My Charleston bookcase project continues. I'm 63. I hope I live long enough to finish it.
Anyway I'm up to the part where I'm veneering the Chippendale doors, sails and stiles with figured mahohany with the grain perpendicular to the rails ard stiles.
Is there any benefit to using my own home made sawn veneer vs. commercially available veneer? I have the capability of sawing veneer a hair under 1/16". I find that no matter how careful I am there are variabilities in thickness, but I guess I can plane or scrape this out once the veneer is laid down. So again other than the self satisfaction of doing it yourself is there any advantage?
Second, I have found in my trial pieces that I have more trouble laying down the slightly thicker hand sawn veneer: it's more likely to curl up off the substrate as the hide glue dries. I have tried the technique used at Colonial Wmsbg. (all their veneer is hand sawn) covering the freshly laid piece with a moist towel to keep the surface from drying and curling without too much success. I can remoisten, reheat and clamp the veneer, but this slows the progress of laying sequential pieces of veneer.
All suggestions appreciated
Howard Steier
Anyway I'm up to the part where I'm veneering the Chippendale doors, sails and stiles with figured mahohany with the grain perpendicular to the rails ard stiles.
Is there any benefit to using my own home made sawn veneer vs. commercially available veneer? I have the capability of sawing veneer a hair under 1/16". I find that no matter how careful I am there are variabilities in thickness, but I guess I can plane or scrape this out once the veneer is laid down. So again other than the self satisfaction of doing it yourself is there any advantage?
Second, I have found in my trial pieces that I have more trouble laying down the slightly thicker hand sawn veneer: it's more likely to curl up off the substrate as the hide glue dries. I have tried the technique used at Colonial Wmsbg. (all their veneer is hand sawn) covering the freshly laid piece with a moist towel to keep the surface from drying and curling without too much success. I can remoisten, reheat and clamp the veneer, but this slows the progress of laying sequential pieces of veneer.
All suggestions appreciated
Howard Steier