Cutting Veneer?

[richard poitras]

I was wondering if any body has cut veneer on any of the saw guide systems festool, EZ guide. (One sheet at a time not a bundled sandwiched between two boards) and what your results were as fare as edge quality and being able to just assemble the pieces direct with out having to sand or touch up the edges? I have been looking at some how to videos of veneer work as of late and was thinking this may work fairly well, do to the fact the anti-chip strip on the guides holds down the work piece (veneer) and gives you a chip free edge in standard applications, has anybody tried this?

[Bill Arnold]

I use a razor knife and straightedge to cut veneer. For some projects, I create a template with MDF or plywood and use that to guide the razor knife.

I'm curious to see responses from any who may have tried the process you describe.

[Joe Jensen]

I haven't veneered since buying a Festool setup. Interesting idea. I think the veneer would move up and down too much to get a clean cut. Maybe the rubber edge of the guide rail would be low enough to hold it.

I have always cut the veneer with a sissors, and then I clamp the sheets I need a straight edge on into a fixture that puts a straight board on top and bottom. Then I router the edges straight.

I'll have to try the Festool next time I veneer...joe

[Mike Henderson]

To cut veneer with almost any kind of power tool you'd probably have to sandwich the veneer between two boards to keep from getting a lot of tear out.

But why do you want to use power tools on veneer? It's very easy to cut by hand with a straight edge and a knife. I've never heard of anyone using power tools to cut veneer (other than a pack of veneer) - and I'm sure it's not because no one thought of it. My guess is that people find that hand cutting is easier, quicker, and has less chance of messing up the cut.

Give it a try and let us know how it works for you.

Mike

[richard poitras]

I know and have cut veneer with a razor knife and it works quite fine but I saw a video put out by the people that make the gripers and they use a table saw with a zero clearance table installed on the top of the saw to make strips (any size consecutively) and they just tape them together and go (real fast and easy) that’s when I was thinking about the guide system if any one has tried it? Sounds like know body has. As soon as I get some more veneer to play with I guess I will have to try it. Just thought somebody my have had the same idea I had and tried it.

[David DeCristoforo]

My favorite method for veneer cutting is the same as Mike H's except that I use a veneer saw instead of a knife. FWIW my straight edge is a 3" wide 6' long piece of 3/8" thick stainless steel. It has a 1" wide bevel along one edge that takes the edge down to 1/16". Yes, it weighs some but it's pretty straight! It was milled for me by a guy I did some projects for who owns a company that makes fire trucks.

[Guy Germaine]

My method is pretty much the same as Dave's, except that my straight edge is a piece of 8/4 walnut that I ran across the jointer and planer to get straight and smooth. Works like a champ with my veneer saw.

[David May 01]

Painters tape. Tape the area to be cut to prevent tear out or splintering.
Peels off easy too. Just do not leave it on for several days, as the glue may cause a discoloration later.

You should also do this on your veneered plywood for carcasses. Saves alot of time repairing the edge.

[Derwin Brown]

When you cut the wood with a razor knife, can you get a perfect edge? I would like to use this trick to cut veneer for drawer fronts of a jewelry chest such that the face is virtually continuous.

[Jesse Brown]

I use raw veneers and when I cut furniture length pieces, my preferred method is to sandwich the veneer between hardboard and cut with a Festool tracksaw. I get nice edges that way on rips, but I don't like the results on crosscuts.

For small projects, I use a Gramercy veneer saw or a razor. The saw is nice and heavy and doesn't follow the grain as much as a razor, and it also does the best crosscuts.

[Phil Mueller]

I cut all my veneers with an xacto knife...new blade. I use a self-healing cutting mat, with a wood straight edge at the cut line. Always put the wood guide over the show side and cut away the waste side. On commercial thickness veneer, I might make 4-5 passes...the first being extremely light to keep from having the knife follow the grain. Crosscuts might take even more passes. I then sand the edge staight and square by sandwiching it between two straight edges and use a square length of wood with PSA sandpaper.

