I'm making a magazine rack where a large design element is going to be
cantilevered shelves slightly larger than a magazine. They will be
oriented horizontally and only supported on one side. Rather than deal
with the possible warping of solid wood, I've decided that plywood is
the way to go. The supporting structures will be solid WO and I want
to fume the whole piece. Has anyone ever tried this? How did it turn
out? Any problems? TIA.

-Dusty

Dusty - the following is my opinion only, many here may have wonderful
experiences with fuming.

I have not. It is a pain in the ass and does not give consistent
color unless you are completely scrupulous in all phases of prep. An
odd swipe of a damp rag to catch a tiny glue drop, something on your
hands, or something on the wood you purchased (that you didn't know
was there) will screw the fuming process up in a real hurry.

Fuming solid wood and fuming plywood are two different things. They
are also most likely two different woods. Sure, they are oak... but
new growth, old growth, kiln dried, air dried, different type grown in
different parts of the world... what do you really have? And I wonder
about fuming some of that Pacific rim stuff as I don't have any clue
of what kind of glue is still outgassing as evidenced when cut.
Surely those gasses would also penetrate that 1/1000" veneer on the
face of the Chinaply. How would they react to your ammonia fumes?
Would heavy blotches of glue used to fill voids make your surface
splotchy? I have no idea.

Nope, it's not for me. I like the look, but you can replicate it easy
enough with different dyes, toners and stains, and make all of your
project look as it is from the same builder and finisher rather than a
hodgepodge of materials.

Besides the strength of ammonia needed to fume (you know that Mr.
Sudso under the sink won't work, right?) is absolutely toxic. Too
dangerous to have around as far as I am concerned.

Check out something in the colorants and I'll bet you'll be a lot
happier.

Robert

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 02:24:28 -0000, wrote:

Has anyone ever tried this?

Loads of times, usually making back panels for cabinets. Round here I
don't see oak-faced plywood thick enough to use for shelving, the
veneered stuff is just 1/4", maybe 1/2".

Fuming works fine on veneered boards, whether they're factory or home
made. Sand well beforehand, as it's hard to finish afterwards without
changing the shade. You do also see variation from board to board, so I
suggest fuming samples first. I use 24 hours (never less, otherwise you
see variations and blotching) and make sure that it's vapour doing it,
not spilled liquid. For big panels like shelves, I'd probably open my
fuming box halfway through, throw away the ammonia, re-stack the timber
in reverse order and then refill the ammonia trays with fresh.

On Aug 28, 12:59 pm, Andy Dingley wrote:
On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 02:24:28 -0000, wrote:
Has anyone ever tried this?

Loads of times, usually making back panels for cabinets. Round here I
don't see oak-faced plywood thick enough to use for shelving, the
veneered stuff is just 1/4", maybe 1/2".

Fuming works fine on veneered boards, whether they're factory or home
made. Sand well beforehand, as it's hard to finish afterwards without
changing the shade. You do also see variation from board to board, so I
suggest fuming samples first. I use 24 hours (never less, otherwise you
see variations and blotching) and make sure that it's vapour doing it,
not spilled liquid. For big panels like shelves, I'd probably open my
fuming box halfway through, throw away the ammonia, re-stack the timber
in reverse order and then refill the ammonia trays with fresh.

Thanks for the replies, NS and Andy. I don't mind fuming at all. Once
you get set up to do it and have a routine I find it WAY easier than
staining, which I abhor due to mess, grain raising, extra time and
sand throughs. I realize there might be color variations between the
ply and the solid but I will test beforehand to determine the
acceptability. I really wanted to know the effect on the ply such as
delams, etc. so it seems straightforward with all the usual caveats
regarding fuming. I let you know how it turns out.