Thread: Sourcing material for a Blackbutt vanity unit

Can't help with a supplier, but just a few things to consider...

Judging by the colour and the assortment of dark spots, I'd say the vanity in the pic is made with recycled timber; new Blackbutt is more pale, so if you want that dark look you'd need to find a yard that does reclaimed timber.

Commercially available veneer is generally supplied as 0.5mm and you can buy it already pressed onto the substrate of your choice (for a wet area, moisture resistant or highly moisture resistant MDF is probably the most stable option). Going up to 3mm would mean slicing it yourself, or finding someone with the proper tools to do it for you, and then pressing it on; it's doable, but a lot more work.

Mitred/waterfall edges need to be cut spot on as any inaccuracies in the angle or straightness will both be visible and can affect the strength of the joint.

What equipment do you have access to? That may be a limiting factor from the outset.

Are you sure the pic youve put up is veneered? Does it specifically say so?

Wouldnt surprise me if it was sold laminated timber

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Mitred/waterfall edges need to be cut spot on as any inaccuracies in the angle or straightness will both be visible and can affect the strength of the joint. What equipment do you have access to? That may be a limiting factor from the outset.

Thanks for the thoughts, thats why I'm a bit suss on using a veneer and would prefer solid timber. I have reasonable wood working tools, sliding compound mitre saw, saw table, router, etc.

Originally Posted by havabeer69

Are you sure the pic youve put up is veneered? Does it specifically say so?

Yes they say its laminated and up close you can see the edging etc.

laminated doesn't mean veneered. Laminated can simply be smaller pieces joined to form a greater width. Think of 90x45mm timber, joined to form the top that's 6650mm wide.

Originally Posted by poundy

laminated doesn't mean veneered. Laminated can simply be smaller pieces joined to form a greater width. Think of 90x45mm timber, joined to form the top that's 6650mm wide.

Sorry, meant veneered. Description from website:

Our beautiful Blackbutt hardwood timber veneer vanities not only provide a natural hardwood timber element in the bathroom. This eco-friendly design uses water-resistant properties with an interior 23mm core of marine ply, for minimal maintenance and to ensure they don’t expand and contract over time. The grain wraps around and aligns throughout the entire cabinet, giving you beautiful continuity across the piece.

Jones & Jones Wall Mount Blackbutt Timber Vanity 1200mm | Highgrove Bathrooms

wow interesting technique - to use marine plywood with what looks like reclaimed timber veneers. I wonder if they make the veneer themself.

It seems like it would cost more to do it this way, seems more labour intensive.

how does marine ply stack up against HMR particle board/MDF?

IMO, there is no point to using marine ply over MDF for a veneer substrate.

If the veneer is properly applied (both sides) and it is all properly finished and sealed (again, both sides equally), they should both be just as stable as each other so I see no reason to pay 5x as much for fancy ply that will never be seen and offers no practical benefit to the finished product.

Project update for anyone interested. I found some 180x21 dressed Kiln Dried Blackbutt that should work for this project at Grade Timber at Moorooka for a reasonable price. They are a great place to deal with and very helpful if you are looking for material in Brisbane.

I bought a secondhand biscuit joiner off market place to help with the alignment while gluing up into 500mm wide pieces.

I ended up making some 4 way panel clamps as well. Probably went overboard on the construction but will allow laminating up to 1000mm wide incase I ever want to make a table top and should last my lifetime. I'm also going to try and build a drum sander out of an old lathe rather to clean up the blackbutt before laminating it together.

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GHansen, those clamps look the business! The guys at Garde timber are as you say, nice to deal with. Just a heads up though, blackbutt has a high tannin content, so wet iron/steel will cause black discoloration on the blackbutt. The water in glues will be enough to cause staining, at least that's been my experience. Oxalic acid (deck cleaner) should get the staining off but it'd probably work out better to avoid any staining to start with.

Thanks Alkahestic for the tip. The clamps are galvanised, not sure if that helps prevent staining but was going to put some clear packing tape on them as well to keep the glue off them.

Just use polyurethane glue; no staining AND no glue creep, double win.

I recently did a number of blackbutt layups including a breakfast bar 4.5m long with waterfall end and used Sika pva and didn’t have any issues with staining but yes it does mark up easily against black steel

Anyone else keen for a bulk buy of GHansen's new line of clamps?

Originally Posted by Sir Stinkalot

Anyone else keen for a bulk buy of GHansen's new line of clamps?

This, i'd be very interested in what went into making those clamps