Just a simple box ... but pretty nice wood

[John Huber]

This box, or trunk, or chest, is used as a coffee table. It is made of quilted walnut veneer from www.JoeWoodworker.com (http://www.JoeWoodworker.com). I thought the figure was so pretty that I didn't want decorations to detract from it. Overall dimensions are 25"w x 14"d x 17"h. The substrate is 3/4" Baltic Birch with spline miter joints. The veneer edges are protected with 3/16" solid walnut. The toe-kick pedestal is solid walnut. The hardware is from Lee Valley. I used West System epoxy to attach the veneer. Its long working time was important. One thing I learned; they recommend sanding the substrate no finer than 80 grit; it needs the tooth for a good grip. The finish is David Marks' http://www.djmarks.com/stories/faq/What_is_the_mix_ratio_for_the_Linseed_Oil_Tung_Oil _and_Urethane_46687.asp

[Warren White]

That is beautiful! I have never seen walnut like that.....

Workmanship is just outstanding as well. What a treasure that will be.

SPECTACULAR!

[Tony Ward]

Very nice work, a work which will be treasured for generations to come!

[Jerry Olexa]

Nice work and great finish. Love the look of the wood in the top...Thanks

[Bob Noles]

John,

A wonderful job and the wood is fantastic. I love the simplicity and eligance of the finish.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

One sees so much walnut that it can at times become booring. That, however, is anything but booring.

The wood is really sweet. Nice presentation too.

[Corey Hallagan]

Wow, that is a beautiful piece for sure. Nice job!

Corey

[eddie bee]

that is incredible... it looks very elegant. great job i have not seen another of its kind

[John Kempkes]

Projects like this are the reason I figure I have to start getting into veneering. I love the figure and the species I can get with veneer that I'd never afford with solid lumber!

Did you use a vacuum press for that or another method?

[Bruce Page]

Wow! That looks beautiful!

[Keith Christopher]

Somehow 'simple' did not come to mind when viewing this. More like wonderfully crafted and finished.

[Nelson Chen]

John,

Can you add more comments why you use fiberglass resin to glue the veneer, instead of contact cement, or other methods?

You mentioned longer cure time. I am curious what is your experience.

[Brett Baldwin]

I completely agree with keeping the design simple and letting the wood shine. That is gorgeous walnut. I could stare at that top for a long time. Great work John.

[John Huber]

Yes, I used a vacuum press. Since you are contemplating starting in veneer, I'll blabber on about my experience.

First, I tried using clamps, cauls, and PVA adhesive. For adhesive, see my repsonse below. I had trouble with bubbles (actually pockets of glue) because I didn't get uniform pressure and the glue built up in low pressure areas.

Second, I tried a hand-pumped vacuum press. It gave even pressure, but I don't have enough finger strength to peel the seal apart cleanly and reuse it several times. I had to cut off the seal each time and the bag got shorter and shorter. Also, I was a little concerned about the lack of a gage and not knowing if the pressure was sustained.

So I bit the bullet and bought a pumped vacuum system from Woodcraft. It works fine and I can concentrate on building furniture rather than making the veneer stick. I've used it on about a dozen veneer panels with no problems.

Happy veneering!

[John Huber]

My choice of adhesive has been a journey. So I blabber on.

First off, I had a disaster with veneering one side at a time. It is important to veneer both sides at the same time. This means you have a sandwich of bearer, veneer, substrate, veneer, bearer. Even using tape to hold the various components in place, it takes me more than five minutes from start to finish.

I started with PVA adhesive (from several manufacturers). I had trouble getting the right thickness of adhesive. If I put it on thicker, the veneer and substrate tended to float and in the process of getting the sandwich into the bag, there was some shifting and misalignment. If I put it on thinner, the adhesive would set and grab the veneer in place before I had it precisely positioned. With veneer like this box, I wanted to use every last sixteenth of an inch of it and so had little overhang and waste.

Urea formaldehyde adhesive has a long working time. But it is difficult for me to weigh the proportions accurately and the powder dissovles slowly into the honey-like liquid. Also I was concerned about the health risks of urea formaldehyde.

West System epoxy uses metered dispensing pumps, so the proportions are automatic. Out of the can, it is low viscosity and mixes easily; I've found the disposable rollers for trim paint are a good applicator. About 1/2 oz per square foot is about right. On open-pored woods like walnut and quilted maple, it tends to bleed through. After one disaster, I wrapped the bearers in the plastic sheeting that is sold as drop cloth. I needed to sand the veneer for finishing anyway, so taking off the bleed through was not a serious problem.

Well, that's my experience, others feel differently.

[Steve Roxberg]

Very pretty box and wood.

[Julio Navarro]

I fail to see how that is "just a simple box"...it looks great to me!

Great work.

[Bob Childress]

That is one awesome "box"!! Wonderful work! I am still amazed (or perhaps I should say always amazed) at the way mother nature can produce something as beautiful as that wood. But it also takes a craftsman like you to turn it into something even more beautiful.

Two thumbs up for sure.:D

[Karl Laustrup]

John, I don't think I can add anything to what already's been said, but I wanted you to know that I think that is one beautiful piece of furniture.

Karl

[tim rowledge]

Those of us that build model airplanes sometime use vacuum systems for veneering & laminating hotwire-cut foam wing cores. You may find that a system aimed at modellers is cheaper than the ones sold on woodworker sites; modellers tend to be a bit more cheapskate :-) Building your own from old refridgerator components is a popular option.

Resin bleedthrough is an isue for model wings because it prevents the final covering from adhering properly and I've read various suggestions for preventing it, typically using things like sanding sealer. A coat of shellac would probably help.

Googling for 'vacuum veneer model wing' for example will find quite a few interesting links.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Excellent job, John. You did a beautiful job of showcasing the walnut.

"Simple" box, my eye. ;)

- Vaughn

[Matt Meiser]

Very nice box. I love that veneer.