Veneering glues & technique for large items

I would never recommend using contact cement for veneering. It is too flexible. Your joints will open up. You should be using a UREA glue or west systems epoxy.
These will insure a proper, long term veneer job. Hide glue will also work in certain circumstances.

John

-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca

David J. Marks uses something like gorilla glue, I think. Veneers is not my thing… yet.

-- There are three kinds of people... those who can count, and those who can't

I seen David uses plastice resin. Is this what you are talking about when you say UREA glue? If so, I do have some that gets used on dark woods.

If you are doing restoration work, you may want to use hide glue. It is historicly correct for old peices and it has plenty of holding power when i have used it to repair veneer. It is also reversable. (comes in handy if you make a mistake, sure did for me.) You can also get it in liquid form so you don’t have to use a glue pot. (that’s the route I took.) It can be reactivated with heat. so if an edge pops or you get a blister, you can heat it up and lay it back down. I haven’t done a lot of it, but it works pretty well for me.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

The following might can be used in veneering:

DAP’s Plastic Resin Glue (the one David Marks used on many shows): http://www.dap.com/product_details.aspx?product_id=42

Unibond 800 (my personal favorite): http://www.vacupress.com/veneerglue.htm

-- Al Navas, St Joseph, MO, http://sandal-woodsblog.com

Thanks for the links Al…. They will be useful.

-- Chris

Thanks all for your help and links. I have some DAP plastic resin powder and going to give it a shot. Will post some pics when I get done with it along with before pics. I also have to get after pics of a maple dresser I finished a few(5) weeks ago.

David marks did an episode of wood works devoted soley to veneers. He use both yellow glue and plastic resin glue. On Tag Frid’s video series he uses plastic resin glue. the plastic resin glue has a longer open time, so you you’re not rushed to get everything really quick.

i use mainly titebond III. it has an open time of about 8 minutes and bonds really good, being a waterproof glue too. i usually press my veneers between MDF cauls, with newspapers used as lining between the veneer and cauls, this keeps any squeeze out from bonding the cauls to the veneer. then use clamps and pressing bars to get the pressure.

And gorilla glue wouldn’t even be a consideration. Too much foam, i don’t think it would be a good choice. Plus gorilla glue is not as strong as titebond. gorilla glue will fail at the glue line.

-- Joey, Magee, Ms http://woodnwaresms.com

I tried this method on my first veneering try, and was amazed how easy and successful it was. I didn’t thin the glue as much as 9 to 1, but added a little water to make it easier to spread on the wood. Let it dry completely then iron. I even impressed myself. Give it a try.
http://lumberjocks.com/topics/2795

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

Unibond is the best for larger work since it has a long cure time. There is an additive for Unibond to reduce bleed through on the more open pored veneers, which can be very useful. There are also different colors of powder available.
Resin like West Systems is good too for its longer pot life but can be more “slippery” making clamping/pressing more difficult.
For smaller jobs PVA is fine ie)titebond, elmher’s. Don’t for get to work fast since it will go off before you can say vacuum press.

-- Tim Nuanes

David (The LJ) did a couple of Blogs on veneering. You might check them out if you had not already.

http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/David/blog/series/270

http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/David/blog/series/128

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