Haskelite
Brand of plywood by Haskelite Manufacturing Corporation
Haskelite is the brand name of a plywood, once made by the Michigan-based Haskelite Manufacturing Corporation. It was made from waterproof glue developed by Henry L. Haskell. The moldable plywood was originally called Ser-O-Ply. It was used in the construction of various vehicles including military tanks, boats, airplanes, buses, trucks, and automobiles. The plywood was manufactured with different characteristics depending on particular needs and then given a brand name.
01Background
Haskell invented a process for making a waterproof glue called "black albumin glue" which was used to bond wood. The sheets made this way were eventually given the brand trade name of "Haskelite" after the inventor.
02Airplanes
Haskell plywood was used for construction of experimental and commercial aircraft. The first successful commercial airplane it was used on was the 1937 Fairchild Aircraft F-46.
The company produced plywood for use in World War I aircraft.
Duramold
In 1939 a waterproof plywood called Duramold, consisting of thin veneers of wood and cloth joined using glue, heat and pressure, and designed for aircraft construction was invented.
The General Bakelite Company and Haskelite Manufacturing joined the Clark Aircraft Company of Hagerstown, Maryland to manufacture planes designed by Virginius E. Clark using Duramold.
03Boats and canoes
Haskelite was also used to make watercraft at the Haskelite Building, their factory in Ludington, Michigan.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Haskelite”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Haskelite -PlyMetl ad.jpg by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
- EL-2000-00186.jpg by NASA Langley, Public domain
- Haskell canoe 1917.jpg by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.