16 – Cut Your Own Veneer

Video - May 17, 2007

Ever think about making 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!

General Blade Recommendation

1/2″ – 3/4″ blade with 3-4 Teeth Per Inch, Hook Configuration (big gullets) and minimal set.

Products Used

Wood Slicer
Powermatic Bandsaw
camp=1789&amp
creative=390957&amp
creativeASIN=B001U0O578&amp
linkCode=as2&amp
tag=thewoodwhispe-20

Discussion

muddler mike May 18, 2007 6:07 am

nice job Marc, you make it look all too easy. A quick question – I know from past episodes that you usually wait about 1/2 hour before scraping off the squeeze out when gluing up your panels, but do you scrape immediately with the veneer? It seems as though you’d want to get the other piece of tape on right away to seal up the joint, right?

You know I can’t help thinking about your bunny-bucket-laptop-teleprompter while watching the podcast now…

Reply
Skee May 18, 2007 6:41 am

Was that a brad nailer I saw you using?! Something I thought I’d never see! :)

Thanks for showing the fence construction – shop made jigs / fences seem like the way to go and you made the process very straight forward.

Reply
Ron Hartness May 18, 2007 7:11 am

Great info..
I just started using a vacuum press for veneering and it is pretty exciting to be able glue up large pieces. Do you use a vac press? There are some great websites on how to build your own system for a modest price.
Anyway great show and I look forward to seeing more..
R

Reply
thewoodwhisperer May 18, 2007 7:27 am

Hey mike. I do scrape immediately with the veneer. Reason being that I am dealing with the glue side of the veneer at that point. So if glue gets embedded in the grain its really no big deal. And the second piece of tape could be considered overkill, but I do it so that the joint has no chance of opening up and I can then move the piece around. I need a more elegant solution than the bunny bucket. lol

Skee- Haha. Indeed that was my brad nailer. You’ll see it extensively when I do the assembly table project. :)

Ron- I do have a vacuum press. My current bag is a 4’x4′. I need something bigger for the current project so I will be making a new bag. I am considering making this a podcast as well.

Reply
Wayne Cole May 18, 2007 7:59 am

This is the first video that I watched and am very iompressed. Good job, and thank you.

now back to the others

Reply
nick May 18, 2007 1:48 pm

On the topic of drift angles; is there any guarantee that the dift angle will remain the same for a blade if lets say, you have a 1/2 blade for re-sawing, set up the angle, then switch to a 1/4 for some curved cuts, then back to the 1/2 for re-sawing, will the drift angle still be the same for that 1/2 blade or do you have to always check the drift angle when the blade has been removed?

Reply
thewoodwhisperer May 18, 2007 2:40 pm

Its very likely that the same blade placed back onto the same saw will have the same drift angle. But due to the fact that the blade might wind up on a different part of the tire, there could be a slight difference. But in most cases, I would say the drift angle will be the same.

Reply
- Tim Cooper December 22, 2019 2:14 pm
  
  Marc, Any update on you opinion regarding drift? It seems that I’m mostly seeing, nowadays, comments that there should be no drift!
  
  Reply
  - Marc Spagnuolo December 26, 2019 10:56 am
    
    I think you should aim for no drift, but if you have some you should know how to adjust for it.
    
    Reply
Dorje May 18, 2007 10:02 pm

If you don’t have a drum sander, couldn’t you run the 1/8 piece off the bandsaw through the planer to smooth/flatten the bandsawn side? Or sand by hand? What do you think?

Reply
thewoodwhisperer May 19, 2007 8:06 am

Its always a little scary planing really thin pieces of wood. Consult your owners manual to see what they recommend as the thinnest stock you should run through. From my experience, most planers will recommend against running stock that thin. And not to mention, when you do run stock that thin, its very easy for the impact of the blades to destroy the piece of veneer.

One option would be to create a sled. you can double stick tape a piece of veneer to a 3/4″ piece of plywood, and run that through the planer. But be cautious. If the veneer comes loose, you can have a real problem. So be sure to secure it well.

The sled method is probably what I would do if I didnt have a drum sander.

Reply
- Robert March 31, 2016 6:55 pm
  
  Real Problem meaning….. the planer spits wood schrapnel out the back of the planer LOL.
  
  Yes I know this from experience. :)
  
  Reply
nick May 19, 2007 11:13 am

speaking of the sled, instead of double stick tape, rip a sheet of melamine to the width of the planer bed, and a few inches longer. screw on a lip under the sled so the rollers wont suck the sled in and you got yourself a planer sled. but many a times you hear *CRACK SLIT TICK CRACK* and then you hear your splines being sucked up into the the pipes.

Reply
Geoff May 19, 2007 12:04 pm

Even a 3/16″ is scary. My very last piece of flame koa exploded in my planer. It was a headstock over-lay on a guitar I was building.
Eep!!! On to plan B!!!
I got it done but still..should have sanded it.

