There are some expressions and jargon used in the veneer trade which may not be immediately familiar. While not attempting to be completely exhaustive, the following list may prove to be of some help when discussing some of the idiosyncrasies peculiar to our product.

Annual Ring

Also known as the growth ring, this is the mark, or ring of wood, showing the layer of wood produced in a year and can be seen in a transverse section of the log. On a flat section the annual rings show as straight(ish) lines and/or the pattern of hoops or "cathedrals" making up the crown.

Architectural grade

High quality veneer logs , usually over 2.55 metres long, that are graded as being suitable for top architect designed interiors.

Backing

Cheap, generally low grade veneer that is used on the back of veneered panels as a balancer.

Bark pockets or ingrowing bark

Small patches of bark embedded in the wood, often found in burrs such as Ash, Oak and Maple. Ingrowing bark is not desirable in the best logs but it is hard to find some burr types completely clear of this feature.

Bird's eye

Most usually seen on certain Maple logs, as the name suggests, this figure looks like many small round eyes on the surface of the veneer, sometimes appearing almost three-dimensional. Very occasionally encountered in a few other species.

Book matching

Also known as mirror matching, this is when two consecutive veneers are mirrored by turning one over as when turning the page of a book. This process can be repeated across an area to give a pleasing and even look to the panel being covered.

Burr or burl

An abnormal bulge that grows on the side or base of the tree consisting of hundreds, if not thousands of dormant buds. The veneers produced from burrs are highly prized, usually featuring tight whirls, swirls and pips with wild or curly grain mixed in for good measure. A full burr is so called when the entire surface is covered evenly with burrs.

Butt

The bottom part of the tree around the area just above where it meets the ground is known as the butt. Here the grain can become very wild and irregular, particularly in those species where this area may expand in size and become almost bell-shaped and fluted. Few butts are converted into veneers these days although around the 1920's and 30's Walnut butts were very popular on bedroom and dining room furniture, often being quarter matched for extra decorative effect.

Cathedral crown

Generally regarded as the most elegant feature of a flat cut veneer, this structure takes its name from the shape at the top of cathedral windows. It is like a series of loops that appear to run up one side of the face of the veneer, then turn and run down the other side. Sometimes known as a "rising crown ".

Catspaw

Pips or tiny clusters of burrs interspersed over the veneer leaf in small patches, somewhat resembling the marks left by cats' paws.

Cluster

Where a log is only partially burred the veneer produced is known as cluster. The whirls and pips occur in patches or clusters, with areas of plainer wood in between.

Crown cut

Another name for flat cut or flat sliced veneer, displaying the crown (or heart) of the wood.

Curl or crotch

Also known as "flame ". This is from the section of the tree where the main trunk forks into two. The particular part of the log is sliced across this intersection to produce beautiful veneers showing the growth of the wood dividing in two directions, sometimes with attractive feathering. Most commonly seen on Mahogany but a few other species are cut into curls on occasion.

Curly grain

This results from the wood fibres deviating from the vertical, repeatedly moving left and right over a short distance, giving an almost corrugated appearance to the figure - each direction of growth reflecting the light differently.

Defect

Any abnormality or irregularity in the veneer that adversely affects its working quality or appearance. An open defect refers to a hole or open split.

Door length

Logs of veneer yielding material that is between 2.05 and 2.40 metres long are ideal for standard doors and are therefore said to be door length.

Fiddleback

This type of figuring, named after its traditional use on violin backs, is not dissimilar to curly. A true fiddleback figure is, however, more consistent with the ripples running from edge to edge in a practically uninterrupted fashion. Usually from quarter cut logs and mainly seen in Sycamore, less commonly in Anegre, Maple, Makore and one or two others. Sometimes also known as ripple figure.

Figure

Broadly speaking, this refers to any distinctive marking showing on the surface of veneer that is not apparent in plain or unfigured wood. Figure in wood is due to natural structural features, but is often enhanced by the log being sliced in a particular way - for instance rotary cutting Bird's Eye Maple usually brings out the "eyes" in a way that flat slicing would not. Quarter cutting figured Sycamore produces a stronger fiddleback figure than flat slicing across the full width of the log.

Grain

Strictly speaking the grain of the wood is the actual arrangement and alignment of the wood fibres relative to the long axis of the log. Mostly this will be fairly straight but will occasionally be irregular. It may be wavy, curly, interlocked or even spiralled, resulting in various forms of figure showing on the flat surface of the veneer.

Gum pocket

In some species the wood fibres may separate in places over a very short distance and this small opening will sometimes collect a resin deposit. This shows on the veneer as a narrow brown or black mark usually extending over just a few millimetres. American Cherry, Oregon Pine and Zebrano are among those that can be affected in this way.

Halves and Half-crown

At the centre of the tree the wood is normally faulty and this is trimmed away at the veneer mill to produce narrow bundles known as "halves" (see Veneer/Production). They are usually straight grained but may sometimes show part of the crown feature on one side. The latter are known as half-crown bundles and when bookmatched these veneers look very similar to those with a full crown.

Hardwood

Wood produced from broad leaved trees such as Oak, Beech, Walnut, etc.

Heartwood

The inner portion of the log consisting of older mature wood from which most veneers are produced. With many species it is distinguishable from the younger sapwood by its darker colour. In some light coloured veneers such as Ash, Beech or Maple, there is little or no visible difference between sapwood and heartwood. However, in some older, larger trees the more mature, central heartwood may be a somewhat discoloured brown or grey in part, and this area will usually be trimmed away.

