Not a tool I frequently use (but will be pulling out more frequently)

creasman

Jim
Staff member
Corporate Member
I've gotten more into doing veneer work lately. I saw my own on the bandsaw using a 3/4" carbide tooth blade. It works very well at slicing thin sheets from fairly wide stock, leaving a relatively smooth cut. However, it's not finish quality like you might expect from the store-bought, knife-sliced veneer. The bandsaw leaves saw marks to remove as you can see in the panel, below.
IMG_2395.JPG

Without thinking much about it I pulled out my RO sander, put on an 80-grit pad and went to work. Besides the time it takes, one problem with this approach is the hide glue applied to the surface gums up the sandpaper, making it less effective. No problem. I pulled out a card scraper and began to remove the glue before sanding. That gets most of the glue and you can even take out the saw marks if you stay at it long enough. However, It's still a lot of work and tiring for the hands and thumbs.

About this time I remembered, I have a Stanley 112 scraper plane. Why am I doing this the hard way? To be honest, it's not a tool I often use and forget I have it. Fortunately, it was adjusted, sharp and eager to be used. A few passes made easy work of removing all the glue and almost all of the saw marks. I could have gotten all of these, but I knew I was going to sand it anyway, so stopped just short. Now, a few passes with 80-grit on the ROS removed the remaining marks and then, switching to 180-grit, I finished the task in no time.
IMG_2396.JPG


Moral of the story is to remember the tools you have and choose the right tool for the task. Very often the old tools are still the fastest.
 

bbrown

Bill
User
The 112 can be a bit fussy to get tuned just right. I use a Stanly 80 often to remove machine marks, which is also pretty quick, although some elbow grease is required. A card scraper is good for smaller areas.
It really helps to have home-made thick veneer!
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
About to do some slicing on my new saw for some veneer. My first attempt not from factor peeled wood. I was wondering how to get the glue side smooth enough. Do I plane one service of the slab, then slice. Glue the planed side and then scrape/sand the cut side after it is laminated?
 

creasman

Jim
Staff member
Corporate Member
how to get the glue side smooth enough
The key is to get the glue side flat. A bit rough is actually better than making it smooth. In fact, I use a toothing plane to flatten and rough up the substrate before applying the veneer. This increases the bond with the hide glue by opening up the wood.

The blade I use on my bandsaw leaves a nice flat cut. I set the fence to the desired thickness (usually slightly less than 1/16") and proceed slowly, keeping the board pressed firmly against the fence. I made a special extension to my fence that raises it to around 8" high. The choice of blade is key. I've tried slicing veneer with inexpensive, 1/4" - 1/2" blades and almost gave up. These either dull quickly or have a tendency to curve as they go through 8" of hardwood. Then I purchased a 3/4" carbide tooth blade. It wasn't cheap (around $150), but it makes all the difference in the world. I can't recall the brand at the moment. I'll post it later when I've had a chance to check.

Inspect the side of the board that will go against the fence before slicing. If there are ridges or high/low spots remove these before running it through. Otherwise, you'll end up with uneven thicknesses in the veneer. You really want to have sheets that are good enough to glue either side. This allows you to select the side you want to show without worrying about which is best for gluing. On some occasions I'll need to remove a ridge from a sheet after it's sliced. I use a card scraper and go across the grain to flatting the ridge. You just have to be careful because now you're dealing with a very thin piece of wood.

Hope this helps.
 

creasman

Jim
Staff member
Corporate Member
@tvrgeek The resaw blade I'm using is the Resaw King from Laguna. Current list price is about $150 for the 3/4". I purchased mine a couple of years ago and spoke with a sales rep from Laguna at the time. He recommended the widest blade your saw will handle for resawing. I have a 14" Delta bandsaw with the 8" riser block. 3/4" was all mine could take. It is a very good blade in my experience and lives up to the price. Good choice if you plan to do a lot of resawing.

Besides making veneer, resawing is a good way to stretch your lumber. The kerf it leaves is only about 1/16". For example, if you need a board that is 5/8" thick you can split a 1" board to 5/8+" for planing and have a 1/4+" piece left over for something else. Less passes through the planer and less sawdust.

IMG_2402.jpg
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
That one has been recomended. Now I have a "real"bandsaw, I should make the plunge. THe 3/4 band it came with it did a nice job, but I did a quick slice and destroyed it with a hidden nail.

It may vary, but the last batch of 5/8 oak I could barely get 3/4 useable out of it. Next project is walnut for my Stag dash.
 

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