wanting to veneer walnut

[david paul miller]

I want to veneer 8" to 12" wide walnut, Is there an optimal size to buy ? 4/4, 8/4, 16/4.? Also I am looking at the grizzly 18" open end drum sander, but i want 1/16" finished veneers, specs show it can only sand to a minimum 1/8" , could i send it through on top of another board w/out having to use double sided tape? or is there a better way, or procedure? Thanks

[Peter Scoma]

Im confused by your question. You want to veneer a walnut substrate? or do you want to resaw walnut veneer?

[Thomas S Stockton]

Are you wanting to saw your own veneers? if so I usually start with 8/4 but use whatever thickness fits my needs. I use a delta open ended sander and it will sand down to 1/16" I bet the grizzly will also might have to modify a stop or something maybe an owner of one will chime in. You don't need to double stick veneers down when using a backer board with a drum sander, you either can use an end stop or some sandpaper spray adhesived to the board surface 150 grit is fine.You can also buy 1/16 veneers from most suppliers.
Tom

[Mike Henderson]

There is NO reason to saw your own walnut veneer (unless that's some really special walnut). You can buy all kinds of walnut veneer commercially.

Mike

[david paul miller]

sorry i don't get my thoughts on paper very well,( I'm wanting to make my own veneers by re sawing walnut.) I have never used a drum sander, so that is the go to tool for sanding homemade veneers?

[david paul miller]

i just bought a 19" bandsaw, . and was amazed how easy and acurate it was to cut veneers. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN :)

[Mike Henderson]

A problem with making your own veneer is that it takes a lot of work and wood. By the time you finish, you could have bought some commercial veneer at a much lower price. Most people only resaw when they have an exceptional specimen and they want to book match doors (or some other special application). It sounds like you want to do it as a learning exercise. If so, you've received some good advice above.

My comment was just that walnut veneer is so common, available and inexpensive that it's generally not a good candidate for resawing.

Mike

[david paul miller]

True, thanks mike, i just need to find something to cut, (new saw) and don't have a project right now

[Larry Fox]

I agree with Mike that commercial veneer is readily available but I like to resaw my own where I can - mostly because it is really fun and rewarding. I don't have a drum sander but I do have a Rotex and it does a great job of cleaning up shop-made veneers. I also agree with Mike that it consumes a lot of wood so I tend to start with 8/4+ and visit the jointer for a quick pass after most cuts so I only need to really clean up one side.

[David Kumm]

If you are a hobby guy where time isn't money resawing your own veneer is worthwhile from a quality standpoint. I don't like veneer plywood very well so I usually put my own face on a little lower quality baltic birch. The 1/16 to 3/32 gives you room to sand out problems, takes a finish better than the 1/40 or 1/100 you get otherwise and most important to me is you don't get that crease in the face you didn't see until the finish went on or you dropped it on the saw because it was too heavy etc. You do need good tools though. Bandsaw, drum sander and vacuum bag make it easy. Without those it falls in the "too hard" pile. Dave

[John TenEyck]

Yes, if you are making your own veneer, a drum sander is your best friend. I have a Delta 18 x 36 drum sander and have no trouble sanding down to 1/16". But if yours won't go as low as you want I think you could glue some sandpaper onto a piece of plywood, lay your veneer on that, and run it through the sander without having the veneer slip. I occassionally saw my own veneer. I make a pass over the jointer after every pass through the bandsaw, as mentioned above, so that I have one flat surface on each leaf I cut and that face goes against the converyor on the drum sander. Others who have better equipment and technique are able to avoid this step. Have fun.