A Plywood Story

some angry sawfish with a grudge against wood fer so round good solid wood they're called peelers and they're headed for the mill another log ready to be made into plywood seize its last of the great outdoor I wished it would hurry because I was getting into trouble trying to follow gotta keep the finger on the button even when your camera cases outward-bound look like goodbye to my old case but I hadn't counted on rescue nor had I expected to make the hero of my plywood story kind of a talky type his name was Sam and as far as I could make out they jawed him to keep me out of the buzzsaw but he was interested in my problem right off and in fact offered to show me around the mill if I put him in the picture so why not we headed for the Inside Story this Sam explained was the log from the pond on its way to the Barker which strips it down to the sapwood the log then moves on to the machine that says Sam is the pride and joy of the mill [Applause] the knife the big lathe the mechanical marvel that makes Douglas fir plywood possible this is get a firm grip and we're off at high speed the blade that turns these logs into plywood veneer is under the sensitive control of one man who must have the skilled eye of a surgeon the same idea as a potato peeler says Sam feeling its way in the blade peels the log into one continuous strip of veneer smoothly unwrapping hundreds of years of growth like a symphony says Sam but we press on following the veneer along the storage conveyer [Applause] then on to the conveyor that carries it to the Clipper this clipper works by an electric I automatically clipping the veneer into 27 or 54 inch widths meanwhile the operator keeps a sharp eye out for defects this one really does a job chop-chop after which the veneer is graded into stacks of different sizes and qualities if Sam hadn't put me wise I'd have said they'd made a mess of a real nice log only the beginning says Sam it's not easy to improve on nature but that's the boast of the plywood boys the veneer has a date with the dryer this is the wet end of the dryer into which the veneer is loaded a trip through this 65 foot steam heated oven takes excess moisture out of the wood which sam says is the reason why finished plywood always stays the same size doesn't shrink in service out it comes at the dry end ready for further adventures on the dry chain next step is the moisture check this machine strictly electronic sends it back to the bakery if veneer is not dry enough graded again for quality but this time it's a case of good better and best the personal touch again girl sort the veneer into sheets of different sizes ready for the next step which Sam says is sensational the patching operation as close to magic as you can get without using mirrors this machine liquidates not holds observe ladies and gentlemen what happens when girl meets knot hole in the plywood flat now you see it now you don't clever these plywood people the odd width pieces of veneer go for a fast shuffle that evens up the edges and presents them to this machine that clamps and planes as it sprays the edges with glue for now comes the time to put these pieces together again which is done by another handy Andy the procession moves along the table to the electronic edge glue er which takes random widths and wells them together electrically the new join comes out of the shuffle even stronger than the veneer itself back in one strip again but - nature's little errors the veneer travels through another clipper emerging in standard way and now these are ready for assembly into their final form as plywood which begins at the glue spreader it's like making a great wooden sandwich using glue to hold it to the iterator treats the filling to a coating of glue in the spreader and eager hands place it neatly across the width of the sandwich according to Sam the plywood people are really stuck on their glue it's waterproof phenolic resin in the formula makes this glue the King of stick and Douglas fir plywood the most versatile form of wood it's great strength comes through orbiting the direction of the grain in each layer in no time a pile is readied for the big squeeze which takes place in the hot press key machine in the production of plywood if Sam had had his way he'd have sent me through a wood this hot press is always pressing while batch number one is being squeezed the operators are busy posting batch number two in the automatic charger since this load is quarter-inch plywood three sandwiches go into each rack as soon as the operator gets an all-clear he opens the hot press taking 500 tons of pressure and 275 degrees of heat off batch number one the automatic charger then starts to load its new veneer sandwiches into the press the batch going in replaces batch number one coming out now it is plywood it looked pretty good to me as it was solid and tough but plywood has to be handsome as well as rugged so it moves on to the panel saws which take the untrimmed sheets of plywood and cut them to size in this major manicure the rough edges are trimmed off and the sheets are cut precisely into 4 by 8 foot panels [Applause] I was set to shoots the last step in the manufacture the sanding of the plywood but friends Sam whisked me away to a little chamber of tortures he'd rigged up he made quite a pitch for how plywood can take it what you can't do two-ply what he says isn't worth doing for instance you can't split it the cross laminating of the veneer puts the ax against the grain every which way careful with that thing son the industry is proud of its safety record anyway he convinced me it wouldn't split he goes right on says he plywood his shock and impact resistant bounces back full of fight just watch this [Music] Sam Saved by the Bell while plywood is ready for another ten rounds now don't tell me it's good to eat no says Sam this is to demonstrate how boiling water can't dissolve the waterproof glue that's why plywood whoops beats all for lining tanks and drinking troughs building boats Sam