I am planning to make a table with crotch mahogany in a starburst pattern. I would like to use a water soluble analine stain in the finishing process to even out the colour before applying the topcoat. My plans are to vacuum press the veneer using epoxy – a process that I’ve had success with in the past on smaller projects. My problem is that much of my veneer has cracks – some of which are up to 4 mm. I’m wondering what the best way to deal with these are. I could try filling them with sawdust and fast drying glue, sawdust and hide glue (to ensure good colour penetration of the dye) or just leave the gaps and colour the epoxy. Is there any method that is best.
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All of your solutions are equally fraught with problems. The epoxy will egress into the holes and form a stain proof area. I would lean toward the hide glue, wood dust filler for the staining advantages you mention. Although I have never tried it, an old trick is to first fill the voids in the veneer with a wood filler of choice by taping over the hole on the, to be glued, side and troweling in the filler. Let dry and remove the tape before laying the veneer. This might be simpler than dealing with epoxy and ensure a good color match of the dried filler before laying.
With best regards,
Ernie Conover
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