LumberJocks

First Veneer Attempt

Project by CharlieM1958 posted 776 days ago 827 views 3 times favorited 34 comments Add to Favorites Watch

Okay, so everybody needs a rosewwod and cherry cabinet for their precision tools, right? Just kidding.

I’ve been wanting to experiment with veneer, and I figured I’d let my first try be at something for the shop so the mistakes wouldn’t matter too much and I could learn from them. I built the carcass from scrap plywood lying around the shop. I used simple butt joints reinforced with countersunk screws since I knew I’d be covering everything up with the veneer.

I used Titebond cold press adhesive for the veneer, and I had reasonable success, although I had quite a bit of trouble trimming the edges. I;m not sure if I didn’t use enough glue, but I found that the veneer kept wanting to splinter away from the plywood backing as I trimmed and smoothed the edges. I found this santos rosewood raw veneer pretty brittle. Should I have softened it first?

At any rate, it was a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to improving my skills and moving on to making some bookmatched patterns, etc. All advice welcomed! :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"


34 comments so far

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

3427 posts in 964 days


posted 776 days ago

Dang it, Charlie, now I’ll never catch up to your box-making skills! Great job.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

View mot's profile

mot

4904 posts in 936 days


posted 776 days ago

Really nice, Charlie! It raises the bar again.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

14188 posts in 1061 days


posted 776 days ago

can’t imagine the shop getting messy with storage units like this in it!!!
gorgeous.

(can’t help you with the brittleness issue)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View Damian Penney's profile

Damian Penney

1030 posts in 891 days


posted 776 days ago

That looks like a fun project and it came out great. I really enjoyed tackling veneering for the first time on my last project. How did you approach the veneering, vacuum press?

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7696 posts in 1118 days


posted 776 days ago

Thanks, everybody!

Damian, I don’t a have a vacuum press yet. I just used clamping boards with as many clamps as I could get on.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View Marco Cecala's profile

Marco Cecala

91 posts in 933 days


posted 776 days ago

Great looking cabinet, and a good way to get used to veneer. The splintering of brittle veneers can be a problem. Here is my experience…

Softening is for flattening veneer before glue up, by the time all is dry, the softening effects are gone.
My best results come with blue tape over the kerf, I have had good luck with the Festool saw, jointer or table saw. Taking care to make sure you have a sharp cutting tool. Try all of these, what works for one species may not work for another.

Did you make the panels over size and trim all 4 sides? Seems the easiest way for me, it is easier to make panels a half inch bigger and let things slide a bit during glue up.

View BarryW's profile

BarryW

873 posts in 806 days


posted 776 days ago

First attempt!!!? I’d think you’d been doing it for a lifetime. Beautiful cabinet.

-- /\/\/\ BarryW /\/\/\ Stay so busy you don't have time to die.

View WayneC's profile

WayneC

6079 posts in 997 days


posted 776 days ago

Very nice. Your tools will love you for this.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7696 posts in 1118 days


posted 776 days ago

Thanks!

Marco, thanks for the advice. I was wondering… I made the box first, then applied the veneer slightly oversize and trimmed the excess when cured. I was thinking (and it sounds like this is what you are saying), is it better to veneer the individual panels slightly oversize and then cut them to size and assemble the box?

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View DAN 's profile

DAN

6468 posts in 883 days


posted 776 days ago

great job. hope you enjoyed the project and taught yourself a couple more tricks !

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

View YorkshireStewart's profile

YorkshireStewart

784 posts in 801 days


posted 776 days ago

Slow down fellas. I’m adding to my ’things I must try’ list by the day! That’s really something Charlie.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7696 posts in 1118 days


posted 776 days ago

Stewart, that is the curse of Lumberjocks….. If I stopped looking at projects today, I’m not sure I have enough years left to finish everthing on my “must try” list. :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View scottb's profile

scottb

3402 posts in 1227 days


posted 776 days ago

Gorgeous – the photos make it look “hyper real” Something out of skethup or photoshop… what an addition and inspiration for your shop. Everything in our shops should look half as good. – might get me to keep it a little cleaner, or at least pass the shop vac once in a while… ;)

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

View Thos. Angle's profile

Thos. Angle

4013 posts in 862 days


posted 776 days ago

It really looks great, Charlie. I odn’t know much about veneer. All I’ve ever used was Flexwood which is paper backed veneer. With it I trim with my trim router or I use a block plane going with the grain.I don’t know if regular veneer works the same or not. I usually skin the pieces before I make up the cabinet.

