Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Dec 18, 2007 11:57pm | #1

   I suspect that the thickness of your "veneers" is the primary problem.

   Wood that thick creates large stresses on the substrate when the veneer gains or loses moisture. The two different veneers are expanding or shrinking slightly differently and the MDF isn't stiff enough to resist bending. The veneers gained moisture from the glue, if you used a water based glue, and now that they are drying out, they are shrinking at slightly different rates creating the stresses that are bowing the panel. If the two veneering woods were at different moisture levels when you glued them that would also add to the problem.

   If you are lucky, the panels may flatten out once they have lost all of the additional moisture, but they could also bow even more. You should allow air to get equally at both sides of the panel to reduce the additional stress created by unequal rates of moisture loss.

   John W

   
   

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   Edited 12/18/2007 4:42 pm ET by JohnWW

1. 
   Archibald | Dec 19, 2007 07:37pm | #2

   In a Tage Frid article on veneering he put the maximum thickness at 1/26".I was a long time adherent to the idea of "thicker is better" and even invested in a Laguna bandsaw to resaw my own veneers. I have done enough veneering now that I think thin knife-cut veneer is the way to go, you just need to get past the all-american SUV mentality.