[Kevin Jenness]

I have read about using a Festool saw for veneer work (running backward for a climb cut?) but have not tried it. I use a router jig with a cambered caul and foam weatherstripping to hold the veneer flat, or a similar jig on a sliding table saw. No reason why the Festool would not work, although I have never felt I get quite as good a cut in general with the Festool as on a slider. The key to cutting veneer with power tools is squeezing it flat and having close to zero clearance between the cauls and the cutter. Some fragile veneers benefit from using a sacrificial layer above and below renewed for each cut.

[Andrew Joiner]

Old thread I know but I'd like to post a tip.

I've cut up lots of veneers with a blade like this :https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-7-1-4-in-140-Teeth-Steel-Plywood-Saw-Blade-DW3326/202579860?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CBase%7CD25T%7C25-7_POWER+TOOL+ACCESSORIES%7CNA%7CPLA%7c717000000341 27227%7c58700003933021549%7c92700031755124874&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1oLryvHM3gIV0IKzCh2dCQN2EAQYASAB EgLPSPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Run it backwards to climb cut in the table saw. Use a rubber caster wheel screwed to a spring jig to hold the stock down snug to the table. Project the blade up into the wheel just a hair. Feed carefully till you get the hang of it. It's almost like power feed, cuts fast and clean.

[Derwin Brown]

Thanks, all. I am thinking of highly figured hardwood veneer - haven't picked it out yet - and will practice with a razor, as as my objective is to have minimum kerf. I'll post with my results (I'm very slow on this project).

[Mike King]

I learned to cut veneer from Michael Fortune. We made this simple veneer cutter -- it's really quite easy to use and generates very good results.

396537

It's a simple plane, about 10 inches long and 4 inches tall, that has a mortise as deep as the piece of aluminum that covers it -- in my case, ¼ inch. The mortise is large enough to accept and allow a double edge razor blade to fit and be canted so only a corner of the blade protrudes from the bottom. Two screws, countersunk, align with the wider spots in the razor blade slot:

396538

The aluminum cover plate (it could be brass or some other metal that is flat) needs to be slightly recessed to the face of the cutter.

Make sure that the face and bottom of the cutter are flat and square. The blade, held securely in place by the cover, has its flex controlled by the face of the mortise and the cover.

To use the cutter, you need a fence that has enough height to provide registration. I made mine from a 2/4. Surface and joint a flat and square edge. Glue sections of sandpaper on the face. You register the cutter against the square edge on top of the veneer. Since the blade is offset, you need to account for the offset in aligning the fence on your veneer.

396539

Make sure that the veneer is on a flat surface that won't destroy your blade -- i use foam board. Push the cutter along the fence, keeping the cutter flush along the fence -- and don't let the fence move! That's the reason for the sandpaper on the face...

I've had absolutely excellent results with this. It is easy to cut flush joints with the grain, or somewhat across the grain. For cross cuts, a veneer saw is a better option -- the Gramercy saw is spectacular.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

The difficulty I'd have with a cutter like that is the offset of the blade. You have to offset the position of the straightedge the proper amount to make an accurate cut.

I use single bevel knives. That way, I can put the straightedge on the line and put the flat of the knife against the straightedge.

The negative to the single bevel knives is that you have to sharpen them - they aren't throw away blades. But I don't find that too difficult.

Mike

[Mike King]

The cutter is useful for cutting the edge to join sheets of veneer together. And it's pretty trivial to measure the offset at each end of the cut. It yields perfect joints as long as you don't allow the straightedge fence to move or the cutter to tip away from the fence.

Have you tried a scapel? That's what a lot of marquetarians use for the window method. Scapels can be had with inexpensive disposable blades.

[Mike Henderson]

The cutter is useful for cutting the edge to join sheets of veneer together. And it's pretty trivial to measure the offset at each end of the cut. It yields perfect joints as long as you don't allow the straightedge fence to move or the cutter to tip away from the fence.

Have you tried a scalpel? That's what a lot of marquetarians use for the window method. Scalpels can be had with inexpensive disposable blades.
Yep, I started veneering using scalpels. The problem I had with them is that they're somewhat flexible and I didn't like that. The single bevel knives don't flex.

Mike