Thoughts Please

[sawdust maker]

Some of you will have seen, in Projects, that I am making a breakfront bookcase. The base board is made from 18mm Birch ply. The centre section will be a drawer unit with cupboards at each end. As most of the real wood used is South American Mahogany and the ply will be exposed at the bottom of the cupboards. I intend to veneer the this section of the base board. My question is do I need the veneer underside of the base board, or can I get away with just doing the top which will form the bottom of the cupboard.

Thanks
Paul

 

[Steve Maskery]

Paul
I think what you are referring to is the uissue of "balance". I have successfully veneered drawer fronts just on the face, but only when the veneer and substrate match (eg ripple maple on maple, QS oak on oak) but even then it is risky as the glue line can exert considerable forces

You do not need to veneer both sides with mahogany veneer, but a balancing veneer of something cheap and vile like that red stuff I have in the loft is ideal.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Chris Knight]

I would definitely balance the show veneer. I used khaya when I made my tool cupboard, it was very cheap and it looked surpisingly good with a nice finish on it.
On the doors I used some 1.5mm flame mahogany and here only another leaf of the same stuff would keep the doors flat. I think in part, this was due to the fact that I had to wet the veneer rather a lot to get it anything like flat, so there was lots of shrinkage going on as it dried (I couldn't dry it and keep it flat unfortunately, it just buckled again.

 

[David C]

I would echo Steve's advice.

Best practice is always to veneer both sides of a board.

Water based glues expand the veneer, when it drys and shrinks huge forces are generated.

Many antiques do not obey this rule, they tried to use the cupping of plain sawn boards to compensate, but this is not always sucessful....

David

 

[woodbloke]

Agree with the advice given. I was tought to always to do exactly the same to one side and the other on a piece of wood - Rob