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High-quality commercial & technical plywoods

Ash Plywood

European Ash Plywood: Rotary European ash veneer

Ash Plywood
European Ash Plywood: Rotary European ash veneer, including olive heart

Olive Ash Plywood
  • Stocked in closed core construction = no voids in the panel core
  • Stock thickness: 18mm
  • Stock size: 2550x1250mm
  • Available 4mm-40mm thick (composites up to 100mm)
  • To special order up to:
    Rotary ash throughout: 2550x1830mm or
    Sliced ash faced: 3660x1220mm, 3050x1525mm, 2500x2070mm
  • Supplied raw or precoated with lacquer, oil or special finishes

Overview

Ash plywood is a high-quality technical plywood panel that is used for various industrial & engineering applications, and in the manufacture of decorative furniture & shopfitting instllations.

This product is commonly used where the performance of an ash-based material is particularly desirable, such as sports equipment where its technical characteristics are essential. It is also used for decorative applications, e.g. in the manufacture of furniture where the appearance is of most importance.

Ash plywood is also used in engineering applications where the excellent dimensional stability of ash is desirable.

This wood is also available in the form of: ash 'Triply' 3-layer panel, ash fineline plywood, and decorative ash veneered panels & doors

Ash Plywood Types

Winwood Products is an ash plywood supplier offering the following configurations/options:

Rotary ash throughout plywood

Ash Plywood: Ash throughout plywood
  • 18mm 2550x1250mm in closed core construction from stock
  • Special order up to 2550x1830mm
  • Can be supplied raw or precoated with lacquer, oil or special finishes

Used for applications where a very strong & resilient, decorative plywood is required, ash throughout plywood is a high-quality panel product that is regularly used for toy & model making, interior decoration & in the manufacture of a variety of sports equipment.

This product is faced with 2.5mm veneers (before sanding) and in most cases on a core of 2.5mm thickness rotary peeled ash veneers throughout. Some thicknesses include 1.7mm veneers in the core in order to achieve the required finished thickness.

Ash faced plywood

  • Special order item
  • 4mm-60mm available to special order (thicker by arrangement)
  • Ash combi plywood to special order up to maximum 2550x1250mm
  • Ash twin plywood (ash faced plywood) up to maximum 3660x1220mm, 3050x1525mm or 2500x2070mm
  • Can be supplied raw or precoated with lacquer, oil or special finishes

'Ash combi plywood' is constructed with every alternate veneer a different specie to ash, while 'ash twin plywood' (ash faced plywood) has faces of ash bonded to a core made of other declared wood(s).

Generally, ash faced plywoods are manufactured using cores based on poplar plywood or silver fir plywood, but it can also be on a core of birch plywood, etc. Some of these species offer the ability to achieve a panel that is lighter in weight, without affecting the technical characteristics that ash throughout plywood offers, or to alter the panel to achieve a particular aspect that you may find applies to your particular need.

Unidirectional Ash plywood (Ash drawerside plywood)

Ash Plywood: Unidirectional ash drawerside plywood
  • Special order item in pallet quantities
  • Standard thickness 12mm up to 50mm
  • Standard panel size 2550x1250mm (other by arrangement)
  • Can be supplied raw or coated with various coatings such as clear lacquer or oil

Unidirectional ash plywood is often used to minimize the appearance of end-grain visible along the side of the panel. This product is thefore often used as ash drawerside plywood - for making drawer sides - and for ash plywood skirtings or similar applications.

In the normal construction of this product, the core veneer directly under the face is bonded at right angles to all the other layers. This has been found to offer increased stability across the face and therefore to reduce the incidence of splitting on the face veneer.

This more unusual layup increases the bending strength & stiffness in the direction of the grain, at a small reduction across the grain. This makes the panel perform in a manner more akin to ash lumber, except with a more reliable performance due to its engineered construction.

Because every alternate layer is now in the same direction the number of torn fibres caused by cutting or profiling end grain is reduced, giving an overall cleaner edge finish.

Face Quality

All rotary peeled beech plywood is sanded to 80 grit as standard. (A secondary sanding at finer grit can be arranged to special order by arrangement.)

  • Class I:
    • Maximum 1 joint
    • No colour defect
    • No tears or knots
    • No knife knick or rough surface
  • Class II+:
    • Single-piece, unjointed face veneer
    • Light colour irregularities up to 1/6 of the face or maximum 3 sound knots or point knots
    • One split max 3mm wide at the edge up to 1/10 of the panel length allowed if repaired with filler
  • Class II:
    • As Class II+ plus...
    • Face may be jointed for width, provided veneers are very similar colour
    • One split up to 5mm wide (4mm if unfilled) up to maximum 1/5 of the panel length if repaired with filler
  • Class III:
    • As Class II plus...
    • Open knots up to 30mm diameter: 4mm & 6mm
    • Open knots up to 60mm diameter for all other thicknesses

Information

Core quality:

All veneers used in ash throughout plywood are closed, i.e. without open defects. Ash combi plywood & ash twin plywood can be supplied as 'closed' or 'standard' cores (allowing some small knotholes and open defects in the core of the other woods).

Technical Details:

  • Thickness:
    • 4-60mm - thicker plywood by arrangement
  • Standard sizes:
    • Ash throughout: 2550x1250mm
    • Sliced ash faced: 2440x1220mm, 3050x1220mm
  • Special sizes:
    • Ash throughout up to maximum 2550x1850mm
    • Sliced ash faced up to maximum 3050x1525mm or 2500x2070mm
  • Tolerances (panel size):
    • ±1mm (lengths up to 1m)
    • ±2mm (lengths up to 2m)
    • ±3mm (lengths of 2m and above)
    • (Others by arrangement)
  • Tolerances (thickness):
    • Ash throughout plywood:
    • <25mm @ ±0.5mm
    • ≥25mm @ +0.5mm/-1.0mm (95% of panels expected @ ±0.5mm)
    • (Others by arrangement)
    • Ash faced plywood depends upon the core material chosen
  • Face grades:
    • Ash throughout: II/II, II/III, III/III
    • Sliced ash faced: Premier Architectural, Commercial Joinery A/A or A/B, Merchant Grade A/A or A/B (all also possible single-sided)
  • Specification:
    • EN 636-2 - Limited high moisture, covered exterior usage (ash throughout)