Wood fiber base material and process for making the same

Claim 1

PROCESS OF MAKING A WOOD FIBER BASE PRODUCT, WHICH COMPRISES: SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY REMOVING THE NON-CELLULOSIC CONSTITUENTS FROM PIECES OF WOOD OF SMALL AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS, BY SUBJECTING THEM TO THE CHEMICAL TREATMENTS, INVOLVED IN A CHEMICAL WOOD PULPING PROCESS; PRESERVING THE FORM AND INTEGRITY OF SAID PIECES, AND THE FIBER ORIENTATION AND ARRANGEMENT THEREIN, SUBSTANTIALLY WITHOUT CHANGE DURING SAID REMOVAL; THEREAFTER IMPREGNATING SAID WOOD WITH PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE RESIN IN AMOUNTS TO FORM A PRODUCT CONSISTING OF FROM SIXTY TO NINETY PER CENT, DRY WEIGHT, OF CELLULOSE FIBER WITH THE BALANCE SUBSTANTIALLY ALL RESIN; THEN CURING THE RESIN UNDER HEAT AND PRESSURE; AND THROUGHOUT SAID REMOVAL, MAINTAINING FREE ACCESS OF THE TREATING FLUIDS TO BOTH SIDES OF SAID THIN PIECES; SAID PRESEVATION OF FORM, INTEGRITY, AND FIBER ORIENTATION AND ARRANGEMENT BEING ACCOMPLISHED BY SEPARATELY SUPPORTING EACH PIECE AT CLOSE INTERVALS THROUGHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE AREA OF ONE OF ITS MAJOR SURFACES, AND BY PROTECTING IT FROM DEFORMING STRESSES AND DISRUPTIVE INFLUENCES.