What to do with a box of veneers...?

[bogmonster]

Hi,

I have just been given a box of about 70 vaneers. These are samples and are about 17cm x 21cm and all are different. They are old and warped but I think they would go down flat.

Anyway, what to do with them? I don't tend to do segmented stuff and I know some folks use vaneers in such work. I did think about creating some bowls with vaneer stripes in them. Obviously I am restricted by the size of the sheet but should manage some 8" striped bowls. I think I have seen something similar somewhere...

Anybody tried this? Any tips on how you made this work? My rough plan is to take a blank, saw a third off, plane smooth along the saw lines. Glue (pva?)in about 5 layers of different colour vaneers and sandwich back together with some clamps. Alternatively I might glue the vaneers together first and then glue into the blank?

Any advice gratefully recieved.

BM.

 

[Bodrighy]

Using veneers as you describe seems a bit of a waste to me personally. They can be used for inlays in box lids, bows, goblets etc etc etc.

Most veneers are extremely dry due to their thickness and brittle so I am not sure gluing them together as you suggest for an insert in a bowl would work. I have done bowls like that using thin strips of wood but not veneers.

 

[CHJ]

Use them to decorate the rims of platters and bowls, cut shallow recess in piece and lay in veneer inserts, hold them in place with tape whilst drying.
Or make some jewelry

If you want to sandwich them in a a turning then I suggest you true up the faces in the lathe, far easier and quicker than trying to do it using 'flat work' methods.
This is the method if not actually using veneers.

 

[bogmonster]

Ah Pete,

That walnut bowl is exactly the sort of look I am after I will have to do a bit of research in inlaying me thinks.....

I have used veneers before but only to cover a set of MDF speakers I made. General woodwork is not really more core competency, and I'm not much better at turning, but it keeps me out of the way of SWMBO.

BM.

 

[Bodrighy]

The bowl is pretty easy to do. I simply rough shape the blank if it is round or cut to the square in the case of the one pictured then cut into two pieces. Ideally you need to do it 1/3rd - 2/3rds to look good. Get a thin piece of contrasting wood at least the same thickness as your blank and glue between the two pieces of the blank. I have access to a linisher so can get a really flat surface on both edges. If you use a piece of wood that is fairly thin, 5mm or less, you can also cut the blank in a wavy line on a bandsaw and insert the strip. I use PVA glue and clamp over nigth. Done several and none have failed me yet LOL. You cn do all sorts of things with the idea. This one was cut twice and the strips are bent.


pete

 

[andersonec]

Old dry veneer will need flattening before you use it, dampen it with water and press between tow pieces of mdf for a few hours, there are solutions which can be mixed for this job, Glycerin/ Alcohol but for small pieces like this water will suffice.
You will need more than tape to hold it down while it dries, it will bubble if not clamped.

Andy