SteveA
Posts: 2
Joined: 2017-03-11
Location: Boonton, NJ
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Hi.(I'm very sorry for the length of this question, but this is the only place I can think of where a question like this might be asked with the hope of getting a response from someone with experience.)I've veneered a lot of flat panels, but no curved panels. So this question is about curved panels.I have to make a small curved door which will have a final thickness of approximately 1/2". The radius of the curve is about 4-1/2" - fairly tight - so I'll use 3 pieces of 1/8" poplar bending ply interleaved with 2 pieces of cross grain veneer. My question is really about the show veneer on the inside surface. BTW, the show veneer is a mottled sapele.I have the form built but I haven't done the core yet. If I'm going to press the core first, and then do the show veneer surfaces in a second pressing, it seems to me that what I SHOULD do when pressing the core is add a thickness of thin cardboard - the same thickness as the final show veneer - onto the form before pressing the core so that when I use the same form (without the extra cardboard) to press the show veneers the core will wind up having the correct inside radius. If I don't do that then the inside radius of the core will be flexed slightly when I press the show veneer. But the problem is I never hear anyone talking about taking this extra step so I must be misjudging something.One of the reasons I bring this up is that I read an article in Fine Woodworking #210 written by Michael Fortune. In it he writes "The show veneers must be applied in two steps. The outside curve can be done using the form, but the inside curve might not match the form perfectly. Any gaps between the inside curve and the form will leave bubbles between the panel core and show veneer."His concern about this leads him to pressing the inside veneer without the form (nor a platen) - concave surface of the curved panel UP - with a piece of evacunet, a flexible caul, and a small wood block to connect to the air hose. His words - "Fortunately, the core is strong enough to hold its shape under the pressure." Is his a "better" method for ensuring that the inside veneer conforms correctly to the inside curve of the form? Is my concern about the inside radius accuracy of the form appropriate, or will the "flex" of the panel core be so slight as to be insignificant?I really hope this makes sense to someone here who has experience with veneering curved panels and is willing to comment on my confusion.Thanks for any responses. <<Sorry for the way this is formatted. I can't seem to make any paragraphs no matter how much I edit this...>>
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