Thread: Bedside Table WIP

And here is the door to the cabinet, not yet attached.
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Veneers were taken from an off-cut from a slab of camphor laurel.

Don't know the correct terminology, but so far I have always made doors and drawers so they sit inside the frame of the cabinet. But this time I wanted the pattern to cover the entire front of the cabinet, which is why I removed a drawer from the design and made a "patch" door that covered the entire front of the cabinet.

Finally ... finished and lacquered.

First the top ... four veneers.
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Then the side, a single veneer.
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Finally the front. Twelve veneers.
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Don't like the legs much, but scored a bunch of Brownie points with SWMBO because they match the bed and the dresser in the spare room. Might try to cash a few of those Brownie Points in.

Did I mention that I love my el cheapo vinyl vacuum press to death?

If I ever take some shots with a real camera I'll post them.

Have fun!

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A couple of pics taken with a real camera.
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Absolutely BEAUTIFUl John! Worthy of all the brownie points you WILL receive!

fletty (who's been driven out of the shed by the heat !)

Looks great John, a unique piece.

The finish looks super smooth...nice !!!!!

Steven.

Beautiful just beautiful. Well done

Thanks guys.

The veneering is pretty, but it is basically a box on black legs. The design does nothing for me, but it matches the other furniture in the room.

The next piece will be a hall stand with cabriole legs, a wedding present for my niece, and I hope this one will be a prettier design.

If you have not already done so, you really should try veneering. It is neither difficult nor expensive (a vacuum press is cheap), and with the right piece of timber you can create some very attractive effects. Thanks to Ian from Sydney who prodded me in this direction in the first instance.

Steven,

The finish is NC lacquer, a finish I love because it is so forgiving.

Nearly always get some dust pimples on the top surface, but they are easy to remove with 1200 wet and dry followed by the foam buffing wheel and a little cutting polish. If you do this the gloss level is lifted. This cabinet is sprayed with 50% gloss, but after the buffing it would be closer to 60-70%.

Some spectacular veneering there, Johnno!

You're a brave chap to use unbalanced veneers on MDF. It may take a few years, but I'll lay a small wager those sides will bow a bit over time, but then MDF can do that to me even without veneering one sideof it! I guess I haven't tried veneering the stuff for many years, because I was scarred by some experiences early-on, and the only use it ever gets round my shed nowadays is for jigs, which I rarely use, anyway. Maybe the current stuff is greatly improved.....

Cheers,

Ian,

I have had no significant issues with MDF, although I note that there are those who reckon particle board is a more stable substrate. Any thoughts?

I was a bit concerned with the doors on the Frilly Nickers Cabinet, which are veneered 12 mm MDF (2 mm veneers), because they are so long and slender. However, they have now been swung for a year, and have seen massive fluctuations in humidity/temperature, and have remained beautifully stable and flat. I know a year is not a long time, but so far so good.

This bedside cabinet carcass is only about 580 H X 350 D X 400 W. It has a panel bottom, middle (shelf) and top which are biscuited and glued to the sides, so the unsupported areas are quite small. I knew what I was doing, and all will be revealed in a few years. I would never do this to an important piece, or one leaving the house.

Looks beautiful mate, love it!

Paul.

It looks real nice John
What bandsaw did you use to cut the veneer ?
I am considering buying a bandsaw and am unsure how much I would have to spend and resawing is one task I want it for

Garry

Originally Posted by snapper1

It looks real nice John
What bandsaw did you use to cut the veneer ?
I am considering buying a bandsaw and am unsure how much I would have to spend and resawing is one task I want it for

Garry

Garry,

It is a Laguna SUV. I bought it because despite being a compact machine (14 inch), it has a huge re-saw/veneer cutting capacity. The 3 HP motor and the TCT Resaw King blade make veneering a breeze. I bought the saw nearly a year ago for $1850.00. The Re-saw King blade was an additional $250.

Made up a jig to enable me to cut off a series of veneers all the same thickness. It is a beaut. Thread is here ... https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...=181750&page=2

You should start with a decision of how wide the veneers need to be. Since Ian introduced me to veneering, I have decided I like the pretty effects we can get with book-matched veneers. I intend to make a new 1550X1550 dining table with a veneered top (amongst similar projects), so I wanted maximum width veneers, and the only machine in my price range that would easily cut a 14 inch wide veneer is the SUV Laguna.