1/16" veneer for bent laminations

[Nate Rogers]

Hello All,
Anyone ever use 1/16" veneer for laminations, I am going to build a bow front chest and would like to avoid sawing my own veneer. Anyone have any experience with this?

Nate

[Jim Becker]

Nate, you don't need to go that thin for a bow-front. The bow-front hall table I did a few months ago used 3/16", give or take, poplar for the lams and worked out beautifully. The thicker stock is also easier to make since many planers get finicky when you get very thin...

[Doug Shepard]

1/16 was what I had to use for the really tight inner curves on the lower shelf of this
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=14758&d=1105363351
The apron and thicker shelf stretchers are 1/8" lams. The bow-front should be an even shallower curve so thicker would bend fine.

[Jamie Buxton]

1/16" veneer could be used for a bow-front, but it probably won't clamp up nicely. The thinner your laminates, the closer together you need to space your clamps, because the laminates themselves don't spread the clamp pressure well. That's why vacuum presses are so good for 1/40" veneer; they apply pressure everywhere. If instead you used 1/8" or even 1/4" laminates for the bow-front, you'd find the lamination job easier.