[gperkins1973]

Hi guys,

I thought I would start a wood veneering thread as I presume alot of us will be doing this at some stage. I have been reading loads about different techniques, glues etc... to use and do but still feel a little nervous with the glue side of things.

I did look at the glue film sheets but I need to do the inner circles on my baffles so thats a no no. Which leaves me to glue. Contact cements are a no as it doesn't give you any leaway with movement on attaching the veneer to the substrate. There seems to be mixed opinions on yellow glue and pva glue which both can be applied with an iron to fix to the mdf. So I thought I would post a thread to get peoples opinions as there are probably some people out there that have done this already so it would be good to get som opinions.

I did want to fix one long piece of veneer around the two sides and the top without doing it in 3 pieces. I would be adding a curve on the corners on the top and bottom hence wanting to fix the veneer in one piece.

Look forward to any advice you may have.

cheers

Graham

[IronGiant]

I think we're all politely waiting for you to go first...

Dave

[gperkins1973]

Dave,

If I knew what was the best glue to get that can be done with using an iron to fix the veneer to the mdf then i would. I don't want to have to replace £120's worth of veneer.

cheers

Graham

[dazzler9000]

I’m in the same boat, although maybe not as far along as you, I’m still in the planning stages.

I’ve seen some gorgeous zebrano veneer that Richard Russell sell. The problem is It’s £110 a sheet (special order) and £70 delivery. It’s a bit more than I’m willing to spend, the delivery especially. I’m not entirely sure how you stick it down either?? I did see a thread where the guy paints PVA on, leaves it to dry and then irons it afterwards. I think this was the one Reveneering an old Speaker cabinet - Page 6 - pink fish media

Has anybody spoken to any cabinetmakers or anybody that actually veneers for a living?

I’d be very interested in your progress.

[AngelEyes]

My initial thoughts are that wrapping a large piece of veneer could prove costly if you make a mistake.

You might want to consider routing out a corner section along the length where two sides meet and then adding a square cross sectioned rectangle (say 2cm square) of solid wood of your choice. If you finish this so it is just proud of the surface (by the thickness of the veneer) you can veneer up to the slightly protruding block and round it off with a router after if you wish.

I am pretty sure I have seen subs finished like this before.

Alternatively you can do what BK do with their XXLS400 and veneer each panel and then route the corner edges off. This leaves some exposed MDF on the corners but on light Oak it doesn't really show and looks more like a feature. I am not that keen myself but it is an option and certainly much easier.

Adam

[AngelEyes]

Originally Posted by dazzler9000

Has anybody spoken to any cabinetmakers or anybody that actually veneers for a living?

I have but he specialises in restoring old furniture so uses traditional methods and glues, not PVA or anything that modern.

His suggestion to me was to buy Pre-veneered MDF but to seal it before you start production, this will protect it from stains and glue smears whioch will show up when you stain or seal later on.

If you used Pre-veneered MDF it could work very well with the first of the two methods I mentioned above.

Adam

[gperkins1973]

Adam,

I really wanted to route out a square of the mdf and add a 21 or 25mm quadrant and then veneer over that so you effectively get the four curved egdes, 2 top and 2 bottom like the PB13. I am struggling to find a big enough rebate routing bit to get a rebate that big. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Bear in mind I am a complete novice with a router.

cheers

Graham

[AngelEyes]

If you want to curve the corners and veneer over the top (over the curved corners), don't bother adding a quadrant, just route the MDF.

If you want the wood inserts to show then veneer up to them on each face and then route the quadrants.

Adam

[gperkins1973]

Adam,

I have a titan router from screwfix which is 1/2 shank bit size. I am not sure what size rounding over router cutter I need to buy in order to be able to route a 25mm curve from the mdf.

25mm being going that distance inwards and then start curving. See pic attached.

Are you able to advise in this.

cheers

Graham

[AngelEyes]

I would use a standard size and just not route the full width of the insert but that is just me. The wider the cut the more gumption your router will need so I would expect you could struggle with a large cut unless your router has a lot of power (I have no idea on how much).

Good router bits are also very expensive which is another reason I might use a smaller one.