Knife mark

A mark or scar across the veneer caused by a damaged blade on the veneer slicing machine. This damage may be caused by a knot or a foreign body (a stone or piece of metal for instance) being embedded inside the log. A slight knife mark will not be a problem and will disappear when the surface is sanded. If the scar is deep then it will not be possible to use this part of the veneer.

Lay-on

When veneers have been trimmed to the required width and jointed together either by glue stitching or with the use of veneer tape, the resulting sheets are known as lay-ons and are ready for pressing directly on to doors, panels, tops etc.

Mineral Stain

Greyish black or olive streaks or larger discoloured areas in the wood resulting from abnormal concentrations of mineral matter taken up from the soil in which the tree grew.

Mottle

Another type of figure which may be randomly spread (broken mottle) or more regular (block figure or block mottle). The size of figure is variable but when very small and delicate is sometimes referred to as bee's wing which it resembles.

Oyster Heart

In some flat sliced veneers the heart or crown might be displayed in the form of a distinct oval shape rather than the more usual series of loops. Although this feature is not apparent in the majority of examples it is sometimes specified to achieve a certain look to the finished piece.

Oyster veneer

Oysters, so called because of their resemblance to an oyster shell, are produced from selected limbs (branches) of certain species by saw-cutting across, usually at an approximate 45° angle. The resulting small, oval pieces are trimmed and laid in various patterns on special furniture and frames. The most common species for oyster work are Laburnum, Olive, Walnut and Yew.

Panel length

If a log of veneer is between 2.55 and 3.20 metres long it is generally said to be panel length. This is a good range of lengths for the panel manufacturers to produce 8 ft. and 10 ft. long veneered boards. Anything too much longer will be wasteful and better suited to work incorporating a range of different lengths.

Parcel

A quantity of similar logs gathered together either before or after conversion into veneer is often referred to as a parcel of logs.

Pippy

Veneer that displays a number of tiny pips or small sound knots is known as pippy. This feature is often desirable in some species such as Yew (where it is also known as "pepper"), and may be useful in character Oak if a rustic, country look is required. However in some veneers, such as Sycamore, it is usually deemed to be less attractive.

Pommele

From the French word meaning apple, this figuring at its most even is rather like a close pattern of small circles or ovals, sometimes overlapping each other. It can appear almost quilted and even, in some examples, resemble the velvety "astrakhan" that was seen on fashionable coat collars some years ago. Veneers displaying pommele figure are rotary-cut.

Quarter matching

Decorative burrs and some other figured veneers are often "quartered" or quarter matched. Four identical leaves will be turned in both the length and the width so that they mirror each other in both directions. On large panels, doors or tabletops this may be repeated several times so that the whole area is evenly matched. The visual effects can be quite stunning.

Quilted

Also known as blister, this figure is sometimes to be found in certain Maples. At its best it is very beautiful, exhibiting apparent bulges that almost appear to billow out of the surface of the veneer in a three-dimensional way. Some Pommele Sapele veneers can also look almost quilted.

Random Matching

Also known as mis-matching. A somewhat misleading term in that the veneers are not matched at all. Leaves from different bundles and even from different logs are randomly laid together so that the resulting surface looks less formal, as though it might be from solid timber.

Ray or Medullary Ray

Rays are ribbon like strands of tissue extending radially across the grain which are exposed as speckles or flecks of varying size on some quarter cut veneers. These give rise to the so-called silver grain or raindrop figure commonly seen on quartered Oak as well as the speckling on Beech and Lacewood. When this feature is particularly prominent or coarse in appearance it is sometimes referred to as flake or shell.

Ripple

See fiddleback

Sapwood

The younger area of wood around the outside of the log just beneath the bark that is distinguishable from the heartwood by its lighter colour. On most veneers it is trimmed off at the veneer mill. However, with some species it is an attractive contrast to the darker heartwood and can be imaginatively incorporated into the finished design.

Shake

A split or opening in the grain caused by the cells or fibres rupturing and pulling apart. Heart shakes are, as the term implies, splits roughly in the middle of the veneer (not very desirable!) and end shakes are, obviously, at one or both ends.

Slip matching

Instead of turning successive veneers over as in book matching, here the consecutive veneers are slid or slipped across one another so as not to create a mirror match. This gives a different visual effect and can look less formal. It can also eradicate the shading from one veneer to another that sometimes occurs with book matching.

Softwood

Wood from coniferous trees such as Pine, Larch, Fir etc.. Veneer from these is known as softwood veneer.

Sugar

Fine random streaks, usually short in length, which can be distributed over all or part of the surface of a veneer, particularly in Maple and Pear (where they are not considered desirable) and Alder (where they are!).

Thunder shake

This takes the form of an irregular hair-line crack in the veneer that may very occasionally be seen, mainly in a few African species. It runs across the grain, usually for a short distance in a slightly zigzag manner and is thought to arise as a result of wind action bending the growing trunk of the tree. This part of the veneer would be cut away and disposed of rather than used.

Weathered

This term usually applies to Sycamore or Maple veneers where the logs have first been steamed or cooked. When uncooked these species produce more or less white veneer. However, after cooking the colour changes to anything from pale yellowy gold to light brown and even pink. The depth of colour depends on the cooking time and temperature. Strangely, when Beech logs are cooked prior to slicing, the resulting veneer is simply referred to as "Steamed Beech"