*
Having made my first foray into the world of cherry plywood (purchased from a local lumberyard and not a specialty warehouse or the like), I have discovered just how thin that top layer is — in other words, in my attempt to do a diligent gluing job, I inadvertently got some glue on the face and beneath a piece of wood I was using to more-evenly distribute clamping pressure (my veneer clamps that I ordered last week haven’t arrived), the understandable consequence of which was to (effectively) ruin a good chunk of the cherry. All that by way of asking, Is there/Are there places where one can buy a better grade of veneered plywood? Or if I want a thicker top layer, should I just make my own?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated….
Stephen Thomas
Replies
*
Stephen,
My experience is that the veneers on all such plywood are very thin. I've sanded thru a few myself. I think its industry standard and I don't know that there are much thicker ones (maybe small fractions but thats about it) until you go into scant sizes of solid stock.
I don't know if there is an alternative aside from caution when working with them. Or using solid stock which in cherry is not cheap.
I know its aggrivating when you mess up some good ($$$) lumber. I've been doing this a while and I still make firewood out of a piece here or there.
Mike
*Welcome to the wonderful world of wood working . I know we all have experianced the same thing and it is very frustrating. I can suggest a couple of things. One is to go to a plywood specialty house and see what they have on hand or special order for you. The other is to make the carcase (If your building cabs) and use a peel and stick/glue on type veneer over the ply. Another is to pocket hole the cab together, just put the pocket holes where they cant be seen. All in all it depends on what your building you didnt say in your post.
*You might try to apply the finish to the wood before aseembly. Takes some coordinated thinking, and you have to not put the finishe where the glue is supposed to go.
*I try to avoid glue wherever possible.
*You can mail order veneer sheets and glue a sheet over the area you sanded through (ie on that entire face of the piece). You can order these in 1/16 thickness. It'll add some cost, but not nearly the cost of a new sheet of cherry ply ($98 near me for 3/4").
*thanks to everyone for responding. ed hilton's suggestion to finish the cherry before assembling is a good one -- pity i didn't think of it. yo, crazy legs, you're scaring me: enlighten me about the evils of glue, please! (seriously) if my planned route of repair doesn't work (i figure i'll just VERY carefully rout a rectangle out of the surface and attempt to reattach a new piece in its place...
*Standard vaneer use to be 1/28" thick.. I don't know how thick it is now but I suspect its thinner now.
*I wonder why that layer is so thin. I mean, think about it - the biggest cost involved has to be the manufacturing process and shipping. I've never bought cherry, but here 3/4 AC is only about $5 cheaper than 3/4 oak. So what would it cost to make that top layer, say, 1/8" thick instead? - maybe another $5! Think of all the applications then. The first thing I would try would try would be plywood as flooring @ $1.50 or so per sq ft.just wondering...-Randy
*Stephen,I'm assuming that the clamp block you used hid the fact that there was some squeeze out you didn't see.That's a shame.I always keep a damp glue rag when gluing up hardwoods to wipe up any excess glue. I guess the only way to avoid your problem would be removing the clamp block to check for squeeze out, wiping it clean and then rplacing the clamp.Contrary to what many people do, it doesn't take THAT much glue or pressure to secure a good glue joint. Sometimes you can place the glue in a way it will squeeze out the back instead of the front. Always wipe up the excess with a wet rag.Did the clamp block get glued to the surface?Sorry for your trouble. I like Stray's advice about re-veneering the entire face if that is possible in your case.Good luck,Ed.
*Randy ---3/4" oak plywood leaves the mill at $5 per sheet. Not much money to add a thick face to it.1/8" face veneer means you put on a 1/8" back veneer.Cutting 1/8" thick veneer from a log is hard.---------I have my own shop and I make 3/4" and thicker ply with 1/8" faces and backs in 8'x15' sheets. I do not sell my plywood.but it does make wonderful projects.
*Ed: yes, some glue under the clamp block squeezed out and adhered the block to the cherry ply. Just my luck. Clearly, the wet rag should have been at my side...speaking of gluing, any thoughts on Gorilla Glue, which is what I was using in this instance? Unlike more traditional wood glue, it does that foaming thing, which is cool and all, but I suspect also exacerbated my problem. Should I stick (sorry) with other glues? And how much is enough? You mention that a good joint doesn't require a ton of glue ... any good guidelines for me to follow? And I agree, re-veneering another sheet is an excellent suggestion. My only issue with it as a solution is that I am building two seperate but equal base cabinets and to re-veneer one means I would then need to reveneer the other, a circumstance I would prefer to avoid if at all possible...
*This site may answer some of your questions regarding standard and extra thick veneers.Jeff
*There are many different grades of veneered plywoods out and about. The best quality is a "cabinet grade" plywood. It is usually 7 plies thick for 1/2", and 9 plies thick for 3/4". The top and bottom layer are veneered hardwoods, and are pretty thick. They are MUCH thicker than standard lumberyard plywood. I'd venture to say they are about 1/8" thick or better. I get my specialty cabinet grade plywood from a cabinet shop. They get it from a specialty supplier out of Houston. Ain't cheap. 3/4" Oak cabinet grade here goes for about $65 a sheet, and it is the cheapest. Needless to say, I don't buy too much of the stuff, but the cabinet shops around do. They buy it by the truckload.James DuHamel