Very thin inlay. How to apply?

[JapanDave]

OK, so I have obtained some very thin decorative inlay 30" x 18" x 1/32" thick. I don't have a vacuum setup, so I was wondering how I could go about applying this as it is not flat like your typical thin veneer, b/c of all the different woods and the thickness it is very wavy in nature. Any help would be much appreciated.

[starr]

You can buy (or make) solution to spray on curly veneer and then flatten it with a weighted board before gluing to the substrate.

There are some good tips at http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/flattening.htm

[_fly_]

I have used those vacuum bags for clothes/pillows etc that you can buy in 2 dollar shops and just used a good vacuum cleaner.

Make sure you check it first that it all seals as well, have had a few where seals leak or there's already a hole in the bag.

But for smaller stuff (12 inch square) , not a large piece.

Think I read that the veneer softener was just water and wash up liquid (so it didn't dry out to quick) but that may have been an alternative and not the receipe.

[DonIncognito]

Be careful using a vacuum cleaner for this. Many of them require moving air over the motor to cool it, and that won't happen if you are trying to pull a vacuum.

[chrisb691]

You can make up a simple veneer press, that will do the job ok. I have attached a pdf I downloaded.

I would suggest that you NOT use veneer softener, as I believe your piece will fall apart before you can clamp it.

[JapanDave]

Thanks guys for all the help and sorry for the slow reply, work has been kicking my you know what.

I ended up getting a Vacuum press, some bags and a heap of other stuff from Joe woodworker. He has some great stuff there and is great quality as well.

I will let you all know how I get on for my first veneer job.

[John Samuel]

Thanks guys for all the help and sorry for the slow reply, work has been kicking my you know what.

I ended up getting a Vacuum press, some bags and a heap of other stuff from Joe woodworker. He has some great stuff there and is great quality as well.

I will let you all know how I get on for my first veneer job.

Dave,

I hope you enjoy your vacuum press as much as I do mine. My veneers are shop cut and about 2 mm finished thickness, but thin veneers work just as well. In both cases we need to fix them in place so they can't slide around on the slippery glued surface.

When I needed a bigger press, I made my own. It was a piece of cake. If you ever need to do something similar, some detail can be found in this thread. https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...=veneer+vacuum

Cheerio!

John