New forest products and techniques offer way out of competitive rat race: 1967.

Manufacturers of softwood plywood are aware that the plywood they produce every day includes an increasing proportion of low-grade panels resulting from the diminishing supply of high-grade peeler logs. Yet, research is constantly demonstrating that hidden in every log coming to the mill are potential products and product improvements of revolutionary import, which can lift the manufacturer out of the competitive rat race and will give the wood derivative a new competitive edge.

Some of the research is being done at private institutions, such as that of Elmendorf Research Inc. of Palo Alto, CA, whose president Armin Elmendorf has been granted many patents in the field.

The company maintains a pilot plant where manufacturing specifications are developed and products are made in commercial size for market studies. The laboratory is equipped with five hydraulic presses, offering a wide range of temperatures and pressures. Among the areas of research the lab focuses on, include:

Upgrading plywood--A production machine using the Elmendorf process processes panels at 30 feet per minute irrespective of the number of pin holes and splits in the panel faces that must be filled.

High-speed veneering--A patent was recently granted on the Elmendorf high-speed method of veneering with hardwood veneer. This process eliminates both taping and edge-gluing and is applicable to applying thin hardwood veneer to one side of a smooth base panel such as particleboard.

Non-checking plywood--The checking of conventional Douglas fir plywood when exposed to the weather may be eliminated by facing the plywood with a thin layer of the fine wood shaving applied for the density equalization process, which not only solves the checking problem but also provides a hard, durable textured surface.