Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Jul 30, 2003 06:47pm | #1

   Adam,

   On a smaller drawer front, you could safely veneer just the front face, but on a panel this large it would be worth the trouble to play it safe and veneer the inside surface also.  This is especially true when using thicker, shop cut veneers, which create more stress when they shrink or expand from moisture changes.  I use 3/4 inch Baltic birch plywood for my backing, anything thinner definitely needs balanced construction.  I also use sliding dovetails to attach the drawer sides to the face, it's a solid joint.

   A second point worth considering: As the "veneer" gets thicker it starts to act more like solid wood.  On a chest I made during the summer a couple of years ago, the 1/8 inch thick veneer on the drawer front developed small surface cracks as the piece dried out during its first desert dry New England winter.  

   When I built the drawer, both the veneer and the plywood had been allowed to acclimate long enough to have stable moisture levels, so the cracking wasn't due to an imbalance in moisture content at glue up.  I also used an epoxy to further limit the chance that there would be a moisture problem, so the crack came as a rude surprise, though I've since heard of a few other people having the same experience. 

   On straight grained, shop cut, thick veneer, I now glue the veneer onto the backing plywood and then run the veneered face through a thickness planer, which allows me to safely get the veneer down to a final thickness of 1/16th inch thick or less.  This fix may not be possible with birdseye maple, the chance of tear out being fairly high, so try to get the maple as thin as possible before you glue it on.

   Hope this helps, John W.

    

   
   

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   Edited 7/30/2003 3:09:21 PM ET by JohnW

2. 
   LRutherfor1 | Jul 30, 2003 07:59pm | #2

   Depending on the humidity of the area, or the water content in the wood, you might want to seal the inside of the drawer with sanding sealer, vararhene, etc. That normally will stop the majority of the movement.  Hope this helps

   Len (Len's Custom Woodworking)

3. 
   Telemike | Jul 31, 2003 08:44am | #3

   I use only my own bandsawn veneers and have for years.  I've tried to cut corners veneering one side of the panel, but the old woodworking wisdom is always right!  I now always veneer both sides - the front has show veneer and the back has workaday wood of the same species and about the same grain orientation and spacing.

   I always sand to 1/16" now with a drum sander.  I used to use an auxiliary table under the bottom roller of my 6 x 48 belt sander.  As a previous reply stated, 1/8" acts too much  like solid wood.

   Also, every operation you do on the front, do on the back also so each side absorbs and loses water at the same rate.  Same number of coats of finish, same sanding and rubbing schedule.  Extra work, but it pays in stability.