Hello ! Planning on veneering drawer fronts (size is about 8″x20″) with walnut paper backed veneer. I’ve only veneered a project before and it was a set of speakers done with pva glue and a hot iron. Now my drawer fronts are concave so the sole of a hot iron won’t make a good contact with the face so I think it’s out of the equation.
That leaves me with 2 options , contact cement or pva glue that I apply to both faces and then use a 1/4″ plywood as a caul to press the whole veneer. What would you guys use ?
I’m thinking the concave shape of the drawer would help spread the force of the caul but then again not sure how much pressure I’ll need to avoid any bubbles.
Replies
Third option: Look up the roarocket skateboard veneering setup. I bought one after asking for info here and have been very happy, even surprised at the resuls. A small spend for what it can do.
Do you use the pump that came with it, or a compressor?
I'm thinking of wet molding some leather, and wonder if the Roarocket would work on that as well.
Most of my veneer experience is refacing my mothers kitchen cabinets, so one really big project.
I'd get veneer with the pressure activated adhesive already applied and use that. I did "prime" with a contact adhesive but not sure it would be as big a deal on fresh wood (vs 40 year old cabinets). I'd think you could remove the backing bend the veneer and apply from the center out, and then just roll with a high pressure roller and done vs having to deal with special cauls.
Just my 2 cents.
well I already have the paper backed veneer and in my area it's quite a challenge to get veneer at all, much less psa veneer. I removed the old walnut veneer off the drawers, it's all on smooth plywood now with no glue residue so at least I know I have a good substrate !
I’d second the roarocket route or hammer it by hand using a cold press pva or old browns hide glue.
Since it’s paper backed, I’d go with contact cement. One and done!
I have a lot of experience in veneering flat panels - MDF, chipboard etc. I have used gluebacked and paper veneer so I can share some tips as well as some pitfalls. The first 'don't' is using contact adhesive with thin veneer. Some of the commercially available veneers are very thin (0.6mm). As contact adhesive never sets, it remains a rubbery surface that allows indentations to form easily and this shows up on thin veneer. Also, it reacts badly with some wood fillers and causes swelling - which again if the veneer is thin, it will look very amateur. It's best use is clearly for kitchen surface materials or a thick veneer which will resist such deformations. It is also expensive and I will not make the same mistake again. I am also not a big fan of the gluebacked 'iron-on' veneer because the glue has a tendency to remain soft after application, although I use it. It is nowhere as near as bad as contact adhesive, but when using a router on the edges of a board, it has a tendency to smear the glue on the excess, necessitating some cleanup to get a neat edge (I admit some will use a knife to cut the excess, but a router is far quicker for long runs on doors etc). It also clogs up your expensive router bits. You can minimize this by having no more than 1mm of excess, thus avoiding the build up of glue on the router bit. However, it has its uses, particularly for edging where clamping might be a problem. On chipboard, I will always PVA the edge first because depending on the particle size of the edge grain, there will be some voids where the glue does get in properly. This is just for insurance.
The solid setting PVA based glue is by far the best, but not just any PVA. Here is why. I do not have the equipment or budget to go for a vacuum bag option and also for certain builds it is not an option, for example, if you want to do more than single panel work - how do you fit a fully glued sideboard into a bag? In order to solve the 'how do you clamp everything evenly and avoid air pockets' question, I have resorted to using a fast setting PVA glue with enough open time to apply two coats to the veneer (always use a roller to really push the glue into the backing paper of the veneer) and one coat to the substrate. I don't know what this glue is called in the US, but here in Europe, I use the french brand Axton. This PVA glue is a bit thicker than standard PVA and so does not create air pockets or bubbles when applied. Also, with less water content, it does not curl thin veneer when applied. In fact it is just enough to flatten out a coiled veneer sheet without being wet. When the veneer and substrate are brought together, there is enough tack to stick instantly, but enough release to allow adjustment for repositioning. I don't have to use battens to position it, and because it is thick, you have very very little seepage at the edges. Using a decent rubber roller, if there is any air, it can be chased out very easily and the veneer sticks instantly. It rarely seeps through the grain (although I always use baking paper when clamping) and if you allow it to dry on veneer side, it easily rubs off with a some 120 sandpaper. If I have the option, I will always go for a sheet of particle boards to clamp on top, and for some larger pieces, there is the option of using cauls to clamp the particle board. If you can't be bothered to make a caul, ask your local garage for old discarded 100 mAh car batteries. They are super heavy and do a great job as an alternative. Always have a super sharp craft knife and always clamp down you ruler when cutting the veneer - the knife and ruler will want to wander if the grain is pronounced enough. It is always best to veneer both sides of a panel if you can because the veneer will exert a stronger mechanical force than the unveneered side when there is a change in temperature. Unless your panel is braced in some way (e.g. okay for speaker panels which tend to be quite thick) or is at least 22mm thickness, then veneer on the inside as well, maybe using a cheaper lower grade veneer. Don't be afraid to try veneer as it transforms cheap boards into great furniture. I started veneering when making DIY loudspeaker. I progressed to sideboards and now veneer whole door panels. I am sure there are some better veneer experts on this forum, but what I am recommending is a solution that is within most hobbyist's competences and budget. I think the biggest problem when starting out is using a PVA glue that is just too thin. It will cause the veneer to become too wet and warp the veneer causing unpredictable stresses as it dries and causing air pockets (unless you have a vacuum press). This is why people (like me) looked at the option of contact adhesive. There are plenty of videos on YT showing this method, but they don't show you the quality of the finish when using thinner veneers so beware.
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