Don Stephan
Posts: 825
Joined: 2003-07-18
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
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Sounds like "leaf" is being used to talk about the pieces of veneer and outer pieces to extend the diameter of the table. I'm going to refer to the latter as "extension pieces" to try to avoid confusion.
If I understand, you are not trying to continue grain/figure match of the maple from extension piece to piece. You are wanting to make sure there is EXACTLY one inch wide curved strip of maple on the inner perimeter of the extension pieces and EXACTLY one inch wide curved strip of maple on the outer perimeter piece, with the perimeter pieces made in advance.
While I don't usually get significant movement of the veneer on the substrate during insertion into a vacuum bag, I'm always leaving a slight overhang and planning to trim the substrate to final size after the adhesive has cured. Even a movement of 1/64" in opposite directions on adjoining perimeter pieces would be noticeable if the maple runs to the radial edges, and I can't imagine how you would hold slippage to less than 1/64".
The only way MAYBE to achieve this kind of accuracy that I can imagine would be to make the perimeter pieces and veneer skins slightly oversize, make an EXACT template for the perimeter pieces, carefully place the template in EXACT position after the veneer skins have cured on the perimeter pieces, and then pattern route the perimeter pieces to final size.
I can understand that the described look would be striking, but the needed degree of accuracy seems unlikely. My suggestion, in combination with pattern routing if necessary, is to change the design for the perimeter pieces. For example, if the perimeter pieces were skinned with burl the alignment issue is eliminated. A different look, certainly, but would it be better than mis-aligned white strips?
Or create a border all the way around the perimeter pieces using maple or burl, with the crotch mahogany inside. If the border maple or burl has to be made up using several pieces of veneer, orient so the seams are radial (pointing towards the center of the table) and there won't be distinct reference points where the perimeter pieces meet to show slight mis-alignment. This would allow the perimeter piece skins to be slightly oversize on the already formed perimeter pieces, and then trimmed to the actual edges of the perimeter pieces. If this border all the way around each perimeter piece is about 1" wide, minor mis-alignment will be harder to detect. Hope this makes sense.
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