Our red oak veneer has two oak veneer faces and a medium-density fiberboard core.
The exterior face is furniture-grade hardwood, but because the veneers are laminated to an MDF core, the material is very smooth, solid, and dimensionally stable.
MDF (Medium-Density Fiberboard) is made from pre-consumer recycled wood, usually sawdust from a sawmill or wood chips from lumber operations. The wood particles are mixed into a dough with a polymer binder (e.g., glue or resin) and consolidated under heat and pressure to form a panel.
Laser Cutting
Laser cutting red oak with MDF Core works beautifully, with most lab cutters cutting up to 1/4in and many cutting up to 1/2in or more. The laser does leave a dark charred edge. Most people leave it as is, but if you prefer, you can easily sand the edges to remove the charring.