Reply
nick May 19, 2007 12:39 pm

gotta love exploding wood

Reply
Vic May 19, 2007 9:12 pm

Love the webisode and the Floyd reference.
Always entertaining and informative.

Reply
Fred May 30, 2007 12:49 pm

Episode 16 “Wish You Veneer” is absolutely great and very timely. You have taken the mystery out of cutting veneer for me. Now, to finish it off, I am looking forward to gluing the veneer to the substrate.

Great episode, Marc.

Reply
Zoran November 12, 2009 2:35 pm

Danke das was ich hab gesen ist super,gr

Reply
Gary July 13, 2010 8:59 pm

I have not tried any veneering projects yet – though it is certainly on the list. I’ve done enough re-sawing to feel confident in my skills there including tuning my band saw. Any reason I should go with store bought over my own re-sawn veneer for a first project or two?
Thanks for all the tips.

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer July 13, 2010 11:03 pm
  
  Personally, I find home-sawn veneer easier to work with. Its much more forgiving in clamping and gluing sheets together. Obviously it acts more like solid wood so it doesn’t tear as easily or curl when it gets a little glue on it. Clamping pressure doesn’t have to be as perfect either. So I would definitely say home sawn veneer is the way to start if you have the right tools.
  
  Reply
Bryan V June 30, 2011 6:55 am

It sounds great to be able to make your own veneer. I hope one day to make my own veneer, there are some beautiful woods out there that i have seen, but not veneers (at least in my area).

Reply
Ludovic November 14, 2011 8:23 am

Hi Mark

Nice episode, very interresting !

I’d like to know what is the “Blue Tape” you use ?
We don’t have such tape in France.

Is this “paper base” tape, or is it a sort of synthetic ?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer November 14, 2011 9:49 am
  
  Hi Ludovic. Here’s the stuff I use: http://www.amazon.com/ScotchBl.....B000BQWI9O
  
  Reply
  - Ludovic November 15, 2011 1:43 am
    
    Thanks Marc !
    
    As I can see on 3M website, it’s a “paper” tape.
    
    We have the same kind of tape in France, but it’s yellow. It’s formely known as “painter’s tape” or “masking tape” :)
    
    Reply
Wayne February 7, 2014 8:15 am

Great video

Reply
Scott August 13, 2014 7:22 am

Any advice for re-sawing a 4-way book match? I’ve been searching for info on it and haven’t found much. I’ve heard it’s hard to get a good grain match due to the thickness of re-sawn sheets. Any tips, techniques, or resources you know of for this?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo August 13, 2014 8:40 am
  
  I don’t really have anything in the way of resources. But it’s not all that different than cutting a standard bookmatch. You just need more sheets and you “unfold” them in a different pattern. Of course, the thinner the sheets the more likely the grain pattern will match up. But it’s all about experimenting and looking at different boards to see if you can find a really pleasing match. Even small discrepancies in the pattern will still give the desired effect.
  
  Reply
Leon Rollison May 6, 2016 8:26 am

Marc,
I just tried to download the HD version of “16 – Cut Your Own Veneer”. The entire video is black, (dark — no video) the only thing that is displayed on the video is the player controls. Is anyone else having this problem and is there anything you can do to fix it?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo May 6, 2016 12:03 pm
  
  You might try a different player. My guess is it’s a format issue. Maybe try VLC and see if you can get the picture to show up.
  
  Reply
Andrew DePalma November 8, 2016 10:05 am

Hi Marc, I am sure you are busy unpacking so thank you so much for considering my questions. As a side, thank you very much for all of your content! I have learned so much from you over the years and your knowledge has been a cornerstone of my business.

Ok so I have been getting into the world of veneering and vacuum pressing and have a bunch of questions:
1. I have a client that wants a 4 inch thick table…I have told them that it is best to do a torsion box construction and veneer the top. I want to do shop sawn veneer and make it as thick as possible. Is 3/32 too thin for the wear and tear of a tabletop or would you feel ok delivering that too a client?
2. If I go thicker than that, when experimenting, the pieces that I resaw are cupped toward the cut side. Do you know of a good way to flatten post re-sawing without re-milling?
3. If I do go thicker than 3/32, what would you say is the best way to join the planks? Follow the joint tape method or should I use cauls and clamps like a regular panel?

Thank you again for your help and all of your content!

Reply
Graham Stewart March 20, 2017 8:23 am

Great video.
I would like to make a 4′ wide sheet of 3/16 veneer to cover the deck of my boat. I plan to attach it and seal it with epoxy but I am wondering what happens to a piece that large in an exterior environment. Do you have any thoughts about applying veneer for exterior use?

Reply

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

16 – Cut Your Own Veneer

General Blade Recommendation

Products Used

Advertisers