Warped Wood -- Argh!!

[EricRN]

I know I'm not saying anything that everyone here doesn't already know--but I'm starting to feel like purchasing dimensioned lumber is a wast of money. Everytime I buy it,--particularly thinstock--it always seems to warp on me. It'll be nice once I've finished up my planer jig and can save myself some money and stick with buying only rough lumber that I can let acclimate and THEN dimension to my needs.

 

[carlmorrell]

Or you could go to the darkside. I prefer baltic birch plywood covered with veneer.

 

[EricRN]

Very nice table! I'm not above plywood and veneer, but haven't worked much with veneer and don't have (or want to buy) the equipment necessary to make it stick. Do you use a vacuum press or is it possible to get buy with cheaper solutions?

 

[carlmorrell]

Very nice table! I'm not above plywood and veneer, but haven't worked much with veneer and don't have (or want to buy) the equipment necessary to make it stick. Do you use a vacuum press or is it possible to get buy with cheaper solutions?

It was a rough start for me 25 years ago. In the 1970s, when I first started woodworking there was not much out there in terms of learning. Most printed material was based on old knowledge. Hide glue, contact cement, wood glue. After a few semi-successful, and a few not so, I decided I needed more info.

That's when I discovered Vacuum veneering. I talked with the owner of vacupress, and he talked me into a very nice inexpensive rotary vane pump. Since then I have purchased 3 different size bags. The original is 4'x4' and I have patched and repaired that poor old bag so many times,but it still holds a vacuum. I also bought a 4'x8' bag for big headboards. And a 1'x12' bag for things like bedrails.

The second important item is the glue. Unibond is a modified urea resin. It hardens to a rigid glue line which prevents veneer creep. That's when the veneer moves over time and opens up cracks in the seams. Here are a few more pieces. The sideboard had over 70 veneering operations, virtually no hardwood, except for feet or caps. But you will not find a plywood exposed edge anywhere.

The thing today is, all the pretty wood is sliced into veneer. With an inexpensive hand saw, tape, glue and that vacuum setup, the possibilities are endless. Curved lamination's are also possible. I think you would find after the initial investment, you will save money in the long run not having to buy expensive lumber. Yes I do used hardwoods, I like honduran mahogany for framing.