I chose to build a heirloom cradle I had seen in Wood Magazine and more or less followed the plans with a few minor deviations: I attached the cleats that hold the rockers from the bottom instead of the top using glue and screws. I added contrasting walnut plugs to “hide” the screws entirely. I also applied a veneer to the bottom to give it more character and help contrast it with the sides. Finally, I glued up the ends and sides from a series of smaller strips as I explored incorporating sap wood into the project to create some interesting patterns.

This was my first project working with curves and decided to go about it by making a series of templates and using the router. My first attempt was a complete disaster. I failed to first remove enough of the waste at the band saw and foolishly used a very small flush trim router bit. Fortunately, in case something would go wrong, I started by trying to make one of the rockers. Disaster struck as I went around the tip (and inevitably across the end grain) of one of the rockers. The bit dug in and threw a small chunk of wood across the shop. Fortunately, I had not destroyed one of my glued up panels. It was clear I needed to revisit my technique and find a better way. I ultimately decided to:

-switch from my almost useless excuse for a band saw to my neighbors simple (but effective) bench-top model. This allowed me to remove much more of the waste, to within about 1/8″ of my template line.

-I was given a spindle sander for Christmas which I then used to remove the remainder of the waste to within 1/16″ of an inch.

-I then routed out the pattern top-side using a 1 1/8″ flush trim router bit from Rocker. This time routing out the pattern was a breeze and I produced tissue-paper thin shavings.

Once pattern routing was behind me, it was time to make the base. I ended up using an ancient piece of Douglas Fir I fished out of my parents’ basement and tried to take a stab at gluing down a veneer. This was when the second disaster struck. Not being used to working with veneers, I applied too much glue which soaked through and then caused the veneer to buckle and ripple despite a caul being clamped across the entire surface. I ended up scraping the veneer off and trying again. This time, with less glue, things worked out better. For some reason I ran into buckling again when gluing down the last section of veneer on the second cradle, but at that point I already had a good piece glued down along side it. In a last ditch effect I used an iron and by lightly misting the surface and then warming it up with the iron, I was able to slowly flatten the veneer back down.

You’d think after two brushes with disaster nothing else could go wrong. But then the cousin’s baby came early and I was already behind schedule. I guess I got anxious and tried to rush through the sanding process. I pushed down too hard on my ROS, resulting in beautiful swirl marks all over the wood. After Marc corrected my technique, I was able to go back and do the sanding all over again and get rid of all the swirl marks.

Many thanks to Dustin Ward, who gave me the veneer at a LumberJocks BBQ last summer. After applying the finish I think both cradles turned out fairly well, especially considering the road blocks I encountered along the process. I have a new found respect for building projects that can be taken apart while making the joinery as tight as possible. Hopefully both cradles get a fair bit of use and won’t have to be taken apart any time soon.

I plan on building a small box for my daughter’s birthday, and I want to use a veneered panel for the lid. I plan also to use PVA, and a press as the lid will be small (5×8) and I don’t think it needs any more. When watching you make Nicole’s frame, I noticed that you veneered both sides of the frame even though only one would show. Is this to ensure that the moisture balance in the piece stays equal, or was it just pride in craftsmanship? Also, if you’re veneering plywood or MDF, is this necessary considering that these materials are dimensionally stable?

As always, keep up the good work – you’re definitely my reason for trying my hand at fine wood working. Thanks!

And this was my response:

Hey Mike. In most woodworking circles, it is believed that you should always veneer both sides of a panel. By adding a layer of glue and a thin sheet of wood, one side of the panel will absorb and lose moisture at a different rate than the other. This lack of “balance” could lead to warping. If you ever have a sheet of commercial veneer laying around, you can see exactly how this works by applying a little water to one side of the veneer. It will curl up like Pringles chip (pic 1)! The side that receives the moisture expands, and the other side does not, resulting in a severe curl. Wet the other side (pic 2) and the sheet relaxes once again (pic3).

When we’re talking about veneer on a substrate under normal conditions, this effect is not nearly as great. Furthermore, I have seen the rule of thumb broken a number of times with no detrimental effect. But with my projects, most times, I don’t take the chance. I like to play it safe and usually veneer both sides. And again, this is really a “better safe than sorry” type of thing. Perhaps one day I’ll do a bunch of test panels and see what really happens. Good luck Mike!

