What is your preferred veneer type and vendor?

[Tiggerfip]

I am looking to purchase my veneer this week (quarter-sawn cherry or teak) and wanted some input as to ease of install with the various types.

I know of 10mil unbacked, 10mil paper backed, mica veneer, and something called peel and stick. All of which are real wood veneer products. Which have you done and which do you prefer. And where do you think has the best quality veneer for your money online.

I have installed products with contact cement so that is not a problem - I just wanted some additional options since I have not done veneers before.

Thanks. I read the veneer FAQ in another thread already - so just post if you have really good experience with a certain type and it was not mentioned in that post.

[Tiggerfip]

I am planning on doing my veneer which I got from Tape-ease (http://www.tapeease.com/sheet%20veneer.htm)using the type one white glue and iron method to get the results I am looking for. The 4x8 sheets of quartered cherry 10mil paper-backed veneer were just under 50 dollars there and I have heard good things about their quality.


It will take more time but I think the end product will be superior and I will not have any worry about long-term stability. I was talking to one of the best finish carpenters in Seattle on the job today and he told me about this well respected guy who did alot of articles on woodworking named Mario Rodriguez. I actually found some videos of him doing this glue method of veneering at the Long Island Woodworkers on-line video Library.

Main index here:

http://www.liwoodworkers.org/media/v...inelibrary.asp

I am downloading them now. Be warned that it is a two part video with each part 117 megs large. I right clicked and saved them to my drive.

There are also some other interesting videos which look like they are worth downloading as well. I hope this helps any out there who need more than a written description of the techniques for this veneer method. I will let you know tomorrow how informative they are.

[Timn8ter]

I've done oak plywood, birch plywood, solid wood and good 'ol MDF so this time I'm going veneer. I think I'll go paperback for ease of installation and low cost. I'm not at the point where I want to spend the money on higher quality burls and vacuum presses. One burl I liked turned out to be over $11 per sq foot for a 4x8 sheet (do the math!). I found some good info at veneeronline.com. I don't think I'll be ready to veneer for a couple more weeks. Thanks for the links. I'm going to check it out.

[Tiggerfip]

Just finished watching the two part veneering video and it was great. The quality of the video was outstanding and the demonstration was awesome.

My regret is not watching the video before buying my veneer. I wish I had bought raw 1/16" veneer sheets versus the 10mil paperbacked ones I bought. 10mil is about 1/32 of an inch think and the paper causes some trouble at the corners.

Oh well - live and learn - or learn quicker and have less problems. I am sure they will still turn out great.

[Variac]

I got my ribbon mahogany from tapeease.com/
The guy on the phone recomended what I THINK was: "2 ply veneer" Instead of under $50 a 4x8 sheet for paper backed, it was about $75.
But, the veneer is glued to a layer of a very tough and flexible wood. probably birch?

It is as easy to use as laminate- I used contact cement, then ran my router around the edge with a flush cut bearing bit. It came out perfect. It shows thicker at the corners but once lightly stained-no problem.

It was worth the extra money to get great results the first time!

I then used the grain filler, Danish, oil/sanding block methed mentioned elswhere online here.

[Hybrid fourdoor]

Well since this is my first project, I couldn't see doubling the cost of the project, so I went with the good ol PartsExpress Re Maple vinyl. Sure its no burl, but we'll see how it comes out, plus its uber cheap.

[Variac]

I go with the opposite philosophy. I try to do the best I can the first time. I tend to get the best drivers and designs by proven people. Since I don't have much time I would rather have as many guarantees as possible.

Often I'm just fooling myself. Usually the second time goes better, another design catches your eye......

Although the contact cement worked for this thick stuff, the iron on method sounds best for thin veneer.

[Gary Angermeier]

I use urea resin glue in conjuction with vacuum bag. (joewoodworker.com) A vacuum bag set up is not cheep $300-$500 range, but you cant find a better method. Up to 1900 powns per square foot. Vacuum bags are also the best method to glue layers of MDF, such as wide pieces that are hard to reach. Joe sells all kinds of fancy veeners, ie burl and crotch, as well as supplies.

[eStatic]

I love real wood but I have an idiosyncratic dislike for wood veneer and prefer frankly fake Formica that does not imitate wood in any way. The tedious part is painting the edges to match or at least blend with the design in the Formica. Hmm, come to think of it, I haven't done that on my sub yet.

[Luke (Uof Iowa)]

Haven't tried them before, but their selection seems interesting:
http://www.oakwoodveneer.com/index.html

I think Tyler Audio gets their veneers from there.