An Advanced Construction Material for the Modern Age

In today’s society, material advances are once again becoming a major focus, just like they were in ancient societies. Except now instead of learning to isolate and refine materials, we are learning to combine them in not only new quantities, but shapes as well. Titanium, Carbon Nano-Tubes and the like are all cutting edge and absolutely for our modern lifestyle. However, there is an ancient material technology that is still used in even the most cutting edge of processes; plywood. First, we need to define plywood. Plywood is made of at least 2 layers of wood with the grain rotated up to 90 degrees of each other. This gives the material; many useful properties that make it a highly valuable resource in today’s society.

Plywood is a very useful product in the home and hobby market. The types of plywood available to the average person vary wildly. From thick to thin, rigid to flexible, and may other options and combinations, there is a product for you. For the home, there are websites specifically designed to help you make low cost, functional, attractive, and personalized items. From beds, to couches, to bookcases, you can easily and cheaply make some high-quality products, usually at a fraction of the price of commercially available alternatives. While not everyone may find this a desirable option, for those of us who are living on a tight budget or just starting to build our lives, these are some great ideas and a wonderful avenue to have available.

Plywood is also a widely used construction material. Second perhaps to the 2 by 4, it is used in virtually every aspect of construction, even all masonry, steel, or other non-wood construction projects. Used as molds for sidewalks and other concrete forms, packaging for other materials, or as part of a support structure, plywood is there. It’s also used in floor and deck construction, as well as roofing applications, in exterior walls, and as partitions. It can also be used as doors or shutters. With the wide array of uses, plywood is not only widely available as a product, but as an industry. If you Google plywood products Melbourne you get over 16 million results.

While the functionality and economic benefits of plywood is outstanding, there is also another benefit. It’s a green product. While not quite as “use every last bit,” as particle board, plywood is made by basically unraveling a tree. Once cut down, the log is trimmed and spun on a lathe, as a blade cuts one long continuous sheet off of the surface until the log is unraveled. With this process, less of the log is turned to sawdust, and parts of the log, such as spots or knots, that may be undesirable for various reasons, are neutralized due to the nature of plywood and the inherent strength due to the manufacturing process. This means that plywood will remain are the forefront of construction for generations more.