Veneering Project Best Board To Use?

[Geoff_S]

I am about to start a veneering project .... gulp.

I am making 40+ burr ash veneered door panels varying in size from 400 x 700 to 400 x 1000.

I need to use a board that is already ash veneered on on side (the inside of the panel).

The board needs to start at 6mm thick then plus the burr veneers adding about another 2mm, so a total of 8mm.

Should I use MDF or MR grade plywood? Would the MR grade plywood have a good enough surface to veneer on to?

Cheers

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

It is usual to veneer both sides of the board or it will cup. Also, the veneers need to be of similar thickness or the board will cup. Can you not use 1mm veneer and do both sides?

Mike.

 

[custard]

I am about to start a veneering project .... gulp.

I am making 40+ burr ash veneered door panels varying in size from 400 x 700 to 400 x 1000.

I need to use a board that is already ash veneered on on side (the inside of the panel).

The board needs to start at 6mm thick then plus the burr veneers adding about another 2mm, so a total of 8mm.

Should I use MDF or MR grade plywood? Would the MR grade plywood have a good enough surface to veneer on to?

Cheers

For panels Moisture Resistant MDF is the best veneering substrate because it's so flat and smooth, but I've not heard of MRMDF that's already veneered in Ash on just one side, which means you'd be laying both the face veneer and the balancing veneer.

If you're veneering a component that is load bearing or needs to deliver a secure anchorage for fastenings then it's common practise to use Birch Ply, but that's not the case here. For thicker components there's also a hybrid where you skin Birch Ply with 3mm MRMDF and then veneer on top of that, but unfortunately supplies of 3mm MRMDF have pretty much dried up in the past couple of years.

Edit, what Mike said, our posts crossed.

 

[Geoff_S]

Hello,

It is usual to veneer both sides of the board or it will cup. Also, the veneers need to be of similar thickness or the board will cup. Can you not use 1mm veneer and do both sides?

Mike.

That is an option. I was thinking of time and cost though.

 

[Geoff_S]

I am about to start a veneering project .... gulp.

I am making 40+ burr ash veneered door panels varying in size from 400 x 700 to 400 x 1000.

I need to use a board that is already ash veneered on on side (the inside of the panel).

The board needs to start at 6mm thick then plus the burr veneers adding about another 2mm, so a total of 8mm.

Should I use MDF or MR grade plywood? Would the MR grade plywood have a good enough surface to veneer on to?

Cheers

For panels Moisture Resistant MDF is the best veneering substrate because it's so flat and smooth, but I've not heard of MRMDF that's already veneered in Ash on just one side, which means you'd be laying both the face veneer and the balancing veneer.

If you're veneering a component that is load bearing or needs to deliver a secure anchorage for fastenings then it's common practise to use Birch Ply, but that's not the case here. For thicker components there's also a hybrid where you skin Birch Ply with 3mm MRMDF and then veneer on top of that, but unfortunately supplies of 3mm MRMDF have pretty much dried up in the past couple of years.

Edit, what Mike said, our posts crossed.

Mike, Custard

Thanks for the replies and what you both say makes sense. So it looks like it's going to be 6mm MR MDF and I veneer both sides. No problem [-o<

I am going to use a vacuum press so I am guessing that it's OK to veneer both sides at the same time? That way there is no opportunity for the board to cup?

 

[woodbrains]

Mike, Custard

Thanks for the replies and what you both say makes sense. So it looks like it's going to be 6mm MR MDF and I veneer both sides. No problem [-o<

I am going to use a vacuum press so I am guessing that it's OK to veneer both sides at the same time? That way there is no opportunity for the board to cup?

Hello,

Absolutely, do both sides at once in the vac bag. Do the panels between 2 sheets of MFC or similar, with all the corners and edges eased so the bag won't puncture.

Mike.

 

[custard]

I am about to start a veneering project .... gulp.

I am making 40+ burr ash veneered door panels varying in size from 400 x 700 to 400 x 1000.

I need to use a board that is already ash veneered on on side (the inside of the panel).

The board needs to start at 6mm thick then plus the burr veneers adding about another 2mm, so a total of 8mm.

Should I use MDF or MR grade plywood? Would the MR grade plywood have a good enough surface to veneer on to?

Cheers

For panels Moisture Resistant MDF is the best veneering substrate because it's so flat and smooth, but I've not heard of MRMDF that's already veneered in Ash on just one side, which means you'd be laying both the face veneer and the balancing veneer.

If you're veneering a component that is load bearing or needs to deliver a secure anchorage for fastenings then it's common practise to use Birch Ply, but that's not the case here. For thicker components there's also a hybrid where you skin Birch Ply with 3mm MRMDF and then veneer on top of that, but unfortunately supplies of 3mm MRMDF have pretty much dried up in the past couple of years.

Edit, what Mike said, our posts crossed.

Mike, Custard

Thanks for the replies and what you both say makes sense. So it looks like it's going to be 6mm MR MDF and I veneer both sides. No problem [-o<

I am going to use a vacuum press so I am guessing that it's OK to veneer both sides at the same time? That way there is no opportunity for the board to cup?

From a practical point of view the process is more determined by the glue. If you use UF glue you'll probably need to leave the workpiece in the bag overnight (unless you've got heat blankets), so you'd absolutely want to veneer both sides at the same time. However, if you're using PVA (which is what I'd use for this application) you can pull the workpiece out of the bag after twenty or thirty minutes, which opens up the possibility of veneering one side veneer face down, trimming off the overhang, then veneering the other side. The advantage is you don't need to limit the overhang to just one or two mill and you don't have to make accurately fitting cauls.

Swings and roundabouts, for a volume job both sides together makes sense, but for the odd low volume job I'll sometimes do one side at a time.