Trying to determine whether to buy paperbacked sheets or laid up panels can sometimes be a tricky thing. Many times, woodworkers think that since shipping panels is more expensive, it just makes sense to buy the paperbacked sheets and lay them up locally. Sometimes this is true, but many times, there are costs associated with laying up sheets in-house, that may not factor in.
Paperbacked veneer gives stability and can turn a standard mdf board into a masterpiece. If you are a shop that uses contact cement for lay ups, then panels should make sense. Panels are laid up with 10 mil or no paper backing at all. However, keep in mind that panels with paper backing have been shown to reduce/eliminate color changing issues on fire rated core. 10 mil is also less expensive than 20 mil backed sheets. The cost saving along with many times the glue saving, can make panels extremely enticing.
Buying panels can also save time. Many small and large jobs are shipped within two weeks. During that time, the shop can be selling more jobs, or doing more high value work. Glue costs are reduced dramatically as well.
Shipping panels is by far the most preventative issue with purchasing laid up board. For the most part, 30-40 panels fit on a pallet. To ship a pallet costs around $400. With the reduction of glue, veneer cost, and time makes shipping irrelevant.
At Oakwood Veneer, we only manufacture sheet veneer. Our grades are tough and we hand select veneer for each order. Laid up panels are no different. Because we ship out 30-50 orders daily, we make sure and know how to ensure that your product gets to you undamaged.
Feel free to give us a call the next order. 800-426-6018