[RIchardS]

I purchased some spalted maple veneer (.026”) . I am going to bond it to a thin piece of plywood to use as a box lid. I planned on spraying the project with several coats of General Finishes satin.
The texture of the veneer is a little rougher than other veneers I’ve used.
Any advice on how to build up and level a finish? My initial thoughts are to pre-finish the veneer before assembly as to avert trying to sand into the corners of the dado’d lid. Any advice? The piece shown is 11” wide x 25” long .

 

[DrRobert]

What exactly do you mean by “rougher”? Is this sawn veneer? Commercial veneer is produced with a knife there shouldn‘t be too many issues. Could you be feeling the texture of the figured grain? If the veneer has bumps or waves you need to flatten it using a veneer softener and clamping between cauls.

At least you’ve got some thickness to work with so it seems you should be able to sand it smooth. Trying to level a surface with finish is not a good idea.

I would not apply any finish prior to veneering as it could bleed though.

 

[RIchardS]

It is more of the figured grain. The pieces are very flat and consistent in thickness. I was going to glue them to the plywood then do a little fine grain sanding with a block to see if I can improve the “feel “ of the surface. I was going to take a waste piece and apply some finish and sand that as well to better gage what the final result will look like.

 

[woodnthings]

My initial thoughts are to pre-finish the veneer before assembly as to avert trying to sand into the corners of the dado’d lid. Any advice?

I think you'll have trouble it holding down flat.
Less risky would be gluing it down first and just be careful OR use a cabinet scraper which will give better results than sanding.

 

[RIchardS]

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Steve Neul]

I wouldn't pre-finish the veneer. I would just go ahead and make the lid and sand it like you would plywood. Then when you finish it use sanding sealer. Apply as many coats as necessary sanding between coats to level the surface and then topcoat it with your finish. If you are using the water based satin use Zinsser Sealcoat for the sealer.

 

[DrRobert]

Hey Richard, I figured it was the figure LOL. Seriously rough texture usually indicates areas of rising grain or even straight up end grain swirling to the surface. If this is the case are areas you will likely have trouble with glue bleeding through. If you use anything other than hide glue it can be a bear to get off. The solution is a couple seal coats of dewaxed shellac on the glue surface.

What glue you gonna use? Hide glue does not interfere with finish. Old Brown Glue is great/needs to be clamped. Have you tried the PVA / hot iron method of veneering? Pretty sweet. 😉

@woodnthings - cabinet scraper on veneer? I hope you mean card scraper, right? Done it to remove glue but………… Danger Will Robinson!! 😀

You can’t do much with sanding if it’s end grain. End grain need to be filled either with a grain filler or several coats of full strength shellac.

 

[RIchardS]

I will use the seal coat and hide glue as recommended. You guys are all a big help. Thank you all.

 

[B Coll]

I will use the seal coat and hide glue as recommended. You guys are all a big help. Thank you all.

I would suggest using MDF as a substrate in lieu of plywood. Unless you are veneering both sides veneer core plywood has a tendency to warp pretty bad from the imbalance and is also prone to both delamination and telegraphing the grain of the plywood through the veneer (depending on thickness and species). MDF is flatter, more stable, and will not delaminate. I would simply scuff the surface for better adhesion before veneering.

 

[RIchardS]

Thank you. I did not know that. Rich

 

[woodnthings]

@woodnthings - cabinet scraper on veneer? I hope you mean card scraper, right? Done it to remove glue but………… Danger Will Robinson!! 😀

Yes, I meant card scraper, but I have both and use the card scraper weekly, the cabinet scraper once since I got it.
An interesting comparison of them here:

Cabinet Scraper VS Card Scraper: Which One Is Better For You? - Top Woodworking Advice

Do you know the difference between a cabinet scraper and a card scraper? If not, don’t worry! In this blog post, we will discuss the differences between these two types

topwoodworkingadvice.com

 

[DrRobert]

I would suggest using MDF as a substrate in lieu of plywood. Unless you are veneering both sides veneer core plywood has a tendency to warp pretty bad from the imbalance and is also prone to both delamination and telegraphing the grain of the plywood through the veneer (depending on thickness and species). MDF is flatter, more stable, and will not delaminate. I would simply scuff the surface for better adhesion before veneering.

Hmm, different strokes. I don’t like MDF b/c it absorbs water out of the glue too fast resulting in poor adhesion. Especially true with hide glue IME. Sanding would make this worse. If you’re using contact cement MDF is ok.

Whatever substrate and whatever glue, always veneer both sides. Bowing occurs b/c as the glue dries it shrinks.

I’ve never seen plywood delaminate (?)