Starting our latest News page on a personal note, we are very sorry to be losing from the company's services Allan Ward who has been a loyal and valuable member of Capital almost since the very beginning. How those last twenty-odd years have flown by...Allan retired from the company on 31st. March, just in time to enjoy in a rather more leisurely way the longer and warmer days of Spring and Summer. In addition to Allan's experience and expertise veneer-wise, we shall all miss the usual Monday morning tales concerning his angling chums and of assorted river bank triumphs and tribulations. On those occasions that the weekend yielded both a good fishing session and a West Ham win, then we knew everything was fine with the world. We thank Allan for all the hard work he has put in for the Company over the last 21 years and wish him, his wife Jill and daughter Denise a long, happy and healthy future.

Allan's departure obviously meant that we needed to find the right person to replace him and we are very fortunate to have secured the services of Howard Jones. Howard has worked in the veneer industry for over thirty years, acquiring a wealth of knowledge and experience in many aspects of the trade, including for a number of years, involvement in production at a veneer mill in Germany. He is also very familiar with the sales side, having worked alongside his father and brother at Continental Veneers. For the last nine years he has been working at one of this country's leading architectural door and panelling companies, being involved on both the production side and the sourcing of veneer. We are pleased to welcome Howard on board and look forward to a happy and successful working future together.

Now back to our usual subject of veneer...We are importing ever-increasing quantities of EUROPEAN OAK, both flat-cut and straight grain, as this species continues in high demand. Our Oak stocks come from several European producers and it is notable how logs from different regions vary in character - those from the cooler, slow growing areas mostly being fine-grained while those from further south, which usually lay down more wood each year, have a wider grain, often with a larger overall dimension. Each has its own individual beauty and both seem to be used in equal amounts. Current fashion has been for very plain Oak veneer but we have recently noticed an increase in demand for true quartered Oak displaying attractive medullary ray figure and, consequently, we have also reintroduced a good selection of this more traditional looking type into stock.

Another trend shift that is becoming apparent is the acceptance and use of contrasting light sapwood and darker heartwood in more veneer design schemes. Species such as RED GUM and OLIVE ASH are now more frequently being used with the lighter wood incorporated into the design whereas, especially here in the UK, this would previously have often been removed so that the veneered surface would display only the darker coloured wood. RAINBOW SYCAMORE is another type displaying this look and we currently have some very nice material in stock. It's good to see more use being made of veneer showing this variation in colour. Especially when horizontally laid on door sets or panelling, a very pleasing look is often achieved.

SAMPLES

Requests for samples have always been regarded as something of a pain to all veneer merchants, often necessitating the forking down of a series of crates and then cutting or breaking off a small piece from the end of a bundle. Our thinking behind commissioning the photography for this website was that it should also reduce the demand for samples. Unfortunately it seems to have had the opposite effect and the number of sample requests has actually increased. Therefore, in order to address this matter head on, we have organized a fully stocked sample library of normal thickness veneers. This means that we can offer, usually by return, small hand samples of the vast majority of the species we stock. Due to the size of the bins in which they are stored these are a little under A4 size at around 275mm in length.

Whilst we shall be happy to supply individual veneer samples free of charge, requests for multiple samples must of necessity incur a realistic charge. Please contact us for further details.

SPECIALS

Very occasionally nature will conspire to come up with something completely different from the norm. One tree in a thousand, for one reason or another, may yield a veneer that is in appearance nothing like most others of the same species. This may of course mean that it is unattractive or defective. Conversely it is also possible that this very unusualness will give it an individual beauty that is not normally seen. We are not afraid to buy in certain oddities, particularly if they display uniquely attractive characteristics. Veneers of this type are usually sold as complete logs rather than being split up between customers. They are therefore ideal for one-off projects such as a very special interior, a limited range of furniture or perhaps an exclusive shop or yacht fit-out. Because of their very individuality these veneers will have a certain exclusiveness and it is very unlikely that a similar look will be found elsewhere.

Let us know if the idea of using something like this could be of interest and we shall be pleased to give you further information on any currently available specials.

Our latest featured species is: PLANETREE / LACEWOOD.

Also known as	:	Plane, London Plane, Platane
Botanical name	:	Platanus x acerifolia, Pl. x hispanica, Pl. x hybrida

Most of us are familiar with these majestic trees which can be seen gracing many of our cities' more elegant squares, avenues and streets, particularly in London where it is said they account for over 50% of the trees that have been planted in the last 200 years or so. They are also common in other European capitals and are synonymous with the tree-lined boulevards of Paris. Their unique bark and tolerance of the hard pruning that some well-meaning local authorities impose upon them make them an ideal choice for an urban environment.