said even if the veneer boiled away we'd still find a thin film of solid glue left in the water I told him I couldn't wait Bermuda was calling plywood isn't the only thing that's impervious matter of fact though he was a nice little guy and he sure knew his plywood he showed me the final stage in the making of plywood the sanding machine that brings out the delightful grain pattern of douglas-fir providing a surface you can paint or varnish or leave as is [Applause] at last I know how they get a square ping-pong table out of a round fir tree after it leaves the sander the plywood has had the course and is ready for the final examination the operator inspects and classes it into braids put on one side hold for further finishing or good on both sides by the time it gets this far plywood has really been through the mill so it is mostly a one the sanded plywood is made in five standard thicknesses ranging from a quarter to three quarters of an inch thick p.m. BC exterior stamped on every sheet guarantees that it's made with waterproof glue and can withstand more weather than a blue nose schooner another stack of plywood graduates into the world by way of the shipping department Douglas fir plywood bundled up for the many uses that awaited the freight train stands by at the loading platform and we say goodbye to another load of live strong plywood prepared to take on all comers from jr. carpenters to bad weather Sam you've convinced me more than that when I'm sitting on those beautiful bermuda beaches next week I'll be thinking about you and your Douglas fir plywood all the satisfaction of a good job well done and two weeks holiday ahead this time I beat the bass to the punch but the boss now what [Music] another wire hmm maybe congratulations in the race we're smart camera work under difficult conditions maybe an invitation to take an extra weeks holiday with pay maybe hmm manufacturing footage good now show plywood in service industrial commercial and plywood on the farm regards Petersen goodbye Bermuda land of try and get there plywood calls again nobody knows the plywood I've seen from Charlottetown in the Maritimes to Quebec where it's called contra packing to Montreal where I didn't sleep for a week and through the big backyard of Winnipeg the trail of plywood is hot and wide why does the prairies themselves I shot the stuff from coast to coast a few miles from Vancouver I found myself up to the scuppers in Capilano River shooting the big cleveland dam [Music] a cascade of concrete this dam takes shape in forms of plywood the perfect crib for this baby plywood is strong enough to hold the pressure of a large body of concrete flexible enough to follow the contours of an engineer's dream Construction men love it a new bridge inherits clean smart lines from forms made of plywood a six-lane concrete road bed will set comfortably in it's plywood cradle and finally leave the bridge with a matchless complexion and the contractor with a satisfied customer the pillars have a classic purity of line sculpture by plywood I found a million-dollar department store building in the form of plywood realize that builders who think big think plywood the big idea gets around took these king-sized wall forms to show just how big they come Sam would have been delighted here these forms have to withstand moisture and pressure and impact and be used over and over again I could see they were doing it to for construction men a home away from home barrack type buildings of plywood are comfortable easy to move a pen shot of a plywood apartment project in Alberta right here is where it started looking good to the camera a joy to focus on changing lenses eyes oom din clothes to find out why like I expected plywood sheathing fast to put up and no cracks for cold drafts to sneak it a plywood safety canopy and another pretty girl is saved from the steam shovel nice upstairs the plywood forms leapfrog this modern skyscraper so we have a sharp example of before and after unbroken lines of beauty thanks to you know what but there are other uses how about this gracious little church built of plywood out across Canada's farmland I found plywood very much at home this pen shelters Posse from the Blizzard love this great outdoors braces the math but this farmer loves the great indoors of his plywood shed which he built himself plywood makes a dry warm stable for his modern team of horses and provides an emergency grain storage bin for a bumper crop nothing but the best to produce wool or lamb chops so the Sheep shelter gets an economical unsanded plywood roof that takes kindly to a coat of paint the kiddies play with next year's winter Woolies real cute and there's daddy happy as only a man can be when he thinks he may get by with one coat the plywood sheath barn lends itself to an easy window clean and quick as a boys grin odd pieces are handy to keep around and could become part of a chicken feeder like so waste not and whatnot a use for every square foot there's nothing odd about these ends built to last that solid sheet of wood won't rack or warp the girls are crazy about their new dining room a plywood pig feeder is the last word in troughs simple enough to build says the farmer yet strong enough to take on the hungriest porker just follow your nose nothing like plywood when there's swine to die I ship off on a sea of wheat in the wake of a squadron of harvesters bringing in the sheaves the farmer who ploughed planted and prayed for this crop of gold measures his wealth and good healthy grain so the storage bin must be safe as a bank that's food clothing a new car and maybe a television set in the bin which is round and economically sound as only plywood can make it tired has bins have a bad case of the liens beside their modern circular brothers properly designed these plywood grain towers will withstand great pressures without a whimper a plywood shed hits the road and doesn't complain when the road hits back because plywood doesn't crack a queen of tugs is the antig or her