I've never done any work with veneer, but have recently been playing
with resawing my own. Yesterday I cut some crotch Walnut to create a
very pretty bookmatch. However, they are only valuable as a match if I
butt them end to end. My project idea is to do just that, glue it to
another walnut board (plan to do this because I will putting exposed
dovetails on the ends), then I will place this board in the center of a
glueup to be used as the front of a chest. My questions are as
follows:

1. Is there any chance that the endbutted veneer will actually stay
tight along that joint? I would imagine that if the board it's glued
to expands and contracts at a different rate, I may get a gap between
them.

2. General veneer question: Does one send the veneer side up through a
planner to get out the bandsaw marks, or is that just too risky. Should
it be done with a smoothing plane? (I figure that either method would
be done once the glue down is done, Correct?)

Thanks in advance!

"Doug" wrote in message
oups.com...

I've never done any work with veneer, but have recently been playing
with resawing my own. Yesterday I cut some crotch Walnut to create a
very pretty bookmatch. However, they are only valuable as a match if I
butt them end to end. My project idea is to do just that, glue it to
another walnut board (plan to do this because I will putting exposed
dovetails on the ends), then I will place this board in the center of a
glueup to be used as the front of a chest. My questions are as
follows:

1. Is there any chance that the endbutted veneer will actually stay
tight along that joint? I would imagine that if the board it's glued
to expands and contracts at a different rate, I may get a gap between
them.

The joint should stay closed as long as you keep the grain running in the
same direction as the substrate grain.

2. General veneer question: Does one send the veneer side up through a
planner to get out the bandsaw marks, or is that just too risky. Should
it be done with a smoothing plane? (I figure that either method would
be done once the glue down is done, Correct?)

Thanks in advance!

I sand after gluing but you can run the blank that you are cutting the
veneer from through the planer after each cut. Glue the smooth side down
and sand the outer BS cut side after gluing.

The grain changes direction too much for a planner not to wreck your
veneer. A wide belt sander or card scraper would work as well as a
smother.

Doug wrote:
: 1. Is there any chance that the endbutted veneer will actually stay
: tight along that joint? I would imagine that if the board it's glued
: to expands and contracts at a different rate, I may get a gap between
: them.

If they're endbutted, then the joint line will be in endgrain. Almost
all wood expansiona nd contraction is across the grain. So, if you
glue the veneer to another piece of the same wood with the grain
running in the *same* direction, you should be fine.




: 2. General veneer question: Does one send the veneer side up through a
: planner to get out the bandsaw marks, or is that just too risky. Should
: it be done with a smoothing plane?

I'd recommend a scraper, or sanding it. A planer is too likely to grab and
shred something with wild grain.


-- Andy Barss