All trees "breathe" through pores in their bark and many struggle to flourish in the more polluted air found where Plane trees grow quite happily. Sections of older bark that have been exposed over a period to a typical urban atmosphere, flake and peel away at regular intervals revealling a fresh, clean layer which is paler in colour, beneath. This accounts for the colourful marbled look that makes the London Plane so instantly recognizable and means they finds it easier than many other species to tolerate city life.

The three botanical names for this species all have a relevance, are all used and all refer to the same tree. Its relatively short history is fascinating and its origin can only be traced back to around the year 1670. The botanical name Pl. x hybrida tells us it is in fact a hybrid between two other Platanus species, and there are various versions of how and where it originated.

The American or Western Plane (Pl. occidentalis) is the largest deciduous tree native to the USA and is known in America as Buttonwood or, rather confusingly to us in the UK, Sycamore. We know that this species was introduced into this country some time earlier but found it difficult to flourish in our colder climate. Another related species, the Oriental, or Eastern Plane (Pl. orientalis) was brought here reportedly from Turkey and proved to be somewhat hardier than its western cousin. One story claims that after the two were planted close to each other in the Oxford Botanic Gardens, a happy event occurred and the London Plane was born. Other researchers have written that the hybrid originated in a nursery garden in Lambeth, London.

There is, however, another suggestion that the original cross occurred in Spain (hence Pl. x hispanica) and the young trees were then brought here, with many authorities claiming that this is the more likely scenario. Whichever is historically correct, the resulting tree was found to be more tolerant of the UK climate than either of its parents.

It is a large and long lived tree with an open structure, long branches and Maple like leaves (hence Pl. x acerifolia) which combine to cast a welcome dappled shade over city workers and visitors alike in the summer. Some examples have a tall trunk with the first branches appearing at a fair height while others, possibly as a result of being pollarded at some time, start to branch much lower down. The rather inconspicuous flowers develop into highly conspicuous fruits which can be seen dangling like baubels from the branches all though the winter. In spring these will disintegrate releasing the seeds which in most cases are infertile. Propagation of this species is therefore normally by cuttings.

The straighter logs will generally be used for conversion into veneer and these will in most cases be quartered. Quartering exposes the prominent medullary rays which appear as a pretty fleck figure and give rise to the very appropriate trade name of Lacewood. Colour can be variable from log to log but is generally a pale yellowy or pinky brown with the rays a somewhat darker browny red. These rays tend to vary in appearance along the length of the veneer, being smaller and tighter in some areas before becoming larger and perhaps more elongated in others. In addition small pips are commonly apparent at intervals. The most sought after architectural look is very straight-grained with the rays of a medium size and evenly distributed along the veneer.

Some smaller logs may be flat sliced to produce crown veneer which resembles Beech, although the rays, much smaller to the eye than with quartered material, are perhaps slightly more visible than with flat-cut Beech. It is not uncommon to see examples of this tree with burr clusters growing along the length of the trunk and even in some cases a very deformed bole comprising of a complete large burr. Veneer from these will be carefully produced, generally by peeling rather than flat-slicing. Planetree burr and cluster veneer is very decorative with the individual burr pips usually being very small and close together.

Lacewood veneer was commonly seen forty or fifty years ago as a decorative feature in railway carriages. All varieties of Planetree veneer are used for special furniture, doors or interior decoration of some kind. Lacewood itself can also look very attractive when laid horizontally as feature panelling. We know that the oldest London Plane cannot be more than around 300 odd years of age. As they are not forest trees, it is most unlikely that any timber or veneer obtained from them will be either FSC or PEFC certified. It is usually the odd specimen tree or those that have outgrown their usefulness or might be considered dangerous that are felled. Therefore even the most green thinking amongst us will surely accept that the splendid veneer this species gives us can be used with a perfectly clear concience.

Finally, a couple of interesting facts that might just help at the next pub Quiz Night:

1. A London Plane is Britain's tallest hardwood tree. There are two particular examples growing in Dorset, in the grounds of Bryanston School, which have been measured at between 150 and 160 feet high.
2. Under a new system devised to value living trees, a London Plane in Berkeley Square, London has been valued by the local authority tree officers at £750,000 making it Britain's most valuable tree. This valuation system, which is being adopted by every local authority in the country, is based upon a tree's size, health, historical significance and the number of people living close enough to enjoy its benefits.

CROWN PLANETREE

QUARTERED PLANETREE (LACEWOOD)

PLANETREE BURR

PLANETREE CLUSTER

LONDON PLANE