Patent ID: 6875300

Claim:
A method of producing veneer faced panels, the method comprising the steps of: a) shaping and trimming a blank by pressing the blank between an upper tool and a lower tool of a first press, wherein the lower tool has a lower pressing surface comprising at least two flat peripheral regions such that when the press is closed, the blank is trimmed along at least two edges by the interaction of the upper tool surface and the flat peripheral regions of the lower tool surface so as to form flat end faces, each being bounded on one side by a trimmed edge, the flat end faces being substantially parallel with one another; b) removing the blank from the first press and placing it on a lower tool of a second press, the lower tool of the second press having a lower pressing surface shaped to receive the blank after it has been pressed, wherein the lower pressing surface comprises at least two flat peripheral regions, such that when the blank is on the lower tool of the second press, the flat end faces of the blank lie against the peripheral regions of the lower pressing surface, the peripheral regions of the lower pressing surface extending beyond the trimmed edge of the blank; c) superposing a veneer sheet on the blank such that the veneer overlaps at least two trimmed cycles of the blank; and, d) pressing the sheet of veneer against the blank by bringing the upper tool and the lower tool of the second press together, wherein the interaction of the upper and lower tool shapes and trims the veneer such that adjacent to at least two trimmed edges of the veneer sheet, the veneer sheet has a flat end face that lies next to and substantially coplanar with a flat end face of the blank.