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Marc Spagnuolo: Welcome to Episode 16 on the WoodWhisperer video podcast. I am you host Marc Spagnuolo. And on today’s show, we are going to learn how to cut our own veneer.
Now you might be wondering why would want to go through all the trouble of cutting your own veneer when veneer is commercially available? Well for me, the most important reason is this.
In here we got a sheet of commercial veneer. It is about a 1/42 of an inch thick and this is a sheet of home sawn veneer and it is about 3/32 of an inch thick. Because of its extra thickness, the material is much easier to work with and we do not want to run the risk of sending through like we would with the paper thin veneer.
Also, the furniture that we make with this would be much more durable and it will have the look of solid wood. If there is a down side to home sawn veneers, it would be probably the fact that they are eliminated to the solid stock that you have on hand.
If you are looking for an exotic highly figured wood, you will probably have more luck buying a bundle of commercial veneer than trying to hunt down the perfect piece of solid wood and slicing the veneer yourself.
Whether you use commercial or home sawn veneers, it is very important that we learn how to work with this material for a number of reasons. Designs that will be impossible with solid wood are made possible with veneered sheet goods.
Using veneer is more economical since a single one inch board can yield over 40 pieces of commercial veneer and about 68 pieces of home sawn veneer. Even rare pieces of figured lumber can be sliced into a hundreds of sheets of veneer which makes it possible for all of us to access the material.
Now thank you to mass produced and cheaply made particle board furniture, veneer and plywood are four letter words to many furniture lovers. It is our responsibility as craftsman to educate our friends, family and costumers so that they will understand the value of veneered sheet good.
After all, the best craftsmen on the world are using veneer in their work and veneer is no longer synonymous with poor quality.
In order to cut veneer, you are going to need a bandsaw. Cutting veneer is very strenuous work for a bandsaw so the more power the better. I recommend at least one horse power.
A properly tuned 14 inch, one horse power bandsaw should be able to handle cutting veneer. Just take your time and do not try to push it too hard.
First things first, we need to make sure bandsaw is tuned up and ready for the demands we are about to place on it. For more information on tuning up your bandsaw, check out the WoodWhisper Episode 13, Bandsaw set-up and tune-up.
The next thing we need is a good solid re saw fence. There are two kinds of fences that you can use for resawing veneer. The first is a Single Point Pivot style of fence where the wood rest against a single point allowing you to easily change direction as you push the wood forward.
Second is a Simple Solid fence. Kind a like what I have back here where the fence is set to the drift angle and the work piece as supported by the fence all the way through the cut. I prefer to use the solid fence style simply because once it is set, you get all veneer all day and all you have to do is push the wood through. This means less eye strains, less stress and fewer headaches.
The fences that come with bandsaws usually are not adequate for resawing veneer. You need to either reinforce the existing fence which can be as simple as a piece of plywood that will stick tape to the existing fence or you can build an entire new one. Either one that slips over the existing fence and secures in place or one that completely stand alone.
I think it is best to build one that is a complete stand alone fence primarily because it is easier to build and also we will be able to use it on other saws in the future. Let me show you how to build one.
The re saw fence will be a simple structure made from three quarter inch birds ply. It will consist of a 24 inch by five inch bottom piece, a 24 inch by seven inch front face and five 5x5 inch square supports. Start by determining the spacing of the supports.
This does not have to be exact. I just need to leave some room on both ends for clamping. I add a little gloom to the edge of one of the supports then I position it against the bottom board and brat nailed it into place. It is critical that one side of this joint be perfectly flushed. This is the side the face of the fence will be attached to.
I touch the remaining supports in the same manner. I turn the piece over 90 degrees and pre drill for screws. Two screws per brace should add the extra support that I ma looking for.
I would like to give the screw hole a quick sanding just to remove any torn out wood.
Finally, I attach the face of the fence with glue and brats.
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