# 2mm constructional veneer



## Melinda_dd (24 Aug 2013)

Any ideas where I can get some 2mm constuctional veneer at a decent price from?
I've googled it to death to no avail.

Looking to a future build ukulele so want 2 sets of book matched bits and 2 sides from 2mm thick
I dont have a table saw to resaw my own else I'd do my own


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## Sgian Dubh (24 Aug 2013)

Capital Crispin Veneer are very likely to be able to supply you without much fuss: http://www.capitalcrispin.com/ They can supply in small or large quantities in quite a variety of species, and they'll send it to your location, all for a charge of course. I have no idea what you consider to be a "decent price", so it's possible that your "decent price" may not match their "decent price", but they always seem to be able to supply whatever we need which does save a lot of time (therefore money) mucking about with suppliers that can't supply what's needed. Slainte.


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## MIGNAL (24 Aug 2013)

Well you don't need them bookmatched, especially for a Ukulele. I'm not so sure that constructional veneer is the right stuff. The very limited experience that I've had with constructional veneer is that it isn't quite the same stuff as a sawn veneer. It seemed to be a lot more 'floppy' than the sawn stuff. I don't know how they process constructional veneer but maybe there is something in that process which affects the wood. 
Anyway if it's for a soprano Ukulele I'll have a look and see what I have. I've certainly got lots of Spruce for soundboards. All my other wood is large guitar sized Back/Sides.


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## Melinda_dd (24 Aug 2013)

Thanks!!!! That would be great!!!

I only say constructional vaneer as thats all I could find the 2mm stuff called on the googe! Ive only met the really thin stuff.
I've no experience in making any type of instrument at all.... This itch has been fueled by a film I saw one in! So bought a book!!!

As for the book matching. .. just thought it would look prettier!!

Where do you get yours? Do you saw yourself? Do you make a lot of guitars? How do you bend your sides..... soooo many questions!!!


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## MIGNAL (24 Aug 2013)

You can bookmatch if you want to. It's the norm in string instruments but it doesn't really matter if you don't.





One piece Back in Cherry. Not a Ukulele but not far off being one.
I get a lot of my wood through the specialist supplier David Dyke in Sussex. Some stuff from Italy, Spain and Canada. Depends on what I'm after and what's available. 
Side bending I do on a specially made iron that I had cast in aluminium years ago. Prior to that i just used a pipe and propane torch.


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## Melinda_dd (24 Aug 2013)

Thats cool!

Just looked on david dykes website. ...intetesting!... and a little scary too lol


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## Sgian Dubh (25 Aug 2013)

MIGNAL":3n5yx0cb said:


> The very limited experience that I've had with constructional veneer is that it isn't quite the same stuff as a sawn veneer. It seemed to be a lot more 'floppy' than the sawn stuff. I don't know how they process constructional veneer but maybe there is something in that process which affects the wood.



Commercially, veneers are produced by mounting the log on a spindle and, depending on the cut required, slices are peeled off with a knife. In some cases the process resembles toilet paper being unrolled, e.g., for Baltic birch ply. Additionally, the logs are soaked in water and steamed to make the peeling process possible.

Anyway, the purpose for the brief and incomplete description above is to give a hint for the cause of the 'floppiness' you mentioned. The peeling process results in longitudinal fracturing of the grain as each leaf, or continuous leaf in the case of veneers for plywood, is produced. Peeled veneer has a 'closed' side and an 'open' side. The closed side is the face away from the knife as the leaf is peeled off, and the open side is the face next to the knife and the term 'open' refers to the longitudinal fracturing I mentioned earlier. Veneers bend concave across the grain easier when bent towards the closed face because of the fracturing evident on the open face.

Sawn veneers don't share the open and closed face characteristics with peeled veneers because of the way they're cut, which I suppose is fairly self-evident if thought about a bit, but sawn veneers can't produce as many close matched leaves (available for book matching for instance) as those available through the peeling process, nor as close a match from leaf to leaf in sequence because of the wood lost to the saw kerf. 

I suspect that's enough information to explain the floppiness you mentioned, but I also realise there's a lot I've simply skipped over about veneers and their production. Slainte.


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## MIGNAL (25 Aug 2013)

Yes I'm aware of how they produce veneer but there must be something in the process of cutting 2 mm constructional veneer that seems to produce a much worse surface than what is seen on standard 0.6 mm veneer. 
As an example. I have some 2 mm constructional Black dyed veneer in Maple. It behaves very differently to any 0.6 mm Maple veneer (dyed or otherwise) that I've come across. Quite literally you have to pore fill it, then pore fill it again and again! In over 35 years of woodworking I've never come across veneer or a dyed veneer like it. To get to the 'good stuff' you have to remove almost 1 mm, which kind of defeats the objective. In fact the stuff is so problematic that I've stopped using it. It's soft, floppy and has deep fissures.


