Wood Veneer on Wood Substrate

[Jan Bianchi]

I have a particularly beautiful piece of bubinga that I have sliced into veneers, with help from John, that is. I would like to apply the veneers to Bubinga boards rather than MDF, mainly because they will be the sides of a bookcase and I don't want the shelves to depend on MDF. Normally I know you apply veneer to both sides even if applying over wood, both because of appearance and because the veneer and glue can sometimes cause the board to warp if it is only done applied to one side. But in this case I would be applying it to a 3/4' board of the same wood as the veneer. Since the appearance of the back of the board will not be a problem, will it be necessary to apply the veneer to both sides?

[Mike Henderson]

My experience is that when you put a lot of moisture on one side of the panel, the panel warps (most glue has a lot of water in it). Sometimes when the panel dries out fully the panel will go back flat - but not always. That's why people recommend veneering both sides at the same time.

You can try a glue that is not water based, such as epoxy, or take a chance and glue up the panel and see how it does.

Mike

[Frank Pratt]

I think that any glue might act as a bit of a moisture barrier on the one side, causing uneven absorption (and warping) when humidity changes. That's just my theory though.

[Art Mann]

Have you considered using premium grade plywood rather than MDF? It is much stronger than MDF and is dimensionally stable. I would still laminate both sides to prevent warping.

[Mike Henderson]

I should have added, MDF will warp if you only apply veneer to one side with a water based glue - unless the panel is small, maybe 9" by 12". A big MDF panel, maybe 24" by 24", will warp if you only veneer one side. That's from experience.

Mike

[Jan Bianchi]

Have you considered using premium grade plywood rather than MDF? It is much stronger than MDF and is dimensionally stable. I would still laminate both sides to prevent warping.

Thank you all for your responses. Sounds like using plywood would be the best approach. Too bad I bought the Bubinga today, but it will hold for another project