In this study, we conducted mill tests to: 1) measure the distributions of veneer clipping width and moisture content (MC) for different green veneer sorts; and 2) evaluate the tangential veneer shrinkage at different MC levels for common veneer species. We also performed lab tests to evaluate the effect of veneer species, log location, veneer thickness, sapwood and heartwood, drying conditions (temperature and humidity) and final veneer moisture (MC) on veneer width shrinkage.
Based on the mill measurements, although a positive trend exists between veneer clipping width and green veneer MC, the correlation is generally weak for common softwood species such as SPF and Douglas-fir veneer. This result contradicts the prevailing concept of veneer MC clipping. The primary reason could be attributed to the inaccurate measurement of green veneer MC with the current industrial MC sensors.
Based on both mill and lab testing results, a good correlation exists between veneer width shrinkage and final veneer MC. However, the correlation between veneer width shrinkage and green veneer MC is weak or at most fair for common softwood species. Also within each veneer sort, this correlation is very poor. These results bring up an issue as to what strategy to use to perform green veneer clipping.
Based on both mill and lab measurements, a shrinkage of 1.5 ~ 3% in veneer width occurs when final average veneer MC is still above fiber saturation point (FSP). This contradicts the well-established theory that shrinkage of wood only starts to occur when its MC drops below the FSP. The main reason is probably due to the MC gradient through veneer thickness, and MC variation across veneer width. Once the MC of the wood cells of the veneer surface drops down to FSP, it starts to shrink. However, due to the constraint caused by the wood cells of the inner part of veneer with MC above the FSP, the internal stresses develop and shrinkage decreases.
Veneer width shrinkage varies among species and logs, and also within the log, namely, from sapwood to heartwood. It is further affected by drying conditions, veneer thickness and final veneer MC. At fast or conventional drying conditions such as higher temperature and faster airflow, veneer drying rate increases, the veneer MC gradient through the thickness becomes significant. In this manner, constraints, resulting from uneven shrinkage and internal stress, occur between the outer and inner part of the veneer. As a result, veneer width shrinkage is reduced compared to slow or air drying conditions. For common softwood species such as SPF and Douglas-fir, the effect of drying temperature on tangential veneer shrinkage is more pronounced with heartwood veneer than sapwood veneer. In other words, at a higher drying temperature, shrinkage of heartwood veneer is reduced more than that of sapwood veneer. Meanwhile, the effect of humidity on veneer width shrinkage is negligible.
At the same conventional drying condition, for Douglas-fir sapwood veneer, thicker veneer (1/8”) shrinks more than thinner veneer (1/10”); In contrast, for Douglas-fir heartwood veneer, thicker veneer (1/8”) shrinks less than thinner veneer (1/10”). The shrinkage of thicker veneer (1/8”) is more considerably affected by the drying conditions compared to that of thinner veneer (1/10”). The difference in shrinkage between sapwood and heartwood veneer is smaller for thinner veneer (1/10”) than for thicker veneer (1/8”).