Help with trimming wood Veneer.

Loading17 · 8th October 2009, 10:23 PM

Help! I applied my wood veneer with contact cement and am having some troubles trimming it. I've got a knife and I'm trying to run it 90 degrees to the veneer but it's 'splintering' and tearing up around where the edge is. I'm fairly certain I got a good bond with the contact cement.

Help!

mrevie · 8th October 2009, 10:37 PM

How sharp is the knife? If the veneer is splinting then the knife must be catching... I've used a scalpel before with great success.

Loading17 · 8th October 2009, 10:54 PM

It's a new (albeit cheap) utility knife.

Do you cut all the way through the veneer with one sweep? Do you take several passes? Do you 'saw' at it?

mrevie · 8th October 2009, 11:02 PM

Nah, I don't saw. It's pretty tough to do it in one sweep. I usually go over a particular section very carefully, gradually getting deeper. In such a way you're not applying too much force to the veneer and splitting it.

multisync · 8th October 2009, 11:23 PM

there are available router bits that are made to trim veners. You can try to use a small plane and then fine sandpaper. Very coarse sand paper followed by fine sand paper works but takes the longest. A very sharp chisel will work if you don't have a plane. A new chisel will have to be sharpened. They are not very sharp when bought from a store. I have used all of the methods. Using a router is fastest but you will need some practice first or you can destroy your project in a second or less. I remade all of the kitchen cabinets in our house using oak plywood and used several hunded feet of oak iron on vener for the edges. I used the chisel and sandpaper method with excellent results. When you rub your finger from one edge to the other you should not feel the veneered edge.

mattmcl · 8th October 2009, 11:52 PM

If you are cross cutting (going against the grain) you need a very sharp knife. You can put a piece of masking tape right along your cut line, which will decrease the splintering- apply the tape gently, and be careful when you pull it back up.

I'm veneering my speakers right now as well, I decided to rout a 1/4" groove along the edge and glue in strips of wood, then round them over. This also prevents edge damage when you move the speakers or whatever.

Loading17 · 9th October 2009, 04:25 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions. Unfortunately I'm going to have to stop for the time being. Just had a cold snap and I can't get the garage warm enough. (The contact cement I have wants to be above 16 Celsius with my space heater running I can only get it up to about 5 degrees.)

mattmcl · 9th October 2009, 07:14 PM

I'm running into the same thing. I'll tell you one thing- do NOT be stingy with the contact cement. I've had a few bubbles appear and I think it's because I was trying to stretch the can of cement out. If you do get some, cut a slit along the grain the whole length of the bubble, in the middle. Then sneak some wood glue in there and clamp it down. Someone suggested ironing the bubbles, but I haven't tried that.

mrevie · 10th October 2009, 01:14 AM

Dear god that's cold... It's between 20 and 35 degrees C year round where I am.

Geek · 10th October 2009, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrevie

Dear god that's cold... It's between 20 and 35 degrees C year round where I am.

Ah, shaddap

/Geek cold

8th October 2009, 10:23 PM	#1
Loading17 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2009	Help with trimming wood Veneer. Help! I applied my wood veneer with contact cement and am having some troubles trimming it. I've got a knife and I'm trying to run it 90 degrees to the veneer but it's 'splintering' and tearing up around where the edge is. I'm fairly certain I got a good bond with the contact cement. Help!

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8th October 2009, 10:37 PM	#2
mrevie diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2009	How sharp is the knife? If the veneer is splinting then the knife must be catching... I've used a scalpel before with great success.

8th October 2009, 10:54 PM	#3
Loading17 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2009	It's a new (albeit cheap) utility knife. Do you cut all the way through the veneer with one sweep? Do you take several passes? Do you 'saw' at it?

8th October 2009, 11:02 PM	#4
mrevie diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2009	Nah, I don't saw. It's pretty tough to do it in one sweep. I usually go over a particular section very carefully, gradually getting deeper. In such a way you're not applying too much force to the veneer and splitting it.

8th October 2009, 11:23 PM	#5
multisync diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Carp	there are available router bits that are made to trim veners. You can try to use a small plane and then fine sandpaper. Very coarse sand paper followed by fine sand paper works but takes the longest. A very sharp chisel will work if you don't have a plane. A new chisel will have to be sharpened. They are not very sharp when bought from a store. I have used all of the methods. Using a router is fastest but you will need some practice first or you can destroy your project in a second or less. I remade all of the kitchen cabinets in our house using oak plywood and used several hunded feet of oak iron on vener for the edges. I used the chisel and sandpaper method with excellent results. When you rub your finger from one edge to the other you should not feel the veneered edge.

8th October 2009, 11:52 PM	#6
mattmcl diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2009	If you are cross cutting (going against the grain) you need a very sharp knife. You can put a piece of masking tape right along your cut line, which will decrease the splintering- apply the tape gently, and be careful when you pull it back up. I'm veneering my speakers right now as well, I decided to rout a 1/4" groove along the edge and glue in strips of wood, then round them over. This also prevents edge damage when you move the speakers or whatever.

9th October 2009, 04:25 PM	#7
Loading17 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2009	Thanks for all the suggestions. Unfortunately I'm going to have to stop for the time being. Just had a cold snap and I can't get the garage warm enough. (The contact cement I have wants to be above 16 Celsius with my space heater running I can only get it up to about 5 degrees.)

9th October 2009, 07:14 PM	#8
mattmcl diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2009	I'm running into the same thing. I'll tell you one thing- do NOT be stingy with the contact cement. I've had a few bubbles appear and I think it's because I was trying to stretch the can of cement out. If you do get some, cut a slit along the grain the whole length of the bubble, in the middle. Then sneak some wood glue in there and clamp it down. Someone suggested ironing the bubbles, but I haven't tried that.

10th October 2009, 01:14 AM	#9
mrevie diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2009	Dear god that's cold... It's between 20 and 35 degrees C year round where I am.