Cheap Veneering TIPS
Many of you have seen attractive hardwood veneers -- they are expensive and sometimes difficult to find. I love teak veneer -- but sometimes the $$ required are prohibitive. I have arrived at a workaround that gives beautiful results but doesn't kill the wallet.
1) I purchase hard maple veneer, approx. 1/40" thick -- made by E.N.E. Wood Products Ltd. from Surrey B.C. Canada. It is available in 4' x 8' sheets at a very low price.
2) Maple (and birch for that matter) do NOT take stain very well -- so getting color into them is a real PITA. I talked to a craftsman friend who used Birdseye maple in his guitars and mandolins -- all with beautiful stains -- with just about any color imaginable. The trick was that he didn't use oil base stains.
3) Coloring of the dense hardwood was done with aniline based, water (polar solvent) soluble dyes. These dye powders are available at Lee Valley Tools.
4) When working with veneer, moisture is your ENEMY -- it causes the wood cell to swell -- which results in bubbles, dips, valleys and de-lamination of the veneer from the substrate. The solution is to use a non-aqueous polar solvent to dissolve the aniline dye powder... I have tried both acetone and denatured ethyl alcohol with good success. No swelling of the veneer from either. (Don't veneer on a rainy or high humidity day)
4) Cut the veneer 4" bigger on each dimension than the substrate. Lay the veneer so that it is curly side up on your work table. Using masking tape hold down the ends so the veneer lies relatively flat.
5) (Make sure you are wearing a chemical respirator.) Using a small automotive touch-up spray gun apply an even coat of contact cement (thinned 50% with lacquer thinner) to the veneer. Let dry for one half hour. Do the same application to the substrate. Repeat the contact cement application to the veneer and substrate. Let dry for one half hour. Do NOT attempt to bond the veneer to the substrate until it is completely dry to the touch. (I recommend Lepage's Press-Tite contact cement -- the SMELLY STUFF) DO NOT use water based contact cement -- it will swell the wood cells in the veneer and ruin your project.
6) Cover the substrate with either newspaper or brown kraft paper (only the kind with the "fuzzy" finish or it will stick to the cement.) Lay the veneer down on the newspaper and position it to your preference. Be sure about this -- contact cement allows NO repositioning of the veneer. Holding the veneer in this position, have your helper pull the paper back -- about three inches will do. Rub the veneer onto the substrate with the back of your fist (lots of force) to make the initial bond.
7) Using a planed and sanded 2" x 4" (make sure the edges are smooth too) go over the area from step 6 with as much force as you can apply to push the veneer onto the substrate.
8) Repeat steps 6 and 7 until the whole veneer panel is bonded to the substrate. (This is only one side of the box).
9) Using a palm router (1/4" size is used here for convenience) with a 1/4" ball bearing flush trim bit, cut the installed veneer to the size of the substrate. You will find the sharp edge of the router bit gets glogged with dried contact cement. Unplug the router (safety dammit!) and clean it off with a little lacquer thinner - then resume trimming. Failure to keep the bit clean will result in a crummy trim job!
(10) Repeat this process until all the side of the box are done. HINT -- mask off the sides that are already veneered so you don't spray contact cement on them!
(11) Now the fun begins! Sand all veneered sides starting with 120 grit, then 220 grit then 320 grit sandpapers on an orbital sander. Be sure not to round the edges of the box and mind the hand motion you use so that you don't make cross-grain scratches. Blow off the dust.
(12) Mix the aniline dye powder in a polar solvent (acetone or denatured ethyl alcohol) using TWICE the amount of solvent recommended on the package. Why? You can always apply more liquid dye to darken the wood -- but lightening a dye job that is too dark is a major PITA.
(13) Wipe down the box with a TACK RAG to remove the dust. Make sure you are wearing a chemical respirator, spray on the dye with a small touch up gun -- make sure your spay it on with smooth even strokes. Wait for 30 minutes and it is dry. Reapply more coats if not dark enough. Apply an oil based topcoat - linseed oil, Danish oil, tung oil, lacquer, polyurethane or varnish -- they won't effect the dye job!
(14) The grain in the maple will really pop out when you use a reddish brown or purple dye -- I made it look like Purple Heart or Red Honduras Mahogany at a fraction of the cost of these veneers.
Hope this helps!
Tim 
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Originally Posted by SEAWOLF97
