Darryl Keil Last Activity 2025-09-09 11:09 AM
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Scott Ferrazzani

 
Subject : Birdseye maple over MDF be careful
Posted : 2005-12-22 10:45 AM
Post #32653
I just wanted to pass on an experience that I have had with MDF so nobody makes the same mistake. I made a federal linen press styled after a John Seymour design. Long story short I used Some expensive birds eye maple for the upper door panels and the drawer fronts. I used 1/4 " MDF for the upper drawer panel substrate and Birch furniture plywood for the drawer face substrate. The maple veneer although standard thickness is so thin that the dark substrate of the MDF shows through. The maple over the birch ply drawer fronts has great luster, shows depth and looks fantastic. The maple over the MDF looks dull and much darker, no luster. Lesson is that I should always put a light color veneer backer under the finish maple I guess. Learned the hard way . Who knew. Hope this helps someone.

Funny thing is that after a winter in a heated New Hampshire house the 10 coats of shellac developed litte cracks in the finish over the birch ply (not in the veneer just the finish) but the finish on the MDF panels is perfect.


 
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Don Stephan

Posts: 825

Joined: 2003-07-18
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

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Subject : RE: Birdseye maple over MDF be careful
Posted : 2005-12-23 6:37 PM
Post #32663 - In reply to #32653
MDF is used so often under veneer it seems odd it would cause this problem for you. Out of curiosity, where did you get your veneer?

Thanks.


 
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scott ferrazzani

 
Subject : RE: Birdseye maple over MDF be careful
Posted : 2005-12-27 4:18 PM
Post #32670 - In reply to #32663
I bought the veneer at Joe Woodworkers. It was very thin to start as most veneer is but the smallest amount of sanding to remove glue made it even thinner. Enought that you can see the MDF background color through the Maple. I even used the lightest colored unibond 800 glue. Scott


 
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matt campbell

Posts: 9

Joined: 2005-12-22
Location: anchorage,alaska

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Subject : RE: Birdseye maple over MDF be careful
Posted : 2005-12-24 12:01 AM
Post #32667 - In reply to #32653
Possible that the reason that your shellac was cracking on the birch ply and not the mdf is because when veneering over ply it needs to be cross grain.See Tage Frid book 2.


 
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scott ferrazzani

 
Subject : RE: Birdseye maple over MDF be careful
Posted : 2005-12-27 4:19 PM
Post #32671 - In reply to #32667
Im sure the finish is cracking over the birch ply for that exact reason. My mistake on that one but I dont mind the mild crazing . It looks even more period to me.
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