Hello All,
I’ve been reading several books on veneering and marquetry lately and have come accross some pictures in several books that seem to be contradicting the text that accompanys the books. All the books go through different substrates that are good for veneering and their pros and cons.
My question arrises around the veneering of solid wood. It looks to be that pine is being used in several of the “projects” that accompany several of the books. In one situation the author is veneering a tapered solid pine leg. It looks like he has gone over the knots with some kind of “compound” to fill in the voids and cracks around the knots but doesn’t say what it is. I’m assuming that if not treated at all the pressure from the vaccum bag would suck the veneer into the knots and create headaches. Does one use regular wood filler in and around knots and sand it smooth before veneering over pine with knots. Does clear epoxy work to fill these as it would seem it would dry harder than the wood filler….but would a PVA or hide glue then stick to the areas of epoxy?
If anyone has any thoughts or idea…they’d all be appreciated.
E. Anderson
Replies
I have heard of people patching knots and other defects before veneering, but the whole thing strikes me as asking for trouble.
I don't really see the need to use wood with knots and other defects, because the substrate woods are typically cheaper, so I pick clear stock and still the keep the budget under control.
If I were to even consider patching a substrate, I'd go with a dutchmen, as this wouldn't have any compatability issues, and if the glue were allowed to cure long enough before leveling, the repair would most likely not telegraph through the veneer.
Rob Millard
http://www.americanfederalperiod.com
When I have a small defect in a sheet substrate (perhaps a scratch or chipout) I've fill it with Durham's Rock Hard Putty because it was recommended on the veneering forum at http://www.vacupress.com. It worked well.
I've never veneered other than MDF and baltic birch to date, but can see the need for solid wood if veneering table legs. I'd look for the most stable wood I can afford, and like Rob would only use clear stock. Perhaps the example was made up just for the purposes of a picture.
Personally I am not sure that I would count on much of anything to really glue well to a pine knot, since they are so saturated with pitch. I am sure that you all know that they have to stay in a kiln for X # of hours at 140ยบ to set the pitch, but that still doesn't leave much room for the adhesive to really penetrate the cell walls.
On the other-hand, When I took a tour of the White House around 1995, I could not help but notice that the long dining table which was set up in the yellow banquet room to the left of the foyer had huge knots telegraphing through the mahogany face veneer top. I think the curator said that the maker didn't know that this piece was going into the WH collection at the time of making. Duh, lets save our best work for when it really counts? You never know.
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