Thread: Timber boards overlayed on ply.

Dunno about the top, but the legs sound like a good job for a lock mitre bit using the 25x150mm wattle boards cut in half would give you a 70mm square leg. Then you wouldnt need a pine core because it would be supa strong anyway.
Im interseted in your top as I want do something along these lines for my kitchen bench tops, have many lenghts of jara floor joist's thats left from ripping out the floor boards in my house. I wish to cut them into 200x30x30 bits to make a parquetry type top using a ply or mdf base board.
One thing I noticed is the size your after 900x2200 is huge for a PC desk... one thing I have learnt about PC desks is more room means more clutter.(espes when you start printing or burning cd/dvd's)

Harry,

The table needs to be a walnut colour .... the Silver Wattle is too light a colour for this. The legs need to match the dark chairs that we are going to buy and I don't want to have to use stain.

The desk size 900 x 2200 will be great .... I will be able to lay out plans and it will make working so much easier. I currently have a corner desk setup and although it makes good use of a coner it is very cramped even with long returns.

Hello again, Stinky;
opinions will vary, here's mine: as you may know, the veneers in plywood are arranged with the grain running at 90 degrees to each other, which makes it inherently stable. So no worries there. The rest is trickier; if you are joining the top boards to a substrate you shouldn't have to join them to each other.
At work ( dressed recycled floorbords are epoxied to MDF and nailed down, which I think is a horrible idea, especially when combined with mitred edges...
The top overhangs the MDF by (say) 42mm. Solid timber is then glued to the overhanging top (endgrain visible on the ends of the top) to hide the substrate. Importantly, these hidey bits are not glued to the MDF, which is to allow for expansion. The process looks as convoluted as it sounds.
This understandably may not work for you, considering that the above results in a lot of nail holes which are part of the lovely distressed finish...

Don't know nuffink about the legs, but.

Anyway, they sell shiploads of tables and don't get any returns, so it is presumably ok to glue solid timber to a man-made substrate.

Good luck (again),
Rus.

Rusty .... you are being my saviour today

I had planned attaching the boards flush to the sides of the ply and trimming with a straight bit in the router. I would then attach more wattle with the long grain side facing up with the end grain mitred into each other at 45° on each corner. I will do this two or three times and then hit it with a large round over bit to finish off the edge.

I hope this is sort of clear .... the short version will be that I am covering all endgrain and ply so neither will be visible.

Your post is way clearer than mine!
Glad to be of service.

Rus.

Hi Sir Stinkalot,

I have been looking for some Silver Wattle with not much luck. Did you get it from a timber supplier?

Cheers
Pops

Fowles Auctions in Melbourne have some Silver Wattle listed in todays Age.

Thanks Bob. At least I now know it is available, (over East).

Cheers
Pops

Pops ....

I picked up about 30 lengths of 150x25x3000 from a club member in my woodworking group who is selling up and travelling around Australia .... all for the grand sum of $100.00.

From what he told me Silver Wattle is a close relation to Blackwood but slightly lighter .... I think it looks great. I think that it is grown mostly in Tasmania and Victoria so supply may be limited in the West. I haven't seen it before for retail sale.

Good luck.

Stinky

I tell a lie ....
http://www.afttimbers.com/SilverWattle.htm

Stinky,
Bostik make an adhesive (which comes in those foil sausages) which is specifically for gluing T&G flooring to ply or particleboard substrates. I can't remember tha name of it, but it should do the trick. If you have a router table you may want to think about putting a T&G profile on your boards so that you can secret nail them to your substrate to hold them while the glue sets.
The legs with their mitred corners are more of a worry. The slightest bit of movement will open the mitres. 14mm is rather thick for a veneer (14 + 42 + 14 = 70) and may open mitres. I would either use a 70 x 70 pine leg and some thin veneer or use 19 mm stock, and, as Harry suggests a lock mitre bit.

Let us know what you decide and post some pics when you finish.

Mick

Stinky, I have done what you are contemplating on a smaller scale (for the obligatory coffee table) in preparation for a larger scale project. Here's what I learned;

1.) Don't use MDF, its not strong enough and can sag, unless its well framed and supported. Plywood is the go. I used 19mm.

2.) First attempt I used T&G Jarrah flooring (machined down to 12mm thick) and used a two part poly glue to fix to the plywood. It was OK, some people really liked it but there was evidence the jarrah was moving (or trying). I sold the table for $400 and the customer was over the moon.

3.) Second attempt I just biscuit jointed some 19 mm Karri boards and laid it over the ply with some Titebond II. The edges where done in 38 mm sheoak. The Karri split a little at one end but was otherwise stable. (I think it would have split regardless.) I screwed the karri in six places through the ply from underneath.

4.) Pinning/secret nailing is probably a better option IMHO.

My next big project is to re-do the kitchen table using this method. I guess its really just a combination of veneering and marquetry on a different scale.

Love to hear how it goes.

Cheers

Originally Posted by vsquizz

Stinky, I have done what you are contemplating on a smaller scale (for the obligatory coffee table) in preparation for a larger scale project. Here's what I learned;

1.) Don't use MDF, its not strong enough and can sag, unless its well framed and supported. Plywood is the go. I used 19mm.

2.) First attempt I used T&G Jarrah flooring (machined down to 12mm thick) and used a two part poly glue to fix to the plywood. It was OK, some people really liked it but there was evidence the jarrah was moving (or trying). I sold the table for $400 and the customer was over the moon.

3.) Second attempt I just biscuit jointed some 19 mm Karri boards and laid it over the ply with some Titebond II. The edges where done in 38 mm sheoak. The Karri split a little at one end but was otherwise stable. (I think it would have split regardless.) I screwed the karri in six places through the ply from underneath.

4.) Pinning/secret nailing is probably a better option IMHO.

My next big project is to re-do the kitchen table using this method. I guess its really just a combination of veneering and marquetry on a different scale.

Love to hear how it goes.

Cheers

Mr Squizz,
I've read your post 4 times now, but I''m still not able to get to grips with it :confused:

This of course could be my fault.

Firstly if you only veneer one side of a substrate it will buckle sooner or later, You can bank on this.
Why does it need to be 2" thick.
Why go to the trouble of hiding the substrate just dont use it in the first place. It is not needed if you are using 1" material
Why so obsessed with hiding endgrain. It is there as it must be, it is honest ! hiding endgrain is an affectation and a compromise with good design.

Ross