wrapping 2 ply veneer on small cab

[ssyfert]

Think I can wrap some wood on wood veneer I got around a 5/8" radius? It's the largest roundover I got. I plan on cold-pressing the front first with Franklin cold press veneer glue, letting it cure, then wrapping it around and doing each side one at a time. I bent it, it seems pretty flexible, but want some opinions please from those who've done it. Thanks.

[Ron_E]

The vendor I buy from says 2 ply NBL is good for as small as 3/4" radius. 5/8" might be pushing it.

Ron

[bwaslo]

You can buy or make stuff called "veneer softener" (a solution of glycerin and alcohol, http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com/Fl...g_Formula.html) which should make it safer to do that. Depends on how brittle your veneer is.

[r-carpenter]

veneer softener is designed to be used on RAW veneers. It is NOT recommended to be used on a 2-ply. If the radius is a bit tight, spray some water on the face veneer prior to bending and gluing.

[bwaslo]

good point. I missed the part about 2 ply. sorry bout that.

[ssyfert]

Thanks for the replies. some information I forgot is that the face veneer will be running vertical, quarter-sawn white oak. The backer is running cross grain, opposite the oak giving it stability. I think the next step for me is to round over a test piece and see how easy it is to bend. I'm trying to avoid buying an expensive 3/4 or 1" roundover, but if I have to,

[Ron_E]

You're using 2 ply veneer. NBL veneer is 2 ply with the backer grain running in the same direction as the face. That's what you want if you plan to bend it around corners. I don't think you'll have much luck doing 2 ply on that tight of radius.

Ron

[ssyfert]

That makes sense. What does NBL stand for?

I have this veneer left-over from a project, and was hoping to use it, so would the solution be use a larger round-over like 1"?

[Ron_E]

NBL apparently means "No Black Line". You might consider a chamfer. I added these to the cabinets with the table saw after the boxes were built.

Ron

[LouC]

Thanks for the replies. some information I forgot is that the face veneer will be running vertical, quarter-sawn white oak. The backer is running cross grain, opposite the oak giving it stability. I think the next step for me is to round over a test piece and see how easy it is to bend. I'm trying to avoid buying an expensive 3/4 or 1" roundover, but if I have to,

Cross-ply isn't really ideal for wrapping -- especially with white oak. It's designed for stability on big thin panels. Try it on a test piece and let it sit for a day or two. If the oak doesn't split you maybe OK.

Personally, I wouldn't try a round over with cross-ply without a vacuum bag or caul press. But you may make it work.

[ssyfert]

Looks like I'm going with chamfered corners, I've tossed it around in my head now for a week and I'm ok with it, although it was hard to give up the idea of a seamless look. The biggest thing is I want to use up the veneer I have before buying more, and this would allow me to do that. Thanks guys for the valuable input.

[tomzarbo]

Looks like I'm going with chamfered corners, I've tossed it around in my head now for a week and I'm ok with it, although it was hard to give up the idea of a seamless look. The biggest thing is I want to use up the veneer I have before buying more, and this would allow me to do that. Thanks guys for the valuable input.

Have you thought about cutting out a 1/2" or so groove out of the two front side corners and gluing in some matching solid wood, sanding, veneering to the corners, then rounding over afterwards? It is a bit more work, but if you're going after the small radius roundover look, it works fairly easily.

TomZ

[thor61]

Saturate with pure denatured alcohol in the radius area only, you can use a foam brush. Go about 3-4 inches wide where the radius area splits and dry fit your veneer. Alcohol penetrates faster and dries quick ! Do not attempt to glue until veneer has dried and you are comfortable with the fit ! From there a household iron can assist you when gluing, just put a piece of blank paper between the veneer and it ect... Alot of cabinet shops use this method only with-out heat, they use a vacuum former instead ! Best of luck, and have happy 4th !

[ssyfert]

Have you thought about cutting out a 1/2" or so groove out of the two front side corners and gluing in some matching solid wood, sanding, veneering to the corners, then rounding over afterwards? It is a bit more work, but if you're going after the small radius roundover look, it works fairly easily.

TomZ

I have a similar approach that I am going to use with the chamfer. I am going to leave a 3/4 notch missing from the corners and slice a little triangle wedge out of mdf, veneer it and the cabs minus the corners, and then trim flush and sand the wedges to fit the corners exactly. I think if I do it this way I should be able to only see the white oak and not the dark backer like I can on some of my other projects where I've used this veneer. See my triumph sub in the project gallery.