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Repairing Raw veneers for use

Repairing Raw veneers for use

Repairing Raw veneers for use. Often raw veneeers look far beyond being able to salvage them. Between cracks, buckles, and holes, they can be intimidating for beginners and pros alike.

There are times when I'm not certain we can use them, and still manage to make a profit. The buckles are time consuming, as they must be wetted and dryed to a flat state. Not a problem, just time comsuming. This is a common condition to most fancy veneers.

Then we have the cracks to deal with. Again, not a big deal, just more time. These gennerally show up on crotch veneers, and stumps.

A little more difficult to deal with are burls, with their many flaws, which include all of the above, as well as numerous holes.  The repair methods are the same for all the above listed problems, as we would normally handle them.

The holes are a different matter and while they too are easily fixed, it takes a little more effert and creativity.

Several tools are available, which ease the problems of repairing these holes well enough to be virtually impossible to detect, have been aroung for quite a while. Actually they're becoming harder to find.

These tools are called veneer punches. They are irregular in shape to make following the outline of the repair difficult. The eye has trouble following random shapes. The tools have a sharp cutting edge, and are spring loaded to eject the patch. Available in different sizes, to allow different sized flaws to be repaired.

Once the defects are removed, a matching piece of veneer is placed below the hole, with the idea of finding a good match, both in color and grain. When a suitable repair spot is located, the same punch is used to cut out the repair. Again, the repair patch is ejected from the punch.

It is now placed into the hole, and taped into place with veneer tape. When done properly, the repair is virtually undetectable.

The book matched doors below, have somewhere in the neighborhood of fifteen such repairs in each of them, yet installing them in a $ 100,000.00 kitchen is no problem.

The large growth on the tree is a very large burl. Some of the most beautiful veneers come from growths like these. Although they're generally smaller.

These commercially available punches cost somewhere aroung $ 75.00 a piece, if I recall correctly. It is possible to make your own, using a piece of electrical conduit, and bending it into an irregular shape, and then sharpening the edge with a file. The cut outs won't eject automatically, but they are more cost effective.

While the problems associated with working with veneers can seem intimidating, it is well worth the rewards!

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Written by: Lee A. Jesberger  © 2006

Inventor of Ezee-Feed systems  ®

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