Hammer veneering

[Sawyer]

This is a technique I enjoy and use quite a lot.

Whether to apply glue to both sides of the veneer? There seem to be 2 schools of thought here, with many advocating glue on the top side to balance the veneer and act as a lubricant.

Personally, I avoid doing this as the mess is atrocious and glue bakes onto the iron which is a nuisance and stinks too. My method is to glue the groundwork, damp the top side of the veneer with a sponge, then hammer down in the normal way.

Normally, the results are satisfactory, though I have had problems sometimes with the veneer curling.

What do people think - glue the top side, or not?

 

[custard]

I'm with you. I don't glue the top side...in fact I'm careful to sponge away any glue that gets forced out from between seams and joins.

But then again all my veneering is with leaves that are generally less than 1mm thick, maybe the practise originally arose with those 3mm thick veneers that you sometimes see on Georgian antiques?

 

[MIGNAL]

Didn't think it was possible with 3 mm thick stuff. Thought that was where caul veneering came in.