I have a spare set of woodwork (trim) for my car I'd like to re-do. It's
veneered in IIRC walnut, and I'd rather like a custom job like say maple.
The door parts are fairly simple being flat, while the dash ones have a
curve in one direction only. How easy a job is it and can anyone recommend
a site to read up on it? I've found a couple with rather conflicting
advice.

--
*Proofread carefully to see if you any words out or mispeld something *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
I have a spare set of woodwork (trim) for my car I'd like to re-do. It's
veneered in IIRC walnut, and I'd rather like a custom job like say maple.
The door parts are fairly simple being flat, while the dash ones have a
curve in one direction only. How easy a job is it and can anyone recommend
a site to read up on it? I've found a couple with rather conflicting
advice.

Its easy enough to do it ..if you can clamp and get a good match between
the veneer and the dash.

I'd be inclined to make a female mould - doesn't have to be perfect - by
wrapping the dash in clingfilm and e.g. pressing down into a bit of wet
cement.

Then take the new veneer and soak it to hell in water and ammonia.

Put it in the female mould and push the dash down onto it and leave for
a few days to dry.

Then remove the dash and the clingfilm, coat it with PVA and whack it
down on the veneer..and leave for a day clamped up (use scrap
bibles/Qurans etc etc. to weight).

Any edges hat show signs of lifting can be tacked down with CA.

On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 09:56:27 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

I have a spare set of woodwork (trim) for my car I'd like to re-do. It's
veneered in IIRC walnut, and I'd rather like a custom job like say maple.
The door parts are fairly simple being flat, while the dash ones have a
curve in one direction only. How easy a job is it and can anyone recommend
a site to read up on it? I've found a couple with rather conflicting
advice.

================================
I think the clever way to do this is to use a vacuum bag. I've never tried
it but it might be worth a quick 'google' to see if it produces any
guidance.

Cic.

--
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Testing UBUNTU Linux
Windows shown the door
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On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 09:56:27 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

I have a spare set of woodwork (trim) for my car I'd like to re-do.

Flat Triumphs are easy, convex curves like door cappings are a bit
harder and concave shapes (some dashboard ends) are a *******.

Books: Tage Frid's first cabinetry book . Not cheap, but an excellent
all-round book.

Technique uses hot hide glue (not cold) and a veneering hammer. Then you
vacuum bag it, especially for convexes. An easy vacuum bag to find are
some clothes-storage vac bags from Lidl and a vacuum cleaner. Or you can
make your own with thick poly sheet and gaffer tape. You don't need
anything resembling a vacuum, just a pressure differential. If you're
veneering a thin panel over a framework buck then you don't even _want_
a vacuum, just a few psi difference - otherwise you end up with "starved
dog".

Hot film glues only work if you have a heated press and a shape to match
(i.e. flat). Dead easy if you have though - you can even make your own
hot films with PVA glue.

Contact glue is a bad idea for veneering. It's easy, but it's awfully
crude and the results usually disappoint. It might work if you vacuum
bag and you're not fussy about positioning, i.e. you're not fussy about
figure placement and you can trim generous edges afterwards.

Tools are a veneer hammer and a veneer saw. You can't buy either
ready-made, but you can make your own. Hammers are easy enough (use a
3/16" brass edge and make it well rounded). Saws are most easily made by
buying one (Axminster) and then stoning the sides until the teeth are a
knife-edge along the length of the blade.

As a finish for UK saloons, french polish is good. Not UV stable enough
for foreigners, boats or convertibles though.

Either move the ignition switch off the dashboard or use Rustin's
Floorcoat to finish. Nothing else is hard enough to resist keys banging
against it. It's also good for door cappings.

On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 23:09:52 +0100, Andy Dingley wrote:

Tools are a veneer hammer and a veneer saw. You can't buy either
ready-made, but you can make your own. Hammers are easy enough (use a
3/16" brass edge and make it well rounded). Saws are most easily made by
buying one (Axminster) and then stoning the sides until the teeth are a
knife-edge along the length of the blade.

You won't thank me, because they sell all sorts of wonderful tools that will
leave you wallet thinner: Dick fine tools sells a German (#705689) and a French
veneer hammer (#705688) and veneer saws Japanese and German, (#712703 and
#703810).

http://www.dick.biz/, English available, icon bottom right, 9 EUR shipping to
the UK on orders under 300.


Thomas Prufer

You won't thank me, because they sell all sorts of wonderful tools that will
leave you wallet thinner:

I buy plenty from Dick (and Dieter Schmidt) already. Why is it that
the best place to buy Japanese stationery from the UK is to get it
mail-order from a German woodworking toolshop?

The French veneer hammer they list is OK, but a crazy price. The
German one has an iron working face and I've no idea how you use such
a thing. Certainly I've never had the slightest success with that
style. The iron face is prone to marking the veneer surface and the
lower conductivity doesn't give the same chilling effect as brass.

The veneer saw they sell is a Kunz, a brand which is only one notch up
from Anant. You can certainly buy one of these, but you'll still have
to sharpen the edge on it yourself. Personally I prefer the handle
shape of the French style one Axminster sell. I've never got on with
the Japanese pattern one from Dick as it's too curved for veneer,
although it's a handy little saw for some jobs (great for model
boatmaking, according to my Dad).

On 1 May 2007 10:35:31 -0700, Andy Dingley wrote:

I buy plenty from Dick (and Dieter Schmidt) already. Why is it that
the best place to buy Japanese stationery from the UK is to get it
mail-order from a German woodworking toolshop?

Ah, Dieter's the next bookmark on my list...
Here's another one, may be useful to you for supplies, period hardware, odd
stuff:
http://www.kleelux.de


The French veneer hammer they list is OK, but a crazy price. The
German one has an iron working face and I've no idea how you use such
a thing. Certainly I've never had the slightest success with that
style. The iron face is prone to marking the veneer surface and the
lower conductivity doesn't give the same chilling effect as brass.

And iron could be nasty on oak veneer...

The veneer saw they sell is a Kunz, a brand which is only one notch up
from Anant. You can certainly buy one of these, but you'll still have
to sharpen the edge on it yourself. Personally I prefer the handle
shape of the French style one Axminster sell. I've never got on with
the Japanese pattern one from Dick as it's too curved for veneer,
although it's a handy little saw for some jobs (great for model
boatmaking, according to my Dad).

I think I have a Kunz, or it may be the one with the cherries. It was on sale at
a ironmonger's closeout, and was much less that Dick's price, even without the
closeout discount -- I think I may have paid a quid or so. And it is indeed
blunt. No matter, I do very little veneering; and I'd let the cabinetmakers down
the street do any I'd need. I keep their power tools working, they do my
woodwork if it's something that needs experience. They'd be just as liable to
use a sharp chisel than a veneer saw -- "easier to keep sharp, easier to find,
quicker anyway" would probably be their reasons. (But they do have a long
clamp/power saw thing for ripping veneer.)


Thomas Prufer