Veneer Help

[Justin Leiwig]

Ok. I'm making an inlaid serving tray with grapes. I'm using purpleheart veneer for the grapes. I've tried using a Hollow punch and freehanding the circles. Neither turned out pretty. Any suggestions for getting good looking circles cut out of the veneer?

I was thinking of trying a hole saw with the drill bit removed, but that may be difficult.

[Mitchell Andrus]

I do it with a laser. If you're doing a bunch of these, call me.

[Matt Day]

I bet you could find some sort of round hole punch (think cookie cutter)that would work. I'd check either at a woodworking place or a craft store.

[Ralph Barhorst]

You might try to use a piece of round tubing that is the correct diameter. For instance, the round brass tubing that is used in lamps to cover the threads. You would need to sharpen the edge of the tubing and then put it in a drill press and cut out the grapes.

I haven't tried this but I think it would work.

[Greg Cole]

Send the veneer to Mitchell and have him cut it on his laser, it almost reads like an offer or does from here...LOL

Greg

[Brad Shipton]

Some use a doctors scapal, but you could try a razor first. The trick is to hold the knife at the correct angle as you go around. I would use a PVC as a guide or something else. If you can clamp it, even better. You want the purpleheart and whatever it goes into to form a plug of sorts so the cut can be hidden. If it is commercial veneer that hole saw will ruin the piece for sure.

The sure fired way is to take Mitchell up on the laser trick.

Brad