veneer

[monomonster]

hey,

hope i won't get "stupid act of the year" award on this one...
so i made two small wooden cabinets out of 17mm ply wood and they came out really good. i sanded everything down and got a great smooth feeling on all the edges and was about the use some tung oil and call it a day when i started thinking... the plywood isn't good looking so i better put something over it, some nice veneer!

i went to a huge veneer storage house today and they actually gave me around 50 sheets of 30cm x 50cm on african walnut which looks great! the thing is that the box is pretty much done so how do i cut the speaker holes and the rest out after glueing it?

i tried to cut some veneer using a knife i had around and it's not easy and at some point i got a major split so i undersood it won't be that easy. i don't want to make new speaker cabinets... help me people

[karma]

http://www.am-wood.com/tools/router.html

[googler]

For cutting raw veneer, I use a veneer saw. They are relatively inexpensive ($10-$20US). Once glued, I use an edge trimmer on the edges (as the name implies) and a router with a circle jig for the rebates and cutouts.

[wintermute]

Hi MonoMonster,

have you rebated the holes for the drivers to make them flush mount?? if not then all you need is a flush trim bit for your router and it will do the trick (You will need to plunge through the veneer in the center and work your way out to the edge of the hole, and then run around it.... the flush trim bit has a bearing on the bottom which rolls around the existing surface trimming as it goes.

I'm actually not going to put veneer on my front baffle, mainly because of the way I did the rebating of the tweeter (used cricle jig to do the rebate first, then cut the hole out), I won't be able to reproduce with the veneer (as the center is gone), Instead I'm going to go with a black satin finish on the baffle, and veneer on the other sides.

Tony.

[monomonster]

thanks everyone

the holes are not rebated yet, i had a feeling that would be stupid if i'm going to cover the surface with veneer.

the problem is that i don't own a router but i see that there is no way around it if are building speakers so i'll look tomorrow if someone is selling a used one, maybe i can buy one for $40

wintermute - i'll drill a hole in the middle of the speaker hole and work the router from there or i should remover the veneer up to the edge with a file?

any chance for a picture of the kind of bit i need for the router? i'm afraid that israeli sale persons won't know the english name of the bit and i have no idea how they are called in hebrew

[wintermute]

Hi Monomonster,

This is what I'm talking about http://www.apworkshop.com.au/html_ro...-lam-ftb2.html

if you print that off I'm sure they will know what it is

If you want a cheap router the GMC ones seem pretty good value, I'm thinking of getting one soon, as I need it to do my veneering.

it is probably safer to drill a hole and file to almost the edge of the hole but theoretically (provided you keep the router vertical) you shouldn't have problems if you just use the router to make your way to the edge...

how did you cut the current holes?? are they perfectly round? if they aren't then doing the rebate also won't likely be perfectly round. as the rebating bit follows the edge of the existing hole (note I haven't used a rebating bit)....

You have cut the holes already haven't you??? or have you got a clean baffle still (ie no holes yet).

Tony.

[monomonster]

thank you very much for the link!!!

i'll print it and take with me tomorrow when i'll go second-hand router shopping

the speaker and terminal holes were cut with cup drills, or maybe in english you call these hole cutter?

i had the right sizes around by pure luck and i used my press drill to cut in slowly so the holes are perfect. in fact the two speaker boxes came out so well that i was amazed as this is only my 3rd wood work this far... if i won't it up with the veneer i promise to post some pics.

[wintermute]

Ahhh a hole saw yes that will work well in a drill press

you might want to look at these too (note I haven't used one) http://www.apworkshop.com.au/html_ro...N-efb-rb2.html for doing the rebates (but practice on some scrap MDF first!!!!!) you need to select the correct bearing size to get the right width to your rebate too!

I did my rebates with the router and DIY circle jig with a straight cut bit... because that seemed like the way to go at the time , though I had to make a concious decision at the time that I wouldn't try to veneer the front baffles.

edit: and just be aware that the router bits come in 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch varients, most routers are one or the other, some have collets that accept both sizes.

Tony.

[monomonster]

update... i had no luck buying a used router, everything they had at that shop was **** or brand name and those cost top $$$. i'll buy the local newspaper tomorrow and see if anyone is selling some hardware or maybe some woodshop is closing and has tools to sell (always a great source).

i did get something like this https://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=1701

i'll try to use it tomorrow, i just can't wait for a router. i hope i won't be sorry. by the way, if i'm using this edge cutter or even a router, how do i bend in the corners so they will look nice and round? i looked at a table i have that was made by a shop and it has some exotic wood veneer on it but it's about 2mm thick so the adges were made with a router i guess. so about really thin sheets like i have?

[DIYIdaho]

For future reference: never sand or round corners prior to gluing on vernier. The base surface should be perectly (as much as possible) flat with nice sharp edges. Run the verier long and route off the access on two sides. Run the next piece long to overlap the previous two pieces and route it to their nice flat surfaces. Good luck with the project, Chuck