More Edgebands and Veneer

After edgebanding the panel substrates for the mahogany buffet, I make sure the panels are flat and the edgebands are flush. The Baltic birch renders some fluffy shavings!

Meanwhile, in the backyard, this red oak seedling, a native tree in southern Minnesota, struggles to survive as it produces a side shoot after the main leader from last year failed. I'll continue to protect it from the hungry rabbits and keep it watered. I'm looking forward to the shade, but it might be a little while!

Here I'm planing the mahogany edge bands flush with the core on one of the interior shelves.

A close up view.

And at the corner.

Jointing the edges of the shop sawn veneers makes for an enjoyable afternoon. It takes a bit of care and super thin shavings to get the 60" edges to join nice and tight.

To glue these thin veneer joints (the rough veneers are about 3/32" thick), I use blue painter's tape to draw the joint together on one side.

This creates a hinge so that I can open up the joint.

And apply the glue.

And then tape the other side in a similar way to draw the joint together and hold it until the glue sets up.

I pays to have good friends in the woodworking business. On this day I'm catching my newly assembled veneer sheets as they come out of the thickness sander at a friend's shop that he shares with several other woodworkers.

Finally, here's the first mahogany veneer glue-up completed for the interior partition.

I've also been preparing the thin (0.020" thick) commercial veneers for the doors and back panels. They're thin enough to cut with a knife along a straightedge.

Now it's time for the largest panel; the cabinet bottom. The core was glued up some time before. Now I size the panel on the table saw and hand plane the edges for a nice clean glue surface. You can see, in the photo below, the 1/16"+ central core of poplar sandwiched between two laters of 4 mm Baltic birch plywood. With the 1/16" thick sanded veneers applied, the completed panel will be approximately 5/8" in total thickness.

Some days I'm not quite tall enough for the job.

Here I'm planing the end edges of the 60" cabinet bottom panel.

These sweet veneers are now ready to glue up to the core.

Once again, the concrete blocks hold the MDF platens flat to the workbench and the vacuum bag applies the needed pressure to the glue joints.

Next week is pivotal, as I should have my first completed panel ready for assembly. I hope you'll stay tuned and if you've missed any of my previous posts on this project please check out the archive.

Hey då!

Craig