On Tue, 6 Sep 2005 10:37:08 -0400, "Stephen M"
wrote:

I was considering using my bandsaw to resaw the best board I could find into
something like 13/16" slices. By doing joint, resaw joint resaw... I would
always have one smooth face to glue to a substrate, which I could later pass
through the planer to clean up the surface.

I'll assume you meant "3/16", not "13/16". Yup, that works fine, just
let them acclimate a week or two after the resaw step.

I tried this on a small scale this weekend and it worked OK, but using
yellow glue required about 12 f-clamps on a 2.5 x 15" board. That
glue/clamping strategy is not viable for a 7' x 8" board. I doubt that a
traditional veneering approach would work for a relatively thick veneer.

Not that tough, just forget about conventional clamps. You need:
1. a couple pieces of 3/4" MDF same size as your glue-up.
2. about 30 pieces of 2x4 a couple inches longer than your board
width.
3. same number of bolts/nuts/washers, long enough to go through your
glue-up, two thicknesses of MDF, and two thicknesses of 2x4...6"
oughta do it.
That gives you a "clamp" every 6" that goes across the full width of
the glue-up, with the MDF acting as a caul to apply pressure in
between.

I assume you're using solid wood, preferably also cherry as your
substrate, since you'll be edge-gluing the composite boards later.

Has anyone ever tried contact cement for wood-wood bond using a essentially
the same process as gluing formica to MDF?

I've done it for smallish pieces (12"x16"), works fine. I have no idea
what the long-term durability of that sandwich would be for something
that large. The key to normal countertops is that they have lots of
support underneath to keep them from flexing and stressing the joint.

Lee