Curved top chest- Making the top ???

[Dave Tinley]

I am looking for some ideas on making a curved top for a chest. I would like to make it out of bending plywood and veneered. Kinda similar to what David Marks made, but I would like to have the sides of the top attached to the curved part.
Maybe some of y'all who have built one can give me some pointers.


Thanks
Dave

[John Thompson]

I can't help you with bending ply and veneer Dave as it is not my forte. I did have to build a 100' semi-round show-room counter once and got help from Dan @ Odessey Design. He specializes in bent projects.

Hopefully somene has some experience here and will chime in... but if you decide to go solid up there for whatever reason.. re-post as I would be able to comment on that from experiences as opposed to none with veneering a bent laminate even though I have "bent" quite a few 16 penny nails. :D

Good luck...

Sarge..

[Ted Jay]

I am looking for some ideas on making a curved top for a chest. I would like to make it out of bending plywood and veneered. Kinda similar to what David Marks made, but I would like to have the sides of the top attached to the curved part.
Maybe some of y'all who have built one can give me some pointers.


Thanks
Dave
Why not use 3/4 inch thick strips with mitered sides glued together, and then plane the top surface round?

Ted

[Dave Tinley]

Why not use 3/4 inch thick strips with mitered sides glued together, and then plane the top surface round?

Ted


Ted-
I had thought of that, but I have some real pretty veneer I would like to use for the top. Although I have veneered on solid wood, I have never veneered on staves.

Thanks
Dave

[David DeCristoforo]

There are several ways to do this (outside of "coopering" the top as Ted suggested). One way is to form the top in a press using layers of 1/8" plywood. This would involve (obviously) a press plus a mold or a "two sided" mold that can be clamped together with the layers in between. A vacuum press is great for this kind of work because you only need the "inside" mold. But the mold has to be constructed in a manner that will allow it to resist collapsing under vacuum.

Another way would be to build the top as a "web" and then put the layers of 1/8" ply down one at a time using contact cement. This will work well but applying the veneer must then be done by "hammer" veneering unless your veneer is "backed" and suitable to application with contact cement.