Thread: Affordable veneering methods

As Woodpixel and others have said, normal PVA, be it Titebond 1, 2 or 3, or Selleys Aquabond, or Parfix or Sikkens - just about any woodworking glue will do the job and still be stuck together long after we’re all gone. I veneer most of my work and have used all of the above plus epoxy and urea formaldeyde. I’ve never had a failure. Never. Ever.

Yes, hide glue definitely has it’s place despite it’s smell and inconvenience, but for general veneering why would you? The world has moved on and modern glues are so much easier for this sort of work.

Brian

General flat one type laying to cover a piece in veneer for what ever un important reason . Use all the above mentioned. I use white PVA , original titebond , two pack , and Poly in the last year .


As a restorer and builder of fine stuff though Ive done a lot of hide glue work with hammer and press.
I was going to say this a week ago but left it . And now I feel like typing something again .



When laying veneer , it doesn't always lay down perfect in one go . Your chances are better with pressing and a flat ground and some experience .

If your doing stuff like in the old days like the side of a box , Tea Caddy size to Wardrobe, where it cant go in a press, you may be laying with a veneer hammer. Some boxes, like the side of a chest of drawers may need two sheets joined. If your not pressing then you cant tape two jointed sheets together and press . You have to lay one , then the other over the top , slice through two , re heat lift the off cut out of the way, then the top side up a little , take out the bottom off cut , put back down and hammer it flat . If your doing this for a living you'd be begging for some Hide glue .

A day after veneer laying with any glue , you can find yourself with parts not glued down . Tiny spots that you can hear and will only be seen the day you put a final shine on the piece. You really learn fast to pay attention back when you first lay it when you have to go back and repair something at the end stage . Careful rubbing and tapping suspect spots show it up .

How easy it is to fix these loose spots is related to the glue . Contact laid veneer with this problem is the worst . Probably slice and try clamping a block with a little fresh glue till it dries . Its not the same as the way it went down though, so good luck . Two pack , and others may require slicing and placing glue under each problem . PVA types can be re heated , its not great at this but some people get it working good . Hide glue is the easiest . Sometimes its just an iron with some moisture , sometimes its a slice with some more glue . Walnut usually always re lays with a little warmth and that's all , even 100 years later. Mahogany for some reason , even if its new , doesn't go back down without some extra glue and a slice.

If you were doing some fine work , laying nice figured veneer over four sides of a box , slicing off say a 1/2 " in from the edge the next day , warming it with an iron , sliding it off , replacing that with a 1/2 Tulipwood mitred cross banding . Maybe running a gauge in further and taking out a fine line to replace with a boxwood stringing . This is what beautiful Hide glue is all about . Don't try anything else . You'll be missing out on a great experience.

You'll be saying " F Me Those old guys sure knew what they were on about" when you get the hang of it .

You don't have to be making things like these below to use hide glue . But if you start on more basic things using it . You could end up doing just as complex things in some style of your own . Modern , plain or much more complex because of the ease the glue gives you to lay on , take off , take out and re lay or replace with anything you like . It works best doing this a day or two after the first laying of the main veneer. Makes a huge difference compared to leaving it a few weeks. And its very rewarding.



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Rob

I only wish I had Rob's skills.

In my case I am always veneering shop cut veneers which go on at about 2.3 mm thick and have a finished thickness of 2 mm. Usually, I am veneering the sides, doors or top of a cabinet ... nearly always I am veneering over MDF panels lipped with 20-30 mm of wood ... nothing as fancy or complex as Rob's examples. I have developed the habit of using TB PU glue. 20 minutes open time and 60 minutes clamp time. I only use a shop made vacuum press these days. Cheap, effective and works like a charm. I have never had a vacuum pressed veneer let go or fail in any way.

One of the first doors I veneered was glued up with PVA glue. I screwed up by putting more glue on one side than the other. It warped shortly after coming out of the press ... rookie mistake. I did get it straight and flat again, but have been using PU glue ever since. Usually it is TB glue to get the 20 minutes open time, but on small jobs I'll sometimes use Tarzan's Grip PU. Only a few minutes open time, but I can take it out of the press and run it through the drum sander after 20-30 minutes in the vacuum press.

Be aware that I am a lazy woodworker. I nearly always choose a method that is quick and within my skill level. Only recently did Rob convince me to make my first dovetails (thanks, Rob!). I like the vacuum press and PU glue because the job comes out of the press flat and very well glued into place every time. If I were doing the type of job Rob posted about, I'd need to develop a new approach and more than likely, new skills.

Hi John . Those examples on my post above are Antiques I picked of the internet . Rob