Removing veneer with a hand plane

[williamrschneider]

I had almost finished a pair of Zaph ZDT3.5 speakers last summer when I sanded through the veneer on the back of one of them. Grrr!

I tried to match the color with artists pencils, but because real wood grain reflects different tones when seen from different angles, it wasn't satisfactory.

For example, this angle looks good:



But seen from the top, not quite so good:



This happened last summer, and, in disgust, I just stopped working on them until now. I had to cool down. First, I thought that I'd just use 80 grit sandpaper in my orbital sander to remove the old veneer, but a better idea appeared.

Instead, I used a pair of hand planes to slice off the veneer in thin sheets. The jack plane did the heavy cutting, and I followed that up with the smoothing plane. This was almost too easy!







This worked very well, and I'm left with very little touch-up to do before I glue another piece of veneer to the back.

I thought that I'd pass this along in case someone needs a quick, easy way to remove veneer.

Let's hope you don't though!

[rtkelly]

Mr. Schneider
Is your smoother a Veritas low angle?

[williamrschneider]

Mr. Schneider
Is your smoother a Veritas low angle?

No, but close. It's a Lie Nielsen low angle smooth plane. I struggled with the decision between Lie Nielsen vs. Veritas when I was ready to buy one. They both have a good reputation.

[Drew_V]

That's quality work, Bill. Looks very clean.

But quite honestly, I'm shocked that a man of your great woodworking talents managed to sand through the veneer in the first place. How'd that happen?

[williamrschneider]

But quite honestly, I'm shocked that a man of your great woodworking talents managed to sand through the veneer in the first place. How'd that happen?

Time for a quiz:

a) Blame it on the beer

b) There's a little of that strange, absent minded cousin in each of us.

c) Sanding is soothing, and I was grooving.

d) I'm old and I forgot that I had already sanded that area before.

e) I was calculating how much time until I can afford retirement. It was a long, distracting calculation.

d) Stupidity.

e) All of the above.

f) None of the above.

Yeah, sanding through really did set me off that day. Stuff happens though.

[jclin4]

Don't be too hard on yourself, Bill. But I do know that feeling of self-loathing when mistakes occur.

In any case, you have now proven and documented a route to recovery. Thanks for sharing!

[edlafontaine]

Time for a quiz:

I'm guilty on all counts!

[davepellegrene]

That's pretty gutsy going at it with a plane. Must have been good and sharp. Glad it worked out.
I do have days that if it wasn't for screwing up I wouldn't get anything done.
Dave

[williamrschneider]

The plane irons were razor sharp - literally. I paid particular attention to that, and then took thin shavings as I worked. It was fun seeing the old pencil alignment marks reappear on the MDF as I shaved away veneer.

In addition, I paid attention to the direction of cut so that I didn't stress the glue bond on the remaining veneer.

This was much easier than trying to sand it off. I'd do this method again in a heartbeat - but I hope that I don't have to.

[theLinks]

Bill,
You are one of the many that I enjoy viewing their posts. You always have something to teach, and always interesting. You did a great job that could of gone wrong for the average guy. So, can't wait till you finish them and give us your opinion on the ZDT3.5s.
Tim

[williamrschneider]

I'll be sure to send a PM to you about the sound of them (when finished). This project has been on and (mostly) off for two years.

I got off to a great start, then stalled on the finishing. Last summer, I was almost there when I sanded through the veneer and set it aside. I think I'm getting close now.

[Soundslike]

Thanks for the tip -- I'm sure I'll need it. Had I read this a couple of months ago, I probably would have used it. Make sure you add a few appropriate tags to this string so people can find it when they need it. There's a saying among old pilots that could be adapted to this discussion -- "There's two kinds of pilots -- those who have landed with the gear up, and those who will."

[JRT]

I had almost finished a pair of Zaph ZDT3.5 speakers last summer when I sanded through the veneer on the back of one of them. Grrr! I tried to match the color with artists pencils, but because real wood grain reflects different tones when seen from different angles, it wasn't satisfactory. This happened last summer, and, in disgust, I just stopped working on them until now. I had to cool down. First, I thought that I'd just use 80 grit sandpaper in my orbital sander to remove the old veneer, but a better idea appeared. Instead, I used a pair of hand planes to slice off the veneer in thin sheets. The jack plane did the heavy cutting, and I followed that up with the smoothing plane. This was almost too easy! This worked very well, and I'm left with very little touch-up to do before I glue another piece of veneer to the back. I thought that I'd pass this along in case someone needs a quick, easy way to remove veneer. Let's hope you don't though!

Sorry Bill, but I have to ask...

Were you planning to set these up where the rear will be easily visible?
...couldn't simply, sand, mask and spray paint the backs satin black?

Not giving you a hard time, just curious as to whether it needed to be done.

Anyway, good choice in tools. Your ears and lungs thank you for not grabbing the belt sander.



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[Ron_E]

I did the same thing last year when I cut a hole for an offset driver on the wrong side of a box. I finish my boxes before I cut the holes and had to remove the veneer, plug the hole and re-veneer. My plane was nothing fancy so I removed what I felt safe doing with the plane and sanded off the rest. It saved a lot of time.

Ron

[williamrschneider]

Sorry Bill, but I have to ask...

Were you planning to set these up where the rear will be easily visible?
...couldn't simply, sand, mask and spray paint the backs satin black?

Not giving you a hard time, just curious as to whether it needed to be done.

I strongly considered that, but decided to re-veneer instead. I just like the look of veneer all around on the box unless there is some sort of trim piece to separate the junction of veneer and paint.

[williamrschneider]

My plane was nothing fancy so I removed what I felt safe doing with the plane and sanded off the rest. It saved a lot of time.

Ron

And no sawdust in the air!