GB2260935A

GB2260935A - Method of making platters or vessels

Info

Publication number: GB2260935A
Application number: GB9222007A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hugh Cummins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-10-29
Filing date: 1992-10-20
Publication date: 1993-05-05
Anticipated expiration: 2012-10-20
Also published as: GB9122887D0; GB2260935B; GB9222007D0

Abstract

A platter or vessel (12, Fig. 1, not shown) of non-regular shape is made up by assembling a plurality of layers (17, 18, 19) of wood veneer with adhesive (20, 21) between adjacent layers against the surface of a former (13), surrounding the layers and former with an airtight bag (15) and applying pressure by vacuum, in which the former is itself mouldable so that the final shape is in part determined by the stresses in the veneer layers while the layers are in contact with the former. The layers in contact with the former may be manually manipulated to minimise the stresses remaining in the final platter or vessel. <IMAGE>

Description

PLATTERS OR VESSELS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME This invention relates to platters or vessels and a method of making such platters or vessels laminated from wood veneers.

It is known for objects to be laminated from a plurality of layers of veneer, by arranging the layers with adhesive between adjacent layers and compressing the layers together until the adhesive is set. Such objects are normally shaped to a pre-determined shape by forming/compressing them between two plates or clamps of a fixed shape. Where wood is concerned the grain is normally arranged at different angles, conventionally at 90 angles, in successive layers so that the natural stresses in the individual layers will counteract one another rather than reinforce one another and the final object will assume and stay in the required shape with minimum stress. This is particularly so for example in the case of plywood where the final object is required to be flat.

This invention is concerned particularly with products having an aesthetic appeal but not requiring great strength.

An object of the present invention is to form platters, vessels or the like laminated from planar wood veneers in which the veneers are allowed to take up a natural shape partly determined by the grain of the wood.

In one aspect the present invention provides a method of making a wood platter, vessel or the like which comprises assembling a plurality of layers of wood veneer with adhesive between adjacent layers against a surface of a former and applying pressure by vacuum to produce a laminated platter, vessel or the like having a shape corresponding to the final non-planar shape of the former surface, and in which the former is itself mouldable so that the final shape is in part determined by the veneers while the layers are in contact with the former.

The former and veneers may be manipulated manually while in contact with one another to determine a shape which allows for the natural stresses in the veneers and/or the stresses may be allowed by themselves to mould the former to a final shape which is natural to the grain of the veneer and minimizes the stresses remaining in the final object.

Preferably the grain in each layer extends in substantially the same direction so that the original stresses in each layer, which stresses tend to cause bending from the flat, reinforce one another. In a preferred form each layer is cut from the same piece of wood and the layers are built up matching one another so as to substantially reconstitute a part of the original piece of wood but in a different shape. Alternatively the two outer layers could match one another with inner layers having different or differently arranged grains.

The veneers will normally have been cut to a thickness in the range 0.7mm to 2mm and the total thickness of the platter or the like will be built up to a thickness preferably in the range l.4mm to 12mm.

The former may be made from any mouldable plastic material such as granular material e.g. sand, clay, powdered material, cloth, crumpled paper, beads or combinations thereof.

In another aspect the invention provides a platter or vessel formed in accordance with the above method. It will be appreciated that each platter or vessel made by the method will have a different shape from every other platter or vessel since the wood grain in each will be different.

One embodiment of platter and method of making such a platter will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one platter in accordance with the invention, and Figure 2 is a diagramatic sectional view illustrating a method of forming such a platter.

As seen in Figure 1 a platter 12 has an irregular non-planar shape and is built up from a plurality of wood veneers each having essentially the same grain structure, the veneers being laminated together with glue between them.

The method of making such a platter is illustrated diagramatically in Figure 2 with the thicknesses of the various layers exaggerated. As seen in Figure 2 a former 13 of mouldable plastic material is located on a base board 14 and the whole placed inside a flexible airtight bag 15 connected to a vacuum pump 16. Layers 17, 18, 19 of wood veneer (in this example 3 layers) are placed against one another with layers of adhesive 20, 21 between adjacent veneer layers. The layers of veneer are placed against the former inside the bag and may be heated or otherwise softened so that they tend to take up a shape other than planar, such a shape tending to relieve the stresses caused by the natural wood grain.This process may be aided manually as desired to ensure that the layers are pressed against the former 13 which because it is mouldable will take up a shape which at least in part is determined by the original stresses in the veneer layers. The former 13 may be formed from any mouldable material for example granular material e.g. sand.

The vacuum pump 16 will then be used to apply pressure via the bag to press the layers against one another and the former and produce a laminated structure. For example a pressure of 200-300 p.s.i. (1380-2070 KPa) may be applied until the adhesive has set. Any adhesive suitable for laminated wood may be used.

Preferably the veneers are all cut from the same original piece of wood and are arranged on top of one another so as to effectively reconstitute the original piece of wood with the stresses in each layer reinforcing one another and any flaws in the wood extending through each layer. With this arrangement the grain of the top of the platter will appear the same as the grain on the bottom of the platter and any original flaws such as seen at 23 in figure 1 will extend through the whole final platter.

The method can be applied to the construction of tall vessels as well as relatively flat platters.

Claims

1. A method of making a wood platter, vessel or the like which comprises assembling a plurality of layers of wood veneer with adhesive between adjacent layers against a surface of a former and applying pressure by vacuum to produce a laminated platter, vessel or the like having a shape corresponding to the final non-planar shape of the former surface, and in which the former is itself mouldable so that the final shape is in part determined by the veneers while the layers are in contact with the former.

2. A method according to claim 1 which includes manually manipulating the veneers while in contact with one another and the former to determine a shape which reduces the stresses remaining in the platter or vessel so formed.

3. A method according to claim 1 in which the natural stresses in the veneers alone determine the final shape of the platter or vessel, which shape will be natural to the grain of the veneer and minimise the stresses remaining in the final platter or vessel.

4. A method according to any of claims 1 to 3 in which at least the outer two layers are cut from the same piece of wood and are aligned with one another.

5. A method according to claim 4 in which all the layers are cut from the same piece of wood and match with one another.

6. A method according to any of claims 1 to 5 in which each veneeer layer has a thickness in the range 0.7mm to 2mm and the total thickness of the platter or vessel is in the range 1.4mm to 12mm.

7. A method according to any of claims 1 to 6 in which the grain in each of the layers is in the same direction.

8. A method according to any of claims 1 to 7 in which the former is made from a plastic material for example sand, clay, powdered material, cloth, crumpled paper, beads or combinations thereof.

9. A method of making a platter or vessel substantially as described herein.

10. A platter or vessel made by the method of any of claims 1 to 9.

11. A platter or vessel made from a plurality of layers of wood veneer with adhesive between adjacent layers, in which the layers are cut from the same piece of wood and are then built up to match one another so as to substantially reconstitute the original piece of wdod but in a different shape determined by the natural stresses in the wood veneers.

12. A platter or vessel substantially as described herein with reference to or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.