Veneer tabletop with hardwood edges

as for the firs question biscuits will work in ply, the second is no the veneer will not peel or chip as long as the groove is a smooth cut. they put the veneer on at the factory and use a real good glue so this will not happen.

-- Ike, Big Daddies Woodshop, http://www.icombadaniels@yahoo.com

I took such a table apart a while ago. It was better then 30 years old and made in Czechoslovakia. they used a spline in the hardwood ply and the ends. Damn good ply they made.

-- When the moderator chooses sides, his site sucks.

and you guys are saying the veneer is staying glued down along the groove…...and not chipping or peeling?

I would really like to build a big kitchen table using this method, but have been hesitant because of this very issue.

I was even afraid of using the groove instead of a totally matched up joint with a good hardwood ply.

I am encouraged by this discussion.

thanks.

Biscuits will work.

I am concerned about the exposure of endgrain in the substrate when that groove exists. Is it possible to make it a net fit?

Just wiping the top down with a damp rag would be a negative, not to mention the upended tumbler (I just realized why they’re called that) of water.

If you were to veneer the field yourself, you could edge the ply with 1/4” strips of your trim material and I’d sleep better at night.

Kindly,

Lee

-- "...in his brain, which is as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd with observation, the which he vents in mangled forms." --Shakespeare, "As You Like It"

What a great suggestion, Lee. Edge the ply/veneer and then making the joinery.

You are a wealth of knowledge and common sense.

Thanks.

I was reading a really old Woodsmith magazine about edging plywood and they suggested cutting a spline into the edge of the plywood and then a groove into the hardwood edge. Do you think this would be a better way? I was recently using biscuits and had several of them installed into one edge and had glue on them, ready to install into the other edge and noticed that they had started to swell. Almost to the point of not being able to get them in the mating bicuit grooves. I was wondering if the hydraulic action of the moisture in the biscuit could potentially cause the plywood to split along plys causing a high spot on the ply top?

Neil -
I, too, like the table top banding/edging treatment you’re talking about. It looks really sharp. Also somewhat supprised our LJ veneering experts haven’t disclosed how it’s done, though I like Lee’s suggestion. Wondering if a multicoat laquer finish wouldn’t provide enough edge protection to prevent splintering the veneer? Keep us posted on your project.
Mike