veneer base?

[Brian Knop]

I am in the process of making a tall clock. The bottom case will have a 12” ½ W X 13” front panel. I will be covering this with a piece of figured veneer. Question, when making the panel, should I use solid walnut for this or would a 45 degree frame with a piece of plywood or MDF in the middle be more stable for the veneer?
Thanks Brian

[Mike Henderson]

In general, very good plywood (or even MDF) is a better substrate than solid wood for veneer.

Mike

[Chris Padilla]

I'd go with MDF: cheap, uniform, stable, no grain.

Be sure to put veneer on the show side AND the non-show side. It will help keep things balanced. How thick is the veneer? Is it commercial sliced?

[Brian Knop]

I need to put a profile on the edges. It's like 1/42". So I need solid wood around the outside edge.

[Chris Padilla]

Well, the way I've done it is to put your hardwood edging on first...then veneer over that. This puts the seam between the veneer and the hardwood at the edge where it is easy to hide/blend.

And if you need to route a profile on the edge, this method works even better. Just make your hardwood edging thick enough to take the profile and you should be in good shape.