Darryl Keil Last Activity 2025-02-12 2:48 PM
7 replies, 3050 viewings
 
back
Navigate threads:
< Previous Thread :: Next Thread >
 
^ Top
Enrico Konig

Posts: 74

Joined: 2006-01-06
Location: Vancouver, BC

User Profile 
Subject : unequal veneer thicknesses over solid wood
Posted : 2007-07-29 4:09 PM
Post #33976
I am looking for some advice. I am planning on veneering a 1 1/4" or 1 3/8" thick solid western maple panel, roughly 20" by 48", with quilted western maple. The problem is that my face veneer, the quilted maple, is a bit thinner than the flatsawn maple veneer I was planning on using on the underside of the panel. Will this cause the panel to warp? I understand that the grain direction on both the substrate & veneers should be the same.

I was planning on doing the same for the doors for this cabinet, using quilted maple veneer on the show side & this slightly thicker maple backer for the back side (sliding doors, so the back won't be seen). This will be, however, over a luan bending plywood core, as it is a bowed-front cabinet. Am I asking for problems?

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Enrico Konig



 
^ Top
Brian Gray

Posts: 339

Joined: 2004-01-21
Location: Sandusky, OH

User Profile 
Subject : RE: unequal veneer thicknesses over solid wood
Posted : 2007-07-29 5:05 PM
Post #33977 - In reply to #33976
I have two questions...

What is your substrate?

How much of a thickness difference in the veneers are you talking about?


 
^ Top
Enrico Konig

Posts: 74

Joined: 2006-01-06
Location: Vancouver, BC

User Profile 
Subject : RE: unequal veneer thicknesses over solid wood
Posted : 2007-07-29 6:12 PM
Post #33979 - In reply to #33977
Substrate in the first case is solid wood, western maple. For the doors it's to be a bending ply core with 1/8" mdf on each side.

Thickness of the quilted maple is 1/42", and of the maple backer is more like 1/32".

Enrico


 
^ Top
Don Stephan

Posts: 825

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

User Profile 
Subject : RE: unequal veneer thicknesses over solid wood
Posted : 2007-07-29 7:32 PM
Post #33981 - In reply to #33979
Not the answer you want, but whenever there is any question, my recommendation is to experiment. Especially with veneer as expensive as QBLM. A test glueup of the curved door fronts is probably planned anyway - why not do two tests, one with the maple backer on both sides and the other with assembled QBLM leftovers on show side and the maple backer on the other. This will provide feedback on the final curvature of the doors, practice sanding the curved surfaces, generous finish evaluation surface area, ... My 2 cents.


 
^ Top
Brian Gray

Posts: 339

Joined: 2004-01-21
Location: Sandusky, OH

User Profile 
Subject : RE: unequal veneer thicknesses over solid wood
Posted : 2007-07-29 8:10 PM
Post #33982 - In reply to #33981
I agree with Don on tests....

Also, does the substrate on the large panel have to be solid?

If I were doing this project, I'd feel much more confident if my substrate was MDF, Xtira, or Medex.

As far as the thickness difference...there's not a tremendous difference in 1/42" and 1/32", and I would think that you should ould be safe, as long as your substrate is stable.

However, I'm not positive. I'd like to hear Darryl's thoughts on whether this veneer thickness variation is really a concern.


 
^ Top
Enrico Konig

Posts: 74

Joined: 2006-01-06
Location: Vancouver, BC

User Profile 
Subject : RE: unequal veneer thicknesses over solid wood
Posted : 2007-07-29 10:40 PM
Post #33986 - In reply to #33982
Well, for the last couple years I've been laying up these panels using 1/4" mdf skins over honeycomb, applying solid wood to exposed edges. And have been super pleased with the results. But since this design calls for sliding doors in a bowed front cabinet - i.e. the doors are bowed and thus the grooves in which they'll ride will also be curved - I wanted to be cutting those door-slide grooves into solid wood. This panel I want to veneer with quilted maple will be the top of this cabinet; the bottom will just be solid maple.

By the way, what is Xtira?

I've now rechecked the thickness of my backer veneer with calipers and it's actually 1/28" thick. So I'm thinking this is a significant difference in thicknesses between the face & backer veneers. I'm thinking I will just run my backer veneers through my drum sander and bring it down to be safe.

Mighty obliged for all the feedback folks!


 
^ Top
Brian Gray

Posts: 339

Joined: 2004-01-21
Location: Sandusky, OH

User Profile 
Subject : RE: unequal veneer thicknesses over solid wood
Posted : 2007-07-30 8:52 AM
Post #33988 - In reply to #33986
Xtira and Medex are the same product, but renamed by different manufacturers.

They are water-resistant MDF's intended for outdoor use.

Paul Schurch taught me to use these substrates, as they are supposed to be even more stable than standard MDF.

Good luck with your project, Enrico...report back on how it goes!


 
^ Top
Darryl Keil

Posts: 1454

Joined: 2003-05-22
Location: Maine

User Profile 
Subject : RE: unequal veneer thicknesses over solid wood
Posted : 2007-07-30 9:18 PM
Post #33991 - In reply to #33986
Enrico,

Wow, I'm surprised you managed to get 1/28" veneer. Its been a long time since veneer was commonly cut at that thickness, unless its some kind of a special run.

Its kind of ironic that you're going to sand this down to get thinner veneer when most folks would die to get some 1/28" stock. Not that I think you shouldn't sand it, just an interesting situation. If you can, I would try to get it close to 1/40". You might just want to save this veneer for another project and get some more maple backer. 1/40" plain sliced maple is pretty easy to come by.

Its probably not quite that critical to have the veneers perfectly the same but with a sliding curved door I would want everything in my favor. I assume you're going to use urea resin glue not a PVA. The top of course is not that critical being flat, screwed down, and on thick solid wood.

Sincerely
Darryl Keil
back
Navigate threads:
< Previous Thread :: Next Thread >
Legend      Notification  
Administrator
Forum Moderator
Registered User
Unregistered User
 Toggle e-mail notification


Logo by MAZY
Running MegaBBS ASP Forum Software v1.5.14b public beta