Particle board

[RavioliKid]

I made cinnamon and applesauce ornaments with my class this year, and I got to thinking about how they are (at least minimally) like particle board.

I mean, cinnamon is from the bark of a plant, right? And, it is held together with applesauce. When they break, you can see the little flecks of the cinnamon right in it - almost like when particle board breaks.

Does anyone have any knowledge of making particle board or OSB? Does this seem like a reasonable way to teach about the topic? Does anyone know of any company that might send a (free) video of the process?

[Ron Scott]

Kim,
Contact the MFRA Office in Crystal Falls or Frank Laurence at Georgia Pacific, Gaylord.

[Jeff]

Rav, JollyGreenGiant is the guy we need to talk to. If anybody has anything like that it should be Georgia-Pacific. I will send Him an E-mail, and if he does not get on here in the next couple days to answer, (He's on the road a lot, and away from his computer, or he would have addressed this by now) I will call him.

I just used our NEW Spell Checker[/i] to check my spelling on this post!

[Bill Johnson]

If you've had no success finding a video, I would suggest that you contact Grant Forest Products in Englehart, Ontario. They have one of the largest OSB mills in the province and should have some promotional material available that explains their process.
Their mailing address is Box 960 Englehart, Ont.
Postal Code is P0J 1H0.
I would also suggest you contact Faye Johnson.

[Forester Frank]

Kim:

Sorry I'm so late getting back to you. I have a nice video about the whole business of making particle. The video features the Gaylord, MI particle mill and takes you from the cutting of the tree to the shipping of the finished product. I could send you my copy if you promise to send it back. I would need an address, so contact me via e-mail, or call me at G-P.

Particle board and Oriented Strand Board (OSB) are two entirely different processes. Contact Paul Call at Weyerhaeuser for OSB info.

I could also get you some brochures on particle board and have them sent right to your school. We may even be able to give you a classroom visit sometime this year.

Every year we try to get students out to one of our job sites and follow the wood back to the mill to see the finished result.

Thanks for the interest.

[Forester Frank]

Jeff:

The new spell checker is a nice addition to the Network. Thanks.

Happy New Year!

Francisco de Lorenzo

[RavioliKid]

Thanks to all of you who responded. I haven't gone any further with this idea yet. I might get moving on school things again once we are back in session next week. Maybe I can tie it into our science unit on habitats. We do an interesting bit on building houses.

Thanks again! Keep those cards and letters coming! =o)