Milling veneer for legs on a Dewalt 735

[Brian Runau]

Making some legs and covering the glue joint with veneer. I hate using a backer board to put it on to run it through. How thin do you think someone can go not using a backer board before the planer will chew it up?

I plan to cut two pieces of veneer on my band saw from each 3/4" thick board. I tried gluing them on the leg with the rough side out then milling them and this worked. Just thought the clamps would do a better job of holding the veneer on during glue up if the rough side was smoothed out as much as I could before glue up.

Thanks.

Brian

[John Kananis]

You really want a drum sander for that sort of thing. Planers can't handle veneer, too thin. That said, what you've already done is a good idea. Glue the veneer rough side up and mill when dry.

[Brian Runau]

You really want a drum sander for that sort of thing. Planers can't handle veneer, too thin. That said, what you've already done is a good idea. Glue the veneer rough side up and mill when dry.

Don't own a drum sander and I have done it with backer board and double sided tape and it works, just takes a long time. Think I could cut the 3/4 stock in half on the band saw and run it lightly though once before gluing it on? I have milled one extra piece that I can tear up by trying, just don't want to damage the planer. thanks brian

[Brian Tymchak]

Making some legs and covering the glue joint with veneer. I hate using a backer board to put it on to run it through. How thin do you think someone can go not using a backer board before the planer will chew it up?

I plan to cut two pieces of veneer on my band saw from each 3/4" thick board. I tried gluing them on the leg with the rough side out then milling them and this worked. Just thought the clamps would do a better job of holding the veneer on during glue up if the rough side was smoothed out as much as I could before glue up.

Thanks.

Brian

Dewalt says 1/8" is the minimum thickness their planer will handle. Likely you would have to take very thin cuts to minimize lifting of material by the blades. But, I wouldn't personally do that. Maybe I'm a big chicken, but that just seems too close for a piece of spinning metal near other metal.

I second your alternative approach. I've done that a few times.

[Jarod Johnson]

I think the DW735 is listed as planing stock as thin as 1/4". I think you would be safe with whatever half of your 3/4" stock turns out to be. I would just take as light of passes as possible to be safe.

Edit: I might stand corrected. Brian is saying it can handle down to 1/8". In that case, you're fine!

[Brian Runau]

Dewalt says 1/8" is the minimum thickness their planer will handle. Likely you would have to take very thin cuts to minimize lifting of material by the blades. But, I wouldn't personally do that. Maybe I'm a big chicken, but that just seems too close for a piece of spinning metal near other metal.

I second your alternative approach. I've done that a few times.

Tried less than 1/4" before and the plane has a tendency to chew off the back end of the piece going through it. Not sure if it is a combination of the pressure of the rollers and curtting head on such a small thickness, assume it is. I just did a test and 5/16" went through without chewing up any pieces and cleaned up most of the rough marks from the band saw blade. I ran a 3/4" piece milled parallel and cut it in half, so I have 2 flat surfaces I can glue onto the side of my leg then mill down to finished size. thanks brian

[John TenEyck]

You should be able to resaw a piece of 3/4" stock in two and plane it smooth w/o it exploding in your planer. I regularly plane things as thin as 1/4" through my planer.

John

[Richard Coers]

It'll be too thick to call it veneer.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I used to plane guitar sides before I got my drum sander in 2018. I had to get down to 1/8" or 3/32" and I would say if the grain is dead straight you'll be fine, but if it has any runout the planer will chew up about half the pieces at that thickness.

[Jamie Buxton]

For sawn veneer, I aim for 3/32 thick, or even a bit thinner. I cut it with a bandsaw, and don’t attempt to run it through a thickness planer.

OP, it seems that you have a saw which can resaw the width of wood you need for your legs. So I suggest you face plane your veneer stock, resaw one leaf of veneer off it, face plane the stock again, slice another leaf, etc. You get leafs which are the correct thickness right off the saw. Each leaf has one planed face and one sawn face. In my experience I can glue either face to the substrate without difficulties.