So what about you folks? Any bad experiences from veneering only one side of a panel? If so, tell us about it by commenting.

About 4 days before Christmas, I started making a nice little picture frame for a custom piece of art I had made up for Nicole. A gift for a special girl requires some special wood. So I pulled out my best sheets of curly maple veneer and a couple of sheets of home-sawn afzelia wood (thanks for link Logan!) that I received from David Marks. You may find it odd that I decided to use solid maple as the substrate for the frame. I thought this would be a fun experiment, and when the rabbets are cut in the back, there won’t be any unsightly ply to look at (not that it matters that much). Small projects like this are just a great place to experiment with techniques and materials you might not normally use. All the extra effort pays off in the end when the finish hits the wood. KABLAM!!!! The wood just comes to life!

And here are a few still shots of the frame. Its on a yellow wall which isn’t exactly the best background. Some day I will take it down and get some really nice shots.

I didn’t really cover the finishing method in depth, but its the same wiping varnish system I always use. Specifically, its the one outlined in my DVD, A Simple Varnish Finish.

“I have a few boards of tiger maple and would like it to use it as veneer. I plan on building a chest of drawers in maple. I want to use solid wood for my veneer substrate for the top and drawer fronts. I am planning on cutting my veneer 1/8 thick to make it easier to work with.

Here are a few of my questions:
~ If I use maple veneer over maple core, do I need to veneer both sides to prevent cupping?
~ If I use maple veneer over pine core or other wood, do I veneer both sides to prevent cupping?
~ If I use a different wood for the core, do I need to consider the difference in wood movement?
~ I need to orient the veneer grain with the core grain, right? My veneers will be from 4-8 inch wide. In the building of the top and drawer fronts, I plan on veneering each veneer board to a equal width core. Afterward I will do the lamination. Does this sounds like a good plan? Many thanks!”

And this was my response: “Hey Martin. I have never really veneered over solid wood, so my knowledge of this process is purely academic. I emailed Glen Huey to get his take on it. I also asked him a few questions of my own, including: should you orient the grain perpendicular to the core in an effort to “lock down” the grain and stabilize the board. I know this was done quite a bit in the past, but with the high quality ply material we have these days, the technique has fallen out of favor. Anyway, here’s Glen’s response:

I wouldn’t try to lock down movement on these boards. If that was my aim, I would use plywood as my core and apply veneer to both sides. Using a thicker core of wood with an 1/8″ veneer placed with the grain direction is the way I would approach this, then anticipate and account for wood movement. I agree that movement should be close to regular hardwood. If you choose to lock down the movement using solid woods, I would think the addition of the cross grain orientation would shown at the edges of the piece. If that’s not an issue, why not return to plywood as a substrate?

As for his last statement, I don’t see the advantage to veneering to individual boards prior to assembling a panel, unless veneering is done in a small bag of some kind. It seems like more work and a bit wasteful of what must be very good veneer.”

This jewelry armoire was a graduation gift for my niece. It is made out of Bubinga, Birds Eye Maple veneer (door panels), figured maple veneer (top), and Birds Eye maple (drawer fronts). Each drawer is dovetailed and the bottom drawer has a hidden compartment accessible from the back. The base is from a David Marks project Open Bookcase. The finish is Seal-A-Cell with several coats of Gel Stain on top. I was in way over my head on this project which means I got to learn many new things.

In this episode, I show you the process of making your own vacuum bag. There are two materials to choose from, polyurethane and vinyl. My old bag is made from vinyl but this time I am going to try my hand at polyurethane, which is supposed to be more durable. My source for all for all of the materials and the instructions is one of my favorite sites on the web, VeneerSupplies.com. Not only does Joe provide detailed tutorials and information on making your own vacuum bag and making your own vacuum press, he also provides all the materials you need to do it. He even sells pre-made bags.

The results of this little project are not exactly what you might expect. It was quite a learning experience. If you are considering making your own bag, this video is a must see!

Ever wanted to make your own veneer? Well I’m gonna show you how! Its really not that hard and the benefits are worth the extra effort. Making your own veneer is a great way to conserve high quality material. If you have a one-of-a-kind piece of figured wood, why not slice it up and use it in three or four projects instead of just one? So fire up the bandsaw cause we’re cutting our own veneer!