Jim Read, age 13, of Harrisburg, Penn., for his question:

HOW IS VENEER MADE?

Veneer is a thin sheet of wood used primarily for plywood panels.

Most veneer is rotary cut from Douglas fir. The log is placed in a lathe and then revolved against a knife extending across the length of the log. The veneer is unwound in a long ribbon, much like unrolling a roll of paper towels.

Veneers vary in thickness from 3/8ths of an inch down to 1/100th of an inch. Most rotary veneers are cut in thicknesses of 1/20th to 1/7th of an inch.

The United States produces more than 1 billion square feet of veneer a year. Canada produces more than 2.5 billion square feet of veneer yearly.