1. Chapter 10
Panel Products

2. Objectives Identify the different types of panel products
Understand the composition of the various panel products
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using panel products

3. Introduction
Panel products are important building materials in today’s construction of cabinetry and furniture
Frequently used panel products are:
Plywood, fiberboard, particleboard and melamine
These products have advantages such as:
Being able to create large surfaces quickly
Being more stable than solid lumber because of not having a continuous grain pattern

4. Plywood
Cabinet grade plywood may replace lumber in cabinets or furniture
Provides the look of solid wood
Less time consuming to work and therefore less expensive to use
Fabricated with fine veneer faces over a core

5. Figure 10-1 Cabinet grade plywood.

6. Plywood (continued) Cores used to create cabinet grade plywood
Lumber core
Veneer core
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) core
Particleboard core
Type of core used determines degree of stability and the ability to hold fasteners

7. Plywood (continued)
Veneer that is placed on the front and back of the plywood is cut in one of three ways
Plain sliced
Quarter sliced
Rotary cut
Possible to buy cabinet plywood that has already been finished

8. Fiberboard
Created by mixing wood fibers with resin and bonding them together by radio-frequency adhesion or heat
Has no grain at all, which makes it very stable
Comes in high, medium, and low densities

9. Figure 10-4 High-density fiberboard, or hardboard.

10. Fiberboard (continued)
High-density fiberboard (hardboard)
Good choice for drawer bottoms and cabinet backs
Extremely rugged
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF)
Provides a very smooth and stable surface
Excellent choice for jig material
Great base material for stained, printed, painted, or laminated applications

11. Fiberboard (continued)
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) (continued)
Commonly used for furniture tops, drawer fronts, moldings, and shelving
Can be shaped easily
Has some drawbacks:
Hard on cutting edges of tools
Very heavy
Should not come into contact with water
Does not hold fasteners well

12. Fiberboard (continued)
Low-density fiberboard
Not used by cabinetmakers
Primary use is in upholstery industry

13. Particleboard Not as dense as either hardboard or MDF
Is an adequate and less expensive alternative
Composed of small wood flakes, chips, and shavings bonded together with adhesives
Often used as a substrate for laminates
Frequently used for plastic laminate countertops

14. Particleboard (continued)
Hard on cutting edges of tools
Heavy
Does not hold fasteners well

15. Figure 10-6 Particleboard.

16. Melamine
Thermally fused, resin-saturated paper finish applied over a particleboard core
Highly stain and mar resistant
Comes in a wide variety of colors and wood grain looks
Often the major component of inexpensive furniture

17. Melamine (continued)
Requires no finishing; resin-saturated paper acts as a finished surface
Since it has a particleboard core, its disadvan-tages are same as those of particleboard

18. Figure 10-7 Melamine.

19. Advantages and Disadvantages of Panel Products
Stability
Reduced production time in building cabinets
Their use makes good ecological sense

20. Advantages and Disadvantages of Panel Products (continued)
Edges of the sheets must be covered
Poor fastener-holding ability; specialty fasteners have to be used
Have only a thin veneer covering the core; deep scratches will reveal the core and give away the fact that they are not solid lumber

21. Summary
Manufactured panel products are widely used in the cabinet- and furniture-building industries
Panel products include cabinet grade plywood, fiberboard, particleboard, and melamine
Panel products are far more stable than solid wood
Primary drawback to panel products is that the core is visible on the ends; edges must be covered