-- Thos. Angle

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7696 posts in 1118 days


posted 776 days ago

Thanks Scott. Tom, I was thinking a trim router might work well. I don’t have one, but have been thinking about getting one.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View mrtrim's profile

mrtrim

1698 posts in 780 days


posted 776 days ago

hey charlie , i could sure use some tool storage if you want some more practice ! haha nice job

View Billp's profile

Billp

336 posts in 1100 days


posted 776 days ago

Nice job, can’t wait to try veneering myself.

-- Billp

View Bob #2's profile

Bob #2

3056 posts in 921 days


posted 776 days ago

Nice Charlie.
I’m sitill hung up on making jigs.

I may never get to the stage you are at .

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

3427 posts in 964 days


posted 776 days ago

Charlie I think you deserve a nice Bosch Colt, or you could by my PC laminate trimmer, and I’ll get a Colt…

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

View Karson's profile

Karson

25871 posts in 1300 days


posted 776 days ago

Charlie.

Some of my early projects were make the box and cover with veneer.

I now cover the veneer first and then cut to size.

Your construction then fits the panels into a stile and rail setup.

A great job on your first attempt.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7696 posts in 1118 days


posted 776 days ago

Doug, now that I know which tool you would prefer, I know where to start looking.

Karson, yeah I’m thinking veneer first would be bettwer for most situations. I’m glad you explained about the NFL box. I was trying to figure out what that jewelry had to do with football. :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View Thos. Angle's profile

Thos. Angle

4013 posts in 862 days


posted 776 days ago

I’ve got a Colt as well, Charlie. Well, come to think of it,I’ve also got 3 geldings.

-- Thos. Angle

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

3427 posts in 964 days


posted 776 days ago

Charlie,
Here is the Amazon.com link to my dream laminate trim package.

This one is the full ride, with everything a husband might want, say if the Missus wanted him to build a built-in cabinet into a three-sided nook in the bathroom of a 70 year old house with bowed walls. Has excellent scribing in capacities, full power and variable speed. There is a lesser kit at the Big Blue Box store. I have to go in there every so often and wrap my mitts around the cushioned grip and (quietly) make vroom-vroom routing noises. Ah, the toils of tool fever. You can get a base for it that adapts to PC guide bushings. Sweet.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

View cajunpen's profile

cajunpen

5968 posts in 966 days


posted 776 days ago

Charlie I really don’t like the box and being a neighbor – I don’t think that you should have to suffer with that in your shop. I’ll be working Wednesday night, if you’ll put it out on the curb, I will be happy to haul it away for.you. Don’t worry about thanking me – that is what friends are for.

Great looking storage box.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7696 posts in 1118 days


posted 775 days ago

Thanks, Bill. You be sure to do the same with any excess tools you just don’t have room in the shop for.

Doug, that does look like an awful handy setup. I’m thinking of sending that link to the aforementioned Missus for Christmas list consideration!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View PanamaJack's profile

PanamaJack

4447 posts in 977 days


posted 775 days ago

Great job Charlie!

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

View Marco Cecala's profile

Marco Cecala

91 posts in 933 days


posted 775 days ago

Yes Charlie. Example for panel, MDF 20×20 inches, Veneer 19 3/4 square. After the glue dries, trim all 4 sides to the finished dimension. My best results are by blue taping both sides and using a sharp table saw, good side up. If you have a Festool saw, it does well too.

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7696 posts in 1118 days


posted 775 days ago

Thanks, Marco. That makes a lot of sense. My original thought was that applying the veneer after constructing the box eliminated the need for miter joints. But the trade-off is the problem of trimming the excess veneer precisely.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View Andy's profile

Andy

571 posts in 808 days


posted 772 days ago

That is some very pretty veneer Charlie! And you used it very well.Nice contrasts.I will have to try this sometime.

-- " If I can make it,so can you" Andy in Oregon

View filip's profile

filip

8 posts in 739 days


posted 726 days ago

YES, that’s right; everybody needs such a verry special cabinet. NO kidding.;-)
nice project.

View Dana's profile

Dana

73 posts in 670 days


posted 670 days ago

Wow! Very nice Job! :)

-- Dana,Texas

View Rj's profile

Rj

571 posts in 531 days


posted 522 days ago

Charlie I really like this ,I like the Rosewood-Cherry comboination colors go well together .
It makes me want to make a project out the Rosewood I have .

-- Rj's Woodworks,San Jose & Weed Ca,

View dion kendall's profile

dion kendall

39 posts in 342 days


posted 342 days ago

really nice job

-- dion trinity east

View OhVlyArtisan's profile

OhVlyArtisan

217 posts in 20 days


posted 11 days ago

Wow – I wish my 1st try at veneer looked half as good – and I used craftwood

Doug

-- God grant me the serenity to accept "design changes" which I can not "fix".

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