Thread: edge joining of thin (3mm) veneers

Clint,

I have joined 4 or 5 mm boards together OK. I use one of those veritas panel clamps where you can stop the boards buckling.

Perhaps you can make a frame/jig using wedges to apply sufficient force for gluing, have the boards lying on your bench with a weight on top to stop the buckling effect. Remember the less buckling, the less flattening later on whether it be with a thicknesser, sander or hand planes.

Originally Posted by ClintO

I have resawn and thicknessed some 3mm slices from old kauri (I think) floorboards. Now I want to edge join 2 or 3 of them to make a make a wider piece.
Most of my clamps are either pipe clamps or quick acting irwin clamps. Neither of these seem to be appropriate for clamping together such thin pieces.
Is there a secret to joining veneers successfully?

I used to edge join thin ( 1/16th) pieces of balsa for wing skins when I was into aeromodelling. I'm confident it would work for your veneers too.
The technique was as follows:
1) ensure that all the edges are straight and free of nicks
2) lay the pieces to be joined on a flat surface
3) run masking tape along the join ensuring that the two pieces are pushed together
4) turn the pieces over, then 'open' the join using the masking tape as a hinge
5) run a bead of sandable glue along the join (aliphatic resin was the glue of choice mostly)
6) 'close' the pieces of timber and wipe off excess glue
7) lay a sheet of plastic or waxed paper over the join, then place a straight, strong piece of timber or aluminium or whatever you have handy over this and then sit a couple of weights on it.

Generally speaking, its best to join pairs or boards first and then start joining the board pairs. (I hope that last bit makes sense)

Hope this helps,

Mark.

Exactly how I used to do wing skins and it always worked very well

I do as Duckman says up to step 6 (except I use AV180 glue), but apply masking tape on the second side, then sit the piece lengthwise on blocks so that it has air all round it. If you pull the masking tape tight on both sides it acts as a clamp to pull the pieces together.