I’m bidding on a project to build a decorative wood panel for a fireplace in a new construction. The panel will be 6 ft wide by almost 18 ft tall. I’m wondering the best way to construct this. The panel will be constructed of maple veneer and probably MDF for the substrate. I have a veneer press, but I’ve never built anything close to this big before. The client would prefer to have the panel look like 1 piece, but I don’t know if this is possible??
Has anybody built anything like this before? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!!
Thanks,
dave
Replies
I've built a similar piece for a restaurant.Build it in sections, as if you were framing a stud wall, where the mdf butts behind the stile and/or rail.Since the stiles and rails stand proud of the mdf, you can scarf joint them together where needed. Or you can use a cope and stick bit to join them, or the joinery of your choice.
Edited 5/11/2004 12:41 pm ET by JACKPLANE
If I'm reading the description correctly, there is only one large panel with no dividers. To me it sounds like way more trouble than the result, a bland looking wall, is worth.
John W.
Edited 5/11/2004 2:28 pm ET by JohnW
The panel itself will be plain, but in addition they want panels overlayed on top of this to give more visual appeal. This panel is the background...
Some laminate manufacturers would be able to fab a sheet that size as a single panel. How you go about handling and installing without breaking it though is an entirely different proposition. Obviously, this way would not be a real wood veneer but something more along the lines of MCP.
If there will be items in front....construct the background panel in pieces such that the panels in front will hide the seams?
I have had similar requests and convinced the customers to install a faux raised panel look wherein the panel dimensions were artfully designed to cover nearly all of the joint lines. I achieve the faux raised panel look with plant on moldings (chair rail usually works). Another system that can work is to design a decorative tiling system (wherein multiple panels are bordered over or within a contrasting matrix). This approach is simply a more creative version of the faux panel system. Designers who ask for such things as these have no idea that they are effectively asking for the moon! To actually construct and install such a monstrosity would seriously strain the pocketbooks of anyone who is not on Forbes top ten list of wealthy Americans.
You should be able to custom order a 18'x 6' sheet of ply with a suitable face veneer to use as your base over which the other panels will be fixed. You could hide the ply edge with a matching lipping. Alternatively, as another poster suggested, because this will be a background panel, you could use tow or more smaller sheets and hide the joins behind the foreground panels. If you go this way expect to spend as much more on shipping as you do on the panel itself. You would want to specify "top load only" !
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