I am not really the best person to ask but if it only costs a tenner and you can test on some scrap then go for it. Just remember Oak (or other hardwood) is a lot harder that MDF so what works for one might not for another.

Adam

[gperkins1973]

Adam,

The router came with 15 piece router set which has a small curved one but it will only make about a 6mm curve which I think will be too small to bend the veneer around.

If you go too deep with them they create a straight edge above the curve.

cheers

Graham

[AngelEyes]

This site is just an example but if you are cutting into MDF I reckon you should be fine with the top one, just get the depth spot on before you start!

Infinity Tools: Router Bits : Roundover:

I would ask your chippie frined for advice though.

Adam

[gperkins1973]

The bottom one look perfect but I think it will be too big for the router to fit into as it is 2.5 inches in diameter and £63.

Screwfix do a titan on which has a radius of 12.7mm at £11. That may do. I will get one of those and see if it works.

cheers

Graham

[AngelEyes]

Something to consider; if you cut 25mm from the corners of your sub you basically are going right through it, which means you really need to be sure the wood you insert fits perfectly and leaves an airtight seal.

I would probably drop in something a little smaller so you avoid that problem.

Adam

[IronGiant]

The cut isn't 25mm deep though is it, its 25mm across, he's probably only losing about 12mm of depth, I think...

I think he's not going the quadrant route any more but "shrink wrapping" the whole box in veneer so wants a smooth broad curve to bend the veneer over.

[AngelEyes]

Ok, I thought it was the quadrant method.

Adam

[gperkins1973]

Adam,

Yes it is the same but without going through the hassle of glueing the rebating and glueing the quadrant in. I will see what the router bit does from screwfix. It has a 28mm diameter in size so I hope it fits through the hole in the router.

cheers
Graham

[gperkins1973]

Just found this which I found really helpful. He used Titebond wood glue and ironed on the veneer.

Veneering with Paper Backed Veneer Stock

I think I will get that stuff and give it a go on some sample mdf and curve it around a routed curve to see if it works first before I veneer the whole box.

The fact that this stuff dries without any tackiness means I should be able to veneer the whole 3 sides in one go no problem as the pva glue can be reheated to glue again if it hasn't stuck.

cheers

Graham

[silverback1]

That last link you posted is by far the best piece of diy veenering i have seen,super sharp edges.beautiful even finish..i have veneered numerous pair's of speaker's and it takes alot of time and patience to get it right...seal your box..with pva or you can put a coat of contact adhesive before you lay the veneer on,depends how absorbent the mdf is..the edges are tricky..i have never used veneer that would roll over a radius without splitting unlike the photo's you posted awhile ago..if you have any mdf left make up a small box and have a go first before you plough straight into the biggee..see how the veneer trims.iron's on etc...it's very costly if you veneer one side and screw thing's up,sharp tools,take your time and if i can help just ask...i know alot of this is common sense but it would be a pain to rush the last stage and bugger the job up
cheers Kev

[scw]

As a former cabinet maker/ furniture restorer, the task you care taking on is a fair challenge for someone with little experience and the previous posters comments regarding practicing on spare material is very good advice.

I have veneered with PVA, traditional animal glue, contact adhesive, hot melt sheets and with hot and cold industrial presses. All have their benefits and disadvantages and what works for one person may not work for another.

One thing you will almost certainly not be able to do is veneer around a rounded over edge of a cabinet. This is why manufactures traditionally use square corner boxes, or have a small rounded over corner of the base material (usually MDF) showing through.

Good luck with the project.

[IronGiant]

The OP has moved on but there are several of us still interested in veneering our various projects so thanks for posting I must confess I was rather concerned about whether veneering a curved corner was attainable.

Dave

[scw]

Originally Posted by IronGiant

The OP has moved on but there are several of us still interested in veneering our various projects so thanks for posting I must confess I was rather concerned about whether veneering a curved corner was attainable.

Dave

No not achievable I’d say unless you were using a wet method like using animal glue where the veneer would be a bit more pliable and then you would still struggle to get round anything other than a gentle curve.

The furniture industry has got over this problem by using vacuum presses and man-made wafer thin foil veneers. Kitchen and bedroom doors are the best example of these.