Veneer?

[Charles Warwick]

I've been looking more and more at trying my hand at veneering because I'll be building a THT-LP as a bench for the basement and would like to get it to match the rest of the wainscoting.

I've seen the stuff for sale at Menards or Lowes, but seems incredibly expensive for the amount you get, $40 for a 2'X8' piece, which if I did the THT-LP with, would cost me 160 bucks if I did all the sides, or $80 for the two sides that people will see!

Maybe I'm just struggling over the fact that I could just buy 4X8 sheet of 1/4'' oak veneered plywood for $20 and just glue it to the finished cab for a heck of a lot less. Is there a reason veneer is so expensive, or am I looking in the wrong place?

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Veneer is expensive, it's not the wood, it's the machining it takes to create it. This is where I get it, and their 4x8 sheets are less expensive per square foot than 2x8.
http://www.morganwood.com/catalog/index ... a475263283

[67baja]

I did a tht with ebony and maple veneers. The price was about $70 per 4x8 sheet. Note, the ebony was not real ebony. Some other kind of wood they made to look like ebony.

[Rick Lee]

Charles, 1/4 ply over the finished cab works great. Wish I had a picture of how I do it but I don't, at least not with a BFM cab. After everything's glued up I notch out the edges and inlay trim so no end piece is shown. An extra step but it comes out very nice.

The supplier I get my BB from also has two warehouses full of chinese import ply and while most of it is shoddy it can still work for veneer purposes. Surprisingly, there is some chinese stuff that has a thicker outside ply but it doesn't seem to be readily available. This place has some sheets of chinese birch that has more plys than BB for the same thickness and it appears that it doesn't have any voids. Haven't had a reason to try it though because the BB is the same price. May try it on some bookcases later this spring to see how it does.

[Rick Lee]

Also, have you thought about BB and just veneering the edges? Edge banding is fairly inexpensive.

[Charles Warwick]

Charles, 1/4 ply over the finished cab works great. Wish I had a picture of how I do it but I don't, at least not with a BFM cab. After everything's glued up I notch out the edges and inlay trim so no end piece is shown. An extra step but it comes out very nice.

So, is this quarter ply you'd get from a lumberyard and not Menards? The biggest thing I was worried about with the 1/4 ply was the thickness and quality of the veneer. I'm not too picky, I'd just like it to blend in with the rest of the stained wood more than anything else.

Also, have you thought about BB and just veneering the edges? Edge banding is fairly inexpensive.

As in, using BB for the build, staining it, and veneering the edges? How do you get around filling the screw holes?

Venee is expensive, it's not the wood, it's the machining it takes to create it. This is where I get it, and their 4x8 sheets are less expensive per square foot than 2x8.
http://www.morganwood.com/catalog/index ... a475263283

Seems like a decent business, a little more reasonable prices for just a simple oak veneer, but still more than the total cost of my plywood. If I ever work my way up to real wood working I'll have to remember that site, they've got some awfully neat veneers.

[Rick Lee]

So, is this quarter ply you'd get from a lumberyard and not Menards? The biggest thing I was worried about with the 1/4 ply was the thickness and quality of the veneer. I'm not too picky, I'd just like it to blend in with the rest of the stained wood more than anything else.

Unfortunately there's not a Menard's around here so I'm not sure what you mean. Seems like the chinese have taken over so it's almost all thin veneer.

As in, using BB for the build, staining it, and veneering the edges? How do you get around filling the screw holes?

Yes. Wood putty. Also, when you get to the outside pieces use clamps and weights as much as possible to hold everything in place until the glue sets up. For instance, instead of drilling guide holes for the final side (if it's the side that's gonna be showing) I cut the piece slightly proud and after the glue has dried trim the edges.

If you want it to match the wainscoting I would find the same kind of paneling and molding that was used and finish it out with that same material. Check out Kelby and Shawn_g's builds. Good way to finish and not too difficult to do.

[koturban]

I've been looking more and more at trying my hand at veneering because I'll be building a THT-LP as a bench for the basement and would like to get it to match the rest of the wainscoting.

I've seen the stuff for sale at Menards or Lowes, but seems incredibly expensive for the amount you get, $40 for a 2'X8' piece, which if I did the THT-LP with, would cost me 160 bucks if I did all the sides, or $80 for the two sides that people will see!

Maybe I'm just struggling over the fact that I could just buy 4X8 sheet of 1/4'' oak veneered plywood for $20 and just glue it to the finished cab for a heck of a lot less. Is there a reason veneer is so expensive, or am I looking in the wrong place?

To expand on Bill's post, veneers can be made a number of different ways, each yielding different grain patterns. The rotary cut "peels" the log like unrolling a roll of toilet paper. Because it's the least wasteful, it's usually the least expensive, and probably the most common. However, it yields a wild grain pattern that can be distracting to the eye, especially on large surfaces, and with a finish that contrasts the grain.

More expensive grains, like rift cuts, yield a straighter, more consistent pattern, but wastes more wood in the process. Not surprisingly, it's more expensive. You are unlikely to find this type of veneer on plywood sold at big box stores.

It's difficult to tell, but I'm thinking the Cedan 2X8 rolls you linked are a more expensive cut.

[Rick Lee]

You are unlikely to find this type of veneer on plywood sold at big box stores.

+1

[Charles Warwick]

Wood putty. Also, when you get to the outside pieces use clamps and weights as much as possible to hold everything in place until the glue sets up. For instance, instead of drilling guide holes for the final side (if it's the side that's gonna be showing) I cut the piece slightly proud and after the glue has dried trim the edges.

If you want it to match the wainscoting I would find the same kind of paneling and molding that was used and finish it out with that same material. Check out Kelby and Shawn_g's builds. Good way to finish and not too difficult to do.

Good suggestions, maybe I could get by with just gluing on the top with brad nails and weight and then just putting the other side with all the screws in it face down on the floor. All of the wainscoting is pine, so I wonder if I could just stain the Arauco to match. I guess this means I'll have some experimenting to do.

Thanks for the advice