superstructure is built of plywood the same that stands lifeguard duty on big passenger boats plywood must be good when a modern ship can trust passengers to it and if anybody had told me you could make a warp of plywood I'd have said he'd lost his buttons but there they were plywood pontoons when it comes to water plywood is right in there with the ducks and small boys client and waterproof glued it bends to the will of both a mature boat builders and professionals this luxury launch will have no cracks to become leaks combining the best elements of steel plate and oak timber [Music] yet it's easy to work plain sailing means a better boat for less money that long strip of skin will take any impact short of a run-in with a Queen Mary when I couldn't figure was how they got such a length of plywood the answer is scarf jointing which glues panels end to end with a flush joint as strong as the panel itself [Music] that plywood has come a long way from the old mill pot with us tough hide the craft will take more engine more people and if necessary more punishment a little bit of this can make a man awfully dissatisfied with a rented rowboat but hold on I forgot the minor Mariners part of the fun of being a kid and safe as a gull on the wave a plywood assignment does have its moments a trans Kona they use it for lining refrigerator cars each sheet fits speedily into place providing an airtight installation and impact resistant surface easy to clean too [Music] working behind the scenes as smooth backing for a signboard are playing a feature role as a handsome hunk of door plywood makes real friends paintable why sure as Sam said the stuff won't split up real friendly to work with I began to appreciate the finer points of its character and why one should always have a sheet or two handy it has many uses cupboards for the modern mother Hubbert or shelves for the student craftsman plywood is the carpenter's friend the wood that holds its shape no sag and no shrink but the place where plywood gets really friendly is in the home to show this I found a housing development and started off with plywood forms for the foundation used over and over again speed spells economy erected on Monday poured on Tuesday sets on Wednesday leaving a really smooth attractive surface on Thursday a picture ready for the frame as a subfloor I found plywood lays flat and is quick to install it knocks down the cost of fitting joining and nailing by about 60% really holds with the nails BC Douglas fir plywood also comes in unsanded grades these cost less which makes them popular for wall sheeting roof sheathing and for sub floors a wall sheath with plywood needs no diagonal bracing is easy to erect [Music] but no matter how fast plywood walls go up it's just not fast enough for newlywed eager to settle down here was human interest for my story the boss would go for this a happy couple previewing their new home I tagged along taking this project of home building in my stride with my camera I felt I was right in there but dreams taking shape and studs and plywood sort of left me on the outside groping for a dream of my own [Music] maybe I should settle down and find me a little wife like that oh I could just see it dream house dream girl [Music] hmm she'll be so wonderful so pleasant to have around my plywood home and she'll be in love with it all new and inviting so easy to keep clean in our plywood kitchen my heart's delight will find everything so handy mmm she'll be pleased and proud of that kitchen planning just so no confusion no wasted space and all because the boss pushed me into a plywood picture when she thinks I'm working too hard she'll just slide over and get something to keep me on the job and she'll know just where to find me I can hear say how clever learning our adequate plywood adding a new dimension to paradise I'll be a handy guy to have around the home the girl will be mad about me and no wonder I'll be a man of experience buying my own plywood sawing my own panels and hammering my own nail it'll be great fun and every night there'll be a cozy dinner with wine and soft music and sometimes we'll invite friends into our plywood home just to show them how happy we are it almost seems too good to be true the girl of my dreams the home of my dreams and all for the man of my dreams me [Music] I hope he falls on his plywood subfloor oh it's not that funny human interest stuff phooey no use hanging around here anyway I had to finish my sequence on Shiva along came a nice quiet chap carrying a panel of plywood to make a roof this roof sheeting proves Douglas fir plywood is not only easy on the eyes but easy on the back they tell me these large surfaces of plywood sheeting hang on a nails better and longer than ordinary wood twice as thick cross lamination does it why would in the nooks and cranny's keeps out drafts keeps down fuel bills at this stage I felt I'd given plywood in the home a pretty full show there was plenty more to shoot but I had enough to show how plywood is helping to solve our housing problems plywood bills quicker and plywood bills better well the plywood story wasn't so tough after all educational sorta but I was still ready for a smash of Bermuda so now what the boss wouldn't dare cool boy for a minute I thought what's this crap like a present must be some mistake unless the boss decided I deserve some little thing after five years of slaving over his films by golly it's a neat looking job of plywood somebody must have known my old camera case went for a sale what do you know from my old pal dear Joe made this camera case myself being plywood its rack proof waterproof and WAM proof happy holiday Sam good old Sam all I can say is this couldn't have come at a better moment let's try the old camera for size generous little guy Sam makes it four sizes too big but rugged probably outlast the camera and the cameraman too go ahead Joe throw out the old chest you've got a real friend there maybe a simple little guy but he sure got a heart made of solid plywood [Music]