Lurid Tales of Grains and Glues The history and environmental impact of this ubiquitous building material. In general, all wood is like that much stronger across its grain than parallel to it.
Thin pieces are flexible and light, but they can scarcely hold any weight.
The ancients knew this, too, and developed a crude form of what we know as plywood. B.C. Egyptian pharaohs, was to glue thin slabs of wood together with their grain running perpendicular to each other. The strength of one ply compensated for the weakness in the next. Similar ventures are known from ancient Rome, China and 17th century France. The prototype panels were trotted out for the 1905 World's Fair in Portland, produced one at a time, clamped with house jacks and held together with animal glue which stank so bad that the workers had to leave the mill frequently in search of fresh air.