Very thin inlay. How to apply?

OK, so I have obtained some very thin decorative inlay 30" x 18" x 1/32" thick. I don't have a vacuum setup, so I was wondering how I could go about applying this as it is not flat like your typical thin veneer, b/c of all the different woods and the thickness it is very wavy in nature. Any help would be much appreciated.

You can buy (or make) solution to spray on curly veneer and then flatten it with a weighted board before gluing to the substrate.

There are some good tips at http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/flattening.htm

I have used those vacuum bags for clothes/pillows etc that you can buy in 2 dollar shops and just used a good vacuum cleaner.

Make sure you check it first that it all seals as well, have had a few where seals leak or there's already a hole in the bag.

But for smaller stuff (12 inch square) , not a large piece.

Think I read that the veneer softener was just water and wash up liquid (so it didn't dry out to quick) but that may have been an alternative and not the receipe.

Be careful using a vacuum cleaner for this. Many of them require moving air over the motor to cool it, and that won't happen if you are trying to pull a vacuum.

You can make up a simple veneer press, that will do the job ok. I have attached a pdf I downloaded.

I would suggest that you NOT use veneer softener, as I believe your piece will fall apart before you can clamp it.

Thanks guys for all the help and sorry for the slow reply, work has been kicking my you know what.

I ended up getting a Vacuum press, some bags and a heap of other stuff from Joe woodworker. He has some great stuff there and is great quality as well.

I will let you all know how I get on for my first veneer job.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JapanDave

Thanks guys for all the help and sorry for the slow reply, work has been kicking my you know what.

I ended up getting a Vacuum press, some bags and a heap of other stuff from Joe woodworker. He has some great stuff there and is great quality as well.

I will let you all know how I get on for my first veneer job.

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Dave,

I hope you enjoy your vacuum press as much as I do mine. My veneers are shop cut and about 2 mm finished thickness, but thin veneers work just as well. In both cases we need to fix them in place so they can't slide around on the slippery glued surface.

When I needed a bigger press, I made my own. It was a piece of cake. If you ever need to do something similar, some detail can be found in this thread. https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...=veneer+vacuum

Cheerio!

John