Plywood Cate, Storage and Displ"y

For the past decade, practically all of California's almost 2,000 retail lumber dealers have-when permitted by war and post-war shortages-carried fairly complete stocks of plywood and have devoted considerable portions of their storage space to keep it clean annd undamaged.

Today, as always, proper storage, display and handling is an actual dollars and cents savings proposition, based on the fact that clean, attractive, unmarred plywood sells better and faster than a damaged piece whi,ch must be sold at a reduced price. Not to be overlooked is that properly cared for and delivered panels means customer satisfaction and freedom from complaints.

Plywood is an engineered or manufactured product. And while one of the main selling points is the panel's rugged strength and splitproofness, plywood can be damaged by careless or improper handling. Plywood should never be placed in any position where it can be stepped on or scuffed. Nor should the panels be stacked on sides or ends for any extended length of time. In removing panels from bins, care should be tbken to avoid dragging the corner of one piece across the face of another; a marred or gouged face is likely to result.

Plywood should be stored in a closed building, protected from direct sunlight and moisture, rather than an open shed. Since sun or other strong direct light will give unprotected fir a distinct reddish-,brown cast, and render it less suitable for interior paneling or other uses requiring a natural or light stain finish, panels should be covered for protection against light as well as excessive moisture and damage from careless handling.

Most yards use a piece of plywood as a permanent top or cover board to protect stacked plywood. The cover board also serves to protect the faces against moisture which is liable to cause checking and warping. Panel edges require no particular care except that panels should be piled evenly and tightly.

Generally speaking, most retail dealers prefer to store panels flat in individual bins segregated according to grade and thickness. Wherever possible, bin compartments should have a plywood or other solid floor to prevent sagging and solid or enclosed sides to protect edges and corners.

Since storage space is at a premium in most busy retail yards, extra-long plywood panels sometimes iresent a problem. Generally, ten-foot lengths can be stored in regular bins, although edges and corners must be protected if they protrude more than a few inches. If inventory. turnover is fairly rapid, l2-foot or longer lengths can be stored vertically in specially constructed racks. In this case, it is important that the long lengths are adequately supported to prevent bending or buckling

Larger yards which use fork lifts to move plywood stacks have found that a simple plywood pallet affords extra protection against chipping or bruising panels. A pallet can be easily built by nailing rf" plywood to either side of 2x4 or 4x4 framing members set about 24' on centers. A pallet is almost mandatory when handling panels with two sides suitable for fine finishing such as Exterior and Interior A-A or A-B. When one-sided panels such as PlyShield or PlyPanel are being lifted by a fork truck, however, a pallet is not needed if the panel back is at the bottom of the stack and face on top.

In delivering plywood to the jobsite or customer, the panels should be covered in damp weather and treated like other finish materials and protected from chain or rope scars by wood.blocks or heavy canvas pads. At the jobsite, panels should not be delivered to a house where the plaster is still wet; panels should be placed in a dry, covered place,

In display room arrangement, top-notch building ma(Continued on Page 42)