Oyster veneering

[marcros]

I want to create some oyster veneers for a piece. Has anybody any experience of doing these?

I have sourced some olivewood in the round, and will collect some at the weekend.

How do I need to dry the timber- is it just a matter of painting the ends with pva, or is there anything else that I need to do. I don’t know how long the timber has been felled, but as I understand it the trees died. I was planning on getting a few feet of a few different diameters so that it gives me options to use it for a few things. Would it be worth trying to cut it green and glue it straight down onto the substrate? Is there any point in trying to cut the oysters in advance and try to store them?

When it comes to cutting the veneers, do i cut at 90 degrees to the log or at 45 degrees (or either). Eventually I want to cut them into hexagons like a honeycomb pattern- any ideas where I can buy a metal/perspex template to cut around?

Sorry for so many questions, but with the exception of http://www.woodworkersinstitute.com/page.asp?p=1179 I have struggled to find anything much online about the technique.

 

[johnwc812]

Hi
Hexagon templates can be purchased at craft/fabric shops intended for patchwork quilts.
My wife has a couple of sizes about 2" & 3" across. But I am not sure of how many sizes are available.
Sorry but can't answer any of your other questions.
Cheers John

 

[marcus]

any ideas where I can buy a metal/perspex template to cut around?

Just wondering whether, if you're going to be making a lot and they're not too big — would it be practical to have a stamp made and stamp them out - would give you a perfect shape every time and be very quick....

Would it be worth trying to cut it green and glue it straight down onto the substrate?

Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me... But could you cut it green and then leave it to dry? - drying should be very quick at veneer thickness.

PS this is not something i have experience of, just my best guess!

 

[Racers]

Hi, Chaps

I have a bunch if Yew oysters I cut from a dry branch some time ago, that I have been planing to veneer a box with. but have never got round to.
They are about 3mm thick so I was planning to make a template mark and rough cut them, then tune with a block plane on a shooting board.

Pete

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I would have thought that an oyster cut at an angle across the log would be stronger and more stable, but would be nigh impossible to cut with any kind of punch - it'd split inboard of your marked line on one side, and outboard of it on the other. I don't think you've any option but to saw the edges, and plane or sand them smooth.

 

[marcus]

I would have thought that an oyster cut at an angle across the log would be stronger and more stable, but would be nigh impossible to cut with any kind of punch

You're right, I was forgetting it would be sawn veneer thickness, not knife cut!

 

[Fred Page]

Have a peep at British Woodworking's Website Glossary. Some mention there of angle of cut.
Fred

 

[maltrout512]

Not at my laptop at the moment, but will post some details later.
which may help.

 

[dickm]

Did a small area of hexagonal laburnum oysters for a jewellry/dressing stand 10 years or so back. Cut the veneers about 3mm thick out of some fresh-ish laburnum branches with the bandsaw, cutting at 90degrees to the branch. Then "rebuilt" the branch by sandwiching the oysters with two or three thicknesses of newspaper between them and strong rubber bands to hold them together. They were then left lying around the workshop for six months or so. Made a metal hexagonal template and marked out with that, then sawed with fine tenon saw. Think I used Scotch glue to stick them down to a plywood back, but it might have been Cascamite, then used a fine set block plane to level the surface. End result looked OK to me and AFAIK, there's been no splitting even in the extremes of climate in mid-West USA where it now sits.

 

[Sawyer]

Best way to dry oysters is to press them between paper, changed regularly. I don't think any form of shape punch would work as the 'cut' would just follow the grain direction?? Sawing round a thick template works well though: I'd go for a 'gents' saw.

However well dried they are, expect oysters to develop splits once glued to a substrate. If you give this time to occur, then fill the splits, they look nice anyway.

Do give some thought to a balancing veneer on the other side: more than usual, as the 'pull' exerted by oysters is tremendous. I once did a piece of 20mm MDF, only about 12" square, with olive oysters and amimal glue. Although the reverse side was counter veneered with a piece of normal .6mm veneer, the oysters pulled the MDF slightly concave!

 

[marcros]

Best way to dry oysters is to press them between paper, changed regularly. I don't think any form of shape punch would work as the 'cut' would just follow the grain direction?? Sawing round a thick template works well though: I'd go for a 'gents' saw.

However well dried they are, expect oysters to develop splits once glued to a substrate. If you give this time to occur, then fill the splits, they look nice anyway.

Do give some thought to a balancing veneer on the other side: more than usual, as the 'pull' exerted by oysters is tremendous. I once did a piece of 20mm MDF, only about 12" square, with olive oysters and amimal glue. Although the reverse side was counter veneered with a piece of normal .6mm veneer, the oysters pulled the MDF slightly concave!

Thanks. so given the project again, what would you do with the balancing veneer- a thicker one, or a double layer or something else?

 

[andersonec]

Mark,
I would have thought the best way would be to use dried logs obtained from a turning suppliers, cut them into oysters, shape and glue down all in the same day.

If you make a template from a piece of clear plastic (I have some if you want it) stick your template to the oyster with a little double sided tape, cut close to the template on the bandsaw then finish the shape with a flush trim router bit on the router table.

You can make your hexagonal template by drawing the shape on some paper first, do this by dividing the circumference of a circle of your particular size into six with a compass, the divisions should equal the radius, join the dots and cut out, stick this to your plastic then cut the plastic and file to final shape.

Andy