First veneer project - disaster

It looks good in the pics, I’m not sure of your process, buy you may want to veneer one side at a time. That way you can use veneers that are a little over size and then use a razor to trim back to the edge. it may take care of the seams. and always try and do the most visible face last, it should overlap the previous seams this way. The thing about legs especially ones that aren’t flat is that it is very hard to get a perfect seam. You picked a good project to start veneering with and also using joe woodworker. that is where i get most of my veneers from. He has great products and offers good advice. And any time i’ve email him i’ve always gotten a response back in less than a day.

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

You can put a ! at the beginning and end of your picture link to display the picture Like below.

Doesn’t look bad to me.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Thanks for the kind words. I guess it drives me nuts because I built it.

I chose a poly water base minwax product for ease of application. I did two coats then sanded and applied a third. I might sand and apply a final coat.

The top will be a soid stock flame maple border on a walnut burl veneered plywood. I love light and dark contract in wood and I love figures.

Thanks for the photo tip

Considering I have never tried to veneer anything I think it’s a fantastic first effort.

-- Chris

The only thing that looks odd to me is all the grain goes one direction except the short skirt – but I think overall it looks good.

This is probably one of those times that the project looks great except to the guy who built it, who can notice every little blemish possible. No one else would see them unless you point them out.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

wow I never noticed the small skirt. geez…

Crud – sorry guitar——didn’t mean to make you see something you had not already seen. My bad.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

i think its great. never tried veneering but i don’t really want to get into it much. i think its wonderful!

I think that you have a good vision in your design.

If you want to relieve yourself from dealing with the seams in veneer, get a sheet of paper-backed veneer. It will allow you to concentrate on applying the veneer.

Dealing with the seams is technically more difficult.

I think your project looks pretty good.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Looks great to me

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

IF you can learn to display your project, but keep your mouth shut about blemishes, everyone will enjoy it more. Someone else said that on another project (doin’t remember who) but I’ve thought about it a bunch and it really is true. People are drawn to the good, so let them enjoy. Then enjoy their enjoyment! (-:

You did just fine. Considering it is a first effort you did really fine.

-- Maplewood, MN

Better than me since I haven’t tried veneering yet (have some nice material, just haven’t had the chance to try it). I’ll probably try something small like a box. Kudos to you for daring to try a larger project.

I think it’s a great job!

-- Bruce from Central New York

Your well on your way to great things. Nice job on the veneer.

-- Billp

I’m still looking for the problem here, much less a “disaster”!

Like Joey said, do the most prominent side last, and make it a bit oversize so you can trim it back exactly with a razor.

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

well, you folks are too kind. I will post the top hen its done.

I was not sure what to expect when I saw the title of the post but to tell the truth I don’t see any problem with the legs at all. They look pretty good to me.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

I’m still scratching my head cuz I cant see any problems. Maybe they’re visible close up but the tiniest flaws are probably most visible to the maker, while nobody else even notices 1/4 of what you see. Gift it away and make another for yourself that you’re happier with. I garantee you the recipient will love it.

-- Use the fence Luke

You could always run the router on the leg edges and put some 1/8” purfling out of the same material as the skirts.

-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca

Wow, thats a good idea. hmmm….. I will have to think about it.

I was originally going to cut relief on two sides of the legs and the skirt to make a sort of open area under the table. Kind of hard to describe. but it would make the table more elegant and less heavy.

Really nice first attempt GB. I think it turned out great. If this was a disaster, I sure am looking forward to seeing your non-disasters.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Great job. veneering is a blast, But you need to be prepared for things to happen. It looks good to me.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

I believe that I misunderstood your issue with the glue line. I thought that you meant a visible glue line in the middle of the top, where two pieces would be seamed.

Now I realize that you meant the seams on the corners, right?

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

yeah the seems on the corners of the legs.

The most important thing is you have identified the problem & will do it better next time.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

As far as I can tell it looks amazing. Love the figured maple and walnut.

-- Tyler, Illinois

Quite the contrast of colors, but I think it looks fine. The only thing I noticed is the grain running in different directions on the skirt.

-- Ed Collinge- Edmonds, WA.

Great job!

Thanks for the post

Callum

-- Look great, get your TTK merchandise now! http://www.printfection.com/thetimberkid/ Check out my site http://thetimberkid.blogspot.com/

First off, I think it looks great.

Don’t be afraid to share mistakes. We all make them and if you post them, we too get to learn from your mistake and can be alert to whatever pitfalls might befall us when we try.

On the other side of the coin, we are all (pretty much) our own worst critics. I can’t see anything wrong in the photo. Take a tighter shot of the area that bugs you (since you posted this as a disaster), and post it. Otherwise, perhaps you, as the piece’s creator just have your “flaw magnification lens” on.

Every project that I make has a corresponding mental image of the perfect conception of that piece. Inevitably there will be some divergence from the shining image of perfection that I conceive as I make that object become a reality.
I think Doug S. hit the nail on the head above “Gift it away and make another for yourself that you’re happier with.” The recipient will not hold the gift to the comparative standard you forged in your mind. They will only be appreciative of the beautiful reality you created. Then you get to make a do-over with mid-course corrections for the thing that drove you nuts (I’m not saying some other wart not will pop up!).

And at the end of the day, sometimes you just put some lipstick on the pig and keep on truckin’…

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

I think the project looks very nice, its great what you can do with veneer ,love the curly maple,if ever in need of veneer look me up
thanks Fritz