need help with veneering

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thomaskennedy

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hi,

i am in the midst of doing some veneering (for the first time) and i have come across a problem!!

i have stuck it on with contact adhesive and i don't know how to neatly cut the excess veneer off.

i have tried a stanly knife but the veneer is too thick to get a neat job with it!

Does anyone know how i can cut the excess veneer off neatly???


Cheers

Tom
 
Tom,

Gill's really your woman for veneering, but I dug out Hayward's "Practical veneering" and he says:

The panel is laid face side downwards upon a couple of battens, one of which projects at the edge to be cut. Press firmly down so that the veneer is forced against the batten and cut away the veneer with a keen chisel. The ends should be cut first so that if the corners should split away the second cut with the grain removes the split portion.

The chisel, btw, is shown being held round the blade and used like a knife. Alternatively many light cuts with a sharp knife has worked for me in the past. How thick's the veneer? Could be that a plane is an option, or perhaps this is a case for a router and trimming bit. Ah well, you're young and you've probably got a steady hand... :shock: :wink:

Cheers, Alf
 
Flush trimming bit in the router??
Climb rout for best edge.

OK, OK, OK - don't climb rout - can be dangerous.

A
 
i agree with adam but sandwich the veneer with another piece of wood then it cuts nice and neat , it worked for me

frank
 
Hi Tom

Contact adhesive? Yuk! Not my adhesive of choice. I'd rather use something that produces a thinner barrier between the veneer and the base, such as PVA or pearl glue. They're also less 'rubbery', making it easier to trim the excess veneer.

I'd urge you to cut the excess veneer by hand - routers have been known to create tearout. My choice is a proper veneer saw which costs £6.49 ( http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=FWB4200 ) and is basically a saw without a set. You simply invert the work and saw flush along the veneer into wasteboard placed under the veneer. The only other way to do it without risking tearout is to use a scalpel, but that takes a fair amount of practice. I certainly wouldn't use a Stanley knife - the blade is far too thick and will lead to imprecise cutting (as you've found out already). Chisels? Perish the thought... :shock:

Neil - I tried clicking on your link but the page was unavailable. Was it a link to one of those new-fangled trimmers with razor blades that look really good on television (but which I've never tried myself)?

Yours

Gill
 
Hi Gill

I've just tried it again and it was working for me.

If you still have a problem, try this one http://www.protrade.co.uk and type Virutex in the search.

Virutex AU93 Double Edge Trimmer
Cuts both sides simultaneously. For edges up to 40mm. For larger edges, it can be used as two independent edge trimmers. Top quality long life blades which are easy to replace once worn.


Virutex RC21E Manual End Trimmer
Manual Edge Trimmer allows a perfect, clean & high quality cut on all the corners of the board. No other finishing operations are needed. Equipped with twin use blades. For trimming PVC, melamine, polyester, veneer etc.

Cheers
Neil
 
Hi Neil

Thanks for helping me with the links :) . Since I've no experience of these cutters, I'm hesitant to comment. Much would depend on how good the blades are and how easy it is to change the direction of cut (it's always a good idea to cut with the grain, as we all know). One of the great advantages with saws is that you can adjust the pressure you are applying to a cut if you feel the veneer is resisting. I should imagine that's rather difficult to control with a Virutex-type cutter. It's probably a smashing tool for predictable man-made laminates but veneers can be somewhat contrary!


All I can do is re-iterate that old fashioned veneer saws do the job for me every time and at £6.49 a throw they still seem a bargain.

Yours

Gill
 
Hi Chris

That's an interesting link but it doesn't alter my view that veneer saws are best for this type of work.

Yours

Gill
 
That reminded me, there was quite a long and interesting thread about veneer saws on Wood Central... Here 'tis: http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/handtools.pl?frames;read=28307 Some discussion about sharpening and alternatives, IIRC.

Gill, I must admit the use of a chisel looked like a clumsy way of doing it to me, but I've seen it advised many times so there must be something to it. Been such a long time since I veneered anything I've forgotten what I used to do :(

Cheers, Alf
 
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