| More stupid hide glue tricks [message #38404] |
Mon, 23 September 2002 06:23  |
BillEpstein
Messages: 886
Registered: May 2009
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Illuminati (2nd Degree) |
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I'm using 2 different veneers as much to experiment with different species as to conserve the fancy Makore. So the plain sliced maple is covering the back of each cabinet.
Even the plain maple is more difficult to work and I see now why I had so much trouble with the quilted. It ripples and cracks as it dries from the stress in the wood; I had to completely re-do one cabinet back. If you've ever ripped maple on a table saw you know what I mean about the stresses in the wood.
The Makore, as well as some Honduran Mahogany I played with is butter in comparison. Maybe tropicals are easier.
Anyway, don't spray the pieces to pre-wet them with cold water. Found out the hard way that it must be at least warm. But the pre-wetting is very important. One edge was curled up and took an act of congress to finally glue flat.
Where you have a bubble that won't go flat, lift the workpiece all the way back to the bubble, put more glue on the back of the piece and the front so it's thoroughly warm and slippery and then hammer it again toward the sides. Keep hammering as it cools and position the workpiece so you can exert great pressure on the hammer. It's amazing how much pressure it takes but the bubbles will go flat. Find them by tap-tapping on the piece with your fingertips.
Pre-cut the veneer so it overlays the workpiece by no more that 1/4". 1/8" is better. Some species may shrink a bit so don't cut too close. But more than 1/4" overlap makes it very hard to get the edges to lie flat.
Dry hide glue pops off adjacent workpiece sides quite easily with a sharp chisel. But only a scraper will do for the veneer itself
You won't sand the glue off and wiping it while wet will release the bond.
If you're not familiar with the scraper get yourself into a woodworking store, buy a Sandvik scraper and a burnisher and learn how to use it. Best tool for finishing anything, anyway. If you're rich, buy a "cabinet scraper" which looks like an old-fashioned plane but holds a scraper blade.
2 more sides and the baffles and I'll have 2Pi's!
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