The Joubert Group is committed to providing its customers with all the information they need.
Access all of our information and services to make your work and your specifications easier. Advice on how to protect, store, use, cut and machine panels to facilitate installation and guarantee the durability of your plywood creations.
General rules of panel use
Recommendations to ensure the best use of our quality Joubert plywood panels.
Risks associated with wood dust
Although a natural material, working with wood produces dust that can impact the health of people exposed to it.
If the concentration of wood dust in the air at the worksite is likely to exceed the occupational exposure limit value (OELV) by 1 mg/m3, it is mandatory to wear a P2 or higher protection dust mask.
For further information, please visit the website of the National Research and Safety Institute: www.inrs.fr
Protection of panels
Panels require a treatment that preserves their decorative appearance while protecting them against biological attacks in very humid or exterior environments.
The general rules for applying paints or varnishes to wood also apply in principle to plywood (brush, roller, spray gun).
Plywood is a highly versatile material that is exceptionally durable and wear-resistant. However, to preserve its specific characteristics and its many benefits, it is important to adhere to a number of rules regarding logistics, use and implementation.
Storage
Although hard-wearing, plywood panels must be stored with care.
They should be placed flat, preferably in a dry location, spacing out the spacer strips by 50 cm and aligning the intermediate spacer strips in the piles. Storage in a temperate room with stable humidity conditions prevents moisture regain which causes the panels to warp. This phenomenon can be reversed and does not affect the mechanical properties of the products. The panels can also warp when they are transported in particularly unfavourable atmospheric conditions.
Warped panels should be stacked, separated with evenly-spaced dry wooden rods to ensure that air reaches all the panels. This helps to eliminate excess moisture and to evenly distribute remaining moisture in each panel to restore their original flatness.
If the panels need to be temporarily stored outside, the piles should be protected with a vapour-permeable waterproof cover.
Direct contact with the ground may cause substantial moisture regain in the panels located at the bottom of the pile. They should therefore be placed on spacer strips (spaced 50 cm apart).
Panels should not be stored on their edges, especially those with machined edges.
To keep the panels clean, the top of the pile must be covered.
General use of NF Extérieur CTB-X panels
Although designed for exterior use, some rules of use must be applied to preserve all of the qualities of the panels:
- Keep the panels at their balanced humidity level of 10 (+ or - 3%) ensuring a relative humidity in the storage room of between 50 and 70%
- Stabilise the panels in the usage environment prior to installation, especially if they have been stored in a very dry or damp environment for a long period of time
- Avoid carrying out work that causes high humidity levels at the worksite after the panels have been installed. Allow plaster to sweat before installing the panels and do not install floating flooring on damp slabs.
- Ventilate the back of the panels (air knife) to eliminate moisture
Handling
When handling piles of plywood panels, protect the edges of the panels to prevent damage.
This is particularly important if the surfaces of the panels have been painted or varnished.
Cutting and machining
Plywood is easy to work with. This is one of the material's many advantages.
To ensure optimum quality of the panels, it is advisable to cut and machine them in a workshop rather than on site.
Sawing
Very fine tooth saws prevent the fibers from tearing. The use of tools with tungsten carbide inserts is recommended.
During sawing, the panels must be positioned to ensure their front face is cut first.
The blade cutting speed must be 50 to 60 m/s. The blades must not protrude further than 10 mm beyond the face of the panel.
Grooving
Plywood panel grooving generally runs in the direction of the grain.
Depending on the desired finish, grooves can have different shapes.
Grooves are cut using cutters with tungsten carbide inserts, straight teeth and a 20° cutting angle.
The optimum cutting speed is 40 to 50 m/s.
Drilling
Current rotation speeds of between 2500 and 5000 rpm are perfectly suited to the drilling of plywood using wood drill bits.
Bending
Applicable to Joubert Poflex Poplar plywood.
Preparation and finish
The plywood surfaces must be clean and sanded down before finishing.
As the edges are more absorbent than the faces, particular attention must be paid to protect them with the application of a wood filler or a paint or varnish. The faces must also be pretreated to fully seal the panel.
Before applying the finishing product (varnish, paint, wood stain) to the entire panel, test the product on a small area first to ensure the best result.
Attachment
Plywood panels can be nailed, stapled, screwed or glued in place.
The type of attachment depends on the use of the panel.
To guarantee compatible and durable hold, we advise adhering to the recommendations based on type of use.
General technical characteristics
All of the specific values and criteria required for Okoume panels are listed in a specific table, which must be included in the specifications.
Test laboratory
Examples of characteristic values of Okoume plywood
| Thickness (mm) tnom |
Characteristic density (kg/m3) and strength (N/mm2) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Den sity |
Bending fm |
Tensile strength Ft |
Compression fc |
Warp shear fv |
Rolling shear fr |
||||
| 0 | 90 | 0 | 90 | 0 | 90 | ||||
| ≥ 5 to 10 | 450 | 22.0 to 51.0 | 16.0 to 75.0 | 5.0 to 14.0 | 9.0 to 18.0 | 10.0 to 22.0 | 17.0 to 32.0 | 6.0 to 7.0 | 1,4 |
| ≥ 10 to 18 | 450 | 17.0 to 38.0 | 28.0 to 76.0 | 7.0 to 13.0 | 12.0 to 16.0 | 13.0 to 23.0 | 18.0 to 28.0 | 6.0 to 7.0 | 1,4 |
| ≥ 18 to 25 | 450 | 18.0 to 38.0 | 23.0 to 70.0 | 9.0 to 13.0 | 10.0 to 15.0 | 15.0 to 22.0 | 16.0 to 26.0 | 6.0 to 7.0 | 1,4 |
| ≥ 25 to 40 | 450 | 18.0 to 34.0 | 20.0 to 61.0 | 9.0 to 12.0 | 11.0 to 15.0 | 16.0 to 21.0 | 19.0 to 26.0 | 6.0 to 7.0 | 1,4 |
| Thickness (mm) tnom |
Average stiffness (N/mm2) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bending fm |
Tensile strength Ft |
Compression fc |
Warp shear fv |
Rolling shear fr |
||||
| 0 | 90 | 0 | 90 | 0 | 90 | |||
| ≥ 5 to 10 | 4000 to 10,000 | 1300 to 7200 | 2700 to 6400 | 3900 to 8700 | 2700 to 6400 | 3900 to 8700 | 430 to 550 | 70 to 90 |
| ≥ 10 to 18 | 3700 to 5500 | 3800 to 7600 | 3600 to 6200 | 4600 to 7700 | 3600 to 6200 | 4500 to 7700 | 430 to 550 | 70 to 90 |
| ≥ 18 to 25 | 4000 to 5300 | 3900 to 7300 | 3800 to 5500 | 4000 to 7000 | 3800 to 5500 | 4000 to 7000 | 430 to 550 | 70 to 90 |
| ≥ 25 to 40 | 3900 to 5300 | 4500 to 7200 | 3800 to 5600 | 4600 to 7000 | 3800 to 5600 | 4600 to 7000 | 430 to 550 | 70 to 90 |
| UFC information | ||||||||