Bow clamp veneering press?

[richard poitras]

I recently posted a thread on the bow clamp forum and asked Craig

the owner about a bow clamp veneering press application he was very helpful in the forum response and per our phone conversation, but my question here is, has any body tried this application with your bow claps and what are your thoughts in regards to this application for doing a veneer glue up on flat panels?

[Rick Lizek]

This a very old tried and true technique from the days of making your own curved cauls. I have several old books on veneering and this technique is one of several shown in detail. One book is by Lincoln and the other is A Manual of Veneering (http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Veneering-Paul-Villiard/dp/0486232174/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product/102-4987260-7982562) by Paul Villiard (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=si3_rdr_bb_author/102-4987260-7982562?index=books&field%2dauthor%2dexact=Paul%20Villiard). The veneered panel is set between 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood or MDF. This distributes the pressure from the cauls which are in pairs about 8" apart. It's really not as slow as some folks think. A 24" panel would use 8 curved cauls and 6 clamps. Straight cauls would not put the pressure in the center of the panel. I've been using this technique for 30 years.

[Jim Becker]

In a sense, the Bowclamp should be far easier than trying to clamp up with just clamps or installing some kind of press, especially for the hobbyist woodworker. Less expensive than a vacuum system for the most part, too.

[Mike Henderson]

The problem with any clamp system for veneer is getting the whole area pressed adequately. Using curved cauls, like a bowclamp, along with flat cauls pressing on the work, will work but usually takes a lot of clamps to get adequate pressure over the whole work. It's also not a quick clamp - it takes a lot of time to get everything put together.

I use a couple of torsion boxes for smaller work. The disadvantages of torsion boxes are building them in the beginning and storing them when not in use. Torsion boxes are not a good solution for large work because the torsion boxes get too heavy and storage is a problem. That's why people go to vacuum bags - they're light and they roll up for storage (but you still have to store the platen).

If you plan to do any amount of veneering, I'd look for a solution other than using curved cauls and clamps - but if it's a one time thing, go ahead and give it a try. It's always best to use what you have on hand before buying a bunch of additional stuff.

Mike