination: Separation of veneers from substrate through failure of the bond.

Diamond matched: Veneers are joined together on angle to form diamond pattern. Edge strip: A protective strip of solid wood or laminated veneer edging applied to the edge of a panel. End match: Leafs of veneer are joined end to end often to provide longer grain flow for height of panel. Face: A term used to describe better quality veneers that are used to cover the visible surfaces of a panel. Figured:

Markings which often forming wavy, shimmering patterns. They may be regular or irregular ranging from fiddle back to block figure. Flame: Otherwise known as curl or crotches. This veneer is from the fork in a tree and the pattern resembles a flame.

Flat cut: Generally produces veneer with crown cut appearance. Flitch: Pieces of wood sawn from a log for slicing into veneers OR the bundle of sliced veneers. Four way match: See “Quarter Matched”.

Glassworm: Straight diagonal tracks of distorted grain which usually intersect. Grain: The direction and arrangement of the fibres in timber and veneer. Gum vein: A ribbon of resin between growth rings.

Quite common in Eucalypts. Herringbone match: Veneer leafs are cut on angle and joined alternatively joined vertically side by side giving a V (herringbone) pattern.

Hob-nail: Series of brown spots caused by infestation. Inlays: Pieces of veneer or other material which are inserted into the face of veneered board to produce borders or other special patterns. Knot: A portion of a branch which is enclosed by the natural growth of the tree. Laminated Veneer Edging (LVE): Laminated veneer used as an alternative for solid timber edging.

Layon: Veneers joined to create a usable size sheet. long band: Where grain direction runs along the length of the panel. LVE (Laminated Veneer Edging): Produced by laminating veneer together, and used as a substitute for solid timber. Marquetry: The process of laying small pieces of veneer to make decorative pictures or patterns. MDF: Medium Density Fibreboard (also Customwood, Craftwood) made from fibres of wood bonded together with resin under pressure.

Mill run: Veneer delivered from the production line unsorted and without grading. Usually has a combination of backing and face grade material in varying percentages. Mineral stain: Natural discoloration of the timber caused by elements in the soil. Mis-matched: (See “Random matched”) Particleboard: (Often known as “Chipboard”) building boards made from small chips of wood bonded together with glue under pressure. Picket fence: Book matching veneer strips appearing alternately light and dark. Pips: small circular distortions in the grain. Plywood: An assembled product made up of two or more plies bonded together with the direction of the grain in alternate plies usually at right angles. Pomelle: A scalloped figure usually found in mahogany.

Profile wrapping: A range of wood veneered profiles can be produced through the profile wrapping process enabling manufacturers to complement their products with matching veneer wrapped profiles. Quarter (cut): The appearance produced by the quarter cut method but also includes false quarter that is produced by the flat cut method. Quarter matched: The most common method of joining burls. The pattern can be continued in all directions until the required panel size is obtained. Panels can be continued in a sequential manner. Quilted: A blistered appearance with a shimmering, scalloped pattern which is randomly matched.

Random matched: Individual leaves are random matched for effect. Knotty Radiata Pine is often laid this way. This is done to disperse characteristics such as clusters of knots evenly across the sheet. Reverse box match: Reverse of Box Matched which creates a + pattern effect. Reverse diamond match: Reverse of Diamond Match which creates a X pattern effect.
Reverse slip matched: Veneer leaves are slip matched, and then every second leaf is turned end for end. The method is used to “balance” crowns in the leaves so that all the crowns do not appear at one end.

Rift cut: A variation on the quarter cut appearance specifically used to eliminate medullar rays in white oak. This results in a broader stripe. Rotary cut: Veneer is peeled (as opposed to sliced) from a log by turning it against a stationary knife.

Sapwood: The outer wood of the tree immediately under the bark. Generally lighter in colour than the heartwood which is the part of the tree that is used for veneer.
Select Grade: Good quality veneers used for face veneering.

Sequence Matching: Where veneers are matched in sequence from one log or flitch.

Sheet length: Dimension in the direction of the grain of the face of the sheet.

Sheet width: Dimension perpendicular to the direction of the grain of the face. Slip-matched: Veneer leaves are kept face up and laid side by side. This style results in the same grain pattern being repeated at the width of each layon across the layon. Soft forming: The process of laminating veneer on to bull nosed edges. Stitched: Veneer leaves are pulled together and held in place by fibreglass glue thread applied in a zigzag pattern to the underside of the veneer. Sunburst: Veneers are cut through length from bottom to a point at top. (normally crown cut leaves) then joined book matched side by side until a circle is formed creating a Sunburst pattern.

Substrate: The base panel on to which veneer layons are applied.

Sugar: Darker markings which resemble clusters of sugar crystals. Trimming: The process of squaring and sizing panels to final face dimensions.

Veneer: Rotary cut: A continuous ribbon peeled from a rotating log when a knife is advanced into it, and subsequently clipped to required width. Semi rotary cut: Veneer produced when log or flitch is clamped off centre in the lathe, and advancing knife peels individual sheets/leaves.

Sliced: A knife stroked across a flitch repeatedly in a flat plane which produces individual leaves. Spliced: A veneer sheet made by edge gluing together jointed veneers. Stitching: An alternative method (to splicing) used to produce a veneer sheet by gluing together (with a thread of glue) flitch veneer.

V match: Similar to Herringbone only horizontal.