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## Allubo (25 Aug 2013)

Have you tried eBay for this, it can sometimes have just what you're looking for.

Alex


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## Sgian Dubh (25 Aug 2013)

MIGNAL":3labvm3i said:


> Yes I'm aware of how they produce veneer but there must be something in the process of cutting 2 mm constructional veneer that seems to produce a much worse surface than what is seen on standard 0.6 mm veneer.
> As an example. I have some 2 mm constructional Black dyed veneer in Maple. It behaves very differently to any 0.6 mm Maple veneer (dyed or otherwise) that I've come across. Quite literally you have to pore fill it, then pore fill it again and again! In over 35 years of woodworking I've never come across veneer or a dyed veneer like it. To get to the 'good stuff' you have to remove almost 1 mm, which kind of defeats the objective. In fact the stuff is so problematic that I've stopped using it. It's soft, floppy and has deep fissures.


I've not come across those problems, and I too have used all sorts of veneer over many years. I can't think of a reason, or reasons, for your dyed maple to behave as you describe. I've never come across any maple, veneer form or as a board, that needed pore filling to the extent you've needed to. In fact, I don't think I've ever filled the grain of maple, but that's because it's fine grained anyway and I've never wanted a completely smooth surface on that wood species upon which to build a finish.

I can't think why your black maple is so odd, and I'm not even going to insult your intelligence by wondering if what you've got isn't actually maple. Slainte.


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## MIGNAL (25 Aug 2013)

Almost certainly Maple. It was sold as Black dyed Maple and it looks like it. The pores don't look like the usual open grained hardwood, more like fissures. In fact you don't notice them until you actually start to get a finish on the wood. If you've ever finished Ebony you will immediately notice that it's not quite as close grained as you expect. But the pores in Ebony will fill in a few applications of Shellac. This stuff takes dozens of applications to get a smooth level surface, nothing like normal Maple. Either that or you have to sand away a lot of the wood before you get to the good stuff. Maybe I just got some poor example or a lower 'grade'. I've had lower grade Maple in standard veneer thickness and you can clearly see that there are small fissures in the surface. I still have a few sheets of this stuff and it's quite usable, it's not a problem. The constructional veneer I have is much worse.


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## Sgian Dubh (26 Aug 2013)

I can only think this is one of those things that's a genuine mystery, especially as I can't see or handle the troublesome veneer that you have, which may (or may not) make it possible to form a theory to explain the behaviour, or even come to a conclusion. Slainte.


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## Melinda_dd (26 Aug 2013)

Allubo":2xwf3fl2 said:


> Have you tried eBay for this, it can sometimes have just what you're looking for.
> 
> Alex



Yes I have. Can only find some 1.5mm walnut vaneers but I think that would be too thin..


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## Melinda_dd (27 Aug 2013)

Sgian Dubh":1iapahq8 said:


> Capital Crispin Veneer are very likely to be able to supply you without much fuss: http://www.capitalcrispin.com/ They can supply in small or large quantities in quite a variety of species, and they'll send it to your location, all for a charge of course. I have no idea what you consider to be a "decent price", so it's possible that your "decent price" may not match their "decent price", but they always seem to be able to supply whatever we need which does save a lot of time (therefore money) mucking about with suppliers that can't supply what's needed. Slainte.



Had a reply from them... too smaller quantity for them to deal with


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## Tony Spear (27 Aug 2013)

Melinda_dd":2m4mpf9p said:


> Looking to a future build ukulele so want 2 sets of book matched bits and 2 sides from 2mm thick



Good Lord; you've certainly moved on from "Wannabee Woodworker looking for a job"!


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## Melinda_dd (27 Aug 2013)

lol


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## Boatfixer (27 Aug 2013)

Robbins Timber in Bristol do constructional veneers for boatbuilding - a wider range at 1.5mm but a few are 2.5 to 3mm thickness. They will supply small quantities and mail order is very good from them. http://www.robbins.co.uk/pdf/Marine_Pricelist.pdf


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## whiskywill (28 Aug 2013)

I don't know if you have noticed but David Dyke offers ukelele and mandolin wood at approximately half the price of that listed for guitars.


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## Melinda_dd (28 Aug 2013)

whiskywill":8zh99gsh said:


> I don't know if you have noticed but David Dyke offers ukelele and mandolin wood at approximately half the price of that listed for guitars.



Yes I have e mailed them as well... no reply so will have to ring them


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## tim burr (28 Aug 2013)

I'm not trying to be pedantic, but seaching for v*e*neer and not v*a*neer may bring in more results


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## Melinda_dd (28 Aug 2013)

tim burr":2s06nci5 said:


> I'm not trying to be pedantic, but seaching for v*e*neer and not v*a*neer may bring in more results



Pmsl thanks for that


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## tim burr (28 Aug 2013)

Glad you took it the right way


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