Veneering small sections

[billw]

If I want to make a veneered piece of say 6"x 4" (I must kick this imperial habit) could I just do the job by clamping the piece being veneered between two bits of 18mm (phew, done it) plywood? I surely don't need a book press or a vacuum press for something that size?

I guess I still need to use veneer glue rather than PVA though?

 

[novocaine]

yes.
do both sides if its a skinny piece.
I'm no veneer expert but I'd done a few guitar bodies this way and have no complaints.

 

[billw]

yes.
do both sides if its a skinny piece.
I'm no veneer expert but I'd done a few guitar bodies this way and have no complaints.

Thanks, yes I read elsewhere on here that you need to do both sides to avoid warping, which is fine because it's for box lids so I'd do both anyway.

 

[Lons]

I've done a number of marquetry pics larger than that initially initially clamped between ply though I now have an old cast iron press, use paper or cardboard sandwich is advisable. I always used pva with absolutely no problems and some of my marquetry in now over 40 years old.

 

[billw]

Is something like greaseproof paper better than using tissue?

 

[Droogs]

make a couple of platens (5/16 - 18mm board) and just make a couple of cauls ,planks that have a slight curve on one length. Put the thing in the platens and then use the caul with the curve side facing the platen and use clamps to squeeze the cauls. The curve helps even out the pressure to get a nice even flat finish.

example

Re tissue, best to use blank newsprint grade paper as it helps soak up moisture greaseproof doesn't

hth

 

[ArferMo]

Hot pearl animal glue and a veneering hammer? By far the quickest if you have a water heated glue pot.

 

[Retired]

Hi,



Kind regards, Colin.

 

[TRITON]

You could iron it on
Cover board in pva and allow to dry. Then place veneer on top and cover that with a piece of greaseproof paper.
Using a hot, but not very hot domestic iron and applying fair bit of pressure you run the iron across the veneer starting on one edge to the other.
The iron melts the glue, but it cools rapidly.

I found this technique excellent to applying burr veneer to curved surfaces that would be otherwise extremely difficult to clamp up, and on the job ive in the house its been stuck for the last 15 years without signs of coming unstuck.

 

[Doug B]

Bill it doesn’t have to be small pieces, I don’t have a vacuum press but from time to time have to make up veneered panels, the last one I made was from Oak leaves glued to thin aviation ply the finished panel was not much over 3mm.
This is the leaves taped together

I turned these upside down on my bench applied pva, then the aviation ply, a cover sheet of thick ply & finally cauls made from off-cuts clamped to the bench, obviously it helps if your bench is flat.

after a sand & finish it looked like this.

You really don’t need fancy gear to obtain good result.