Definitely not all bland! I'm am just really going for a solid wood panel look. Not worried about book matching or anything, just need something that is more stable and looks good.
[OP]
Member
Definitely not all bland! I'm am just really going for a solid wood panel look. Not worried about book matching or anything, just need something that is more stable and looks good.
Member
Dave K...what pump did you use for you vacuum and where did you source the tank?
Thanks,
Dave
Contributor
With your requirements you should be very happy with shop sawn veneer. Your panels will be a lot nicer to work with than commercial plywood. Just be sure to start with well dried stock at EMC with your shop. I have the least problems by face jointing one face, planing the other face parallel, jointing one edge square, and then ripping the other edge parallel before sawing any veneer. Then I take a slice off one face, plane that face smooth again, take a slice off the opposite face, and repeat. That keeps the board balanced if there is any moisture difference between the faces and center.
John
Contributor
I bought a new old stock Thomas 2750 wobble piston pump on CL or Ebay ( forgot which ) for $220 and the tank was from Amazon but mainly 5 gal with two ports. I think about $80. Other stuff came from joewoodworker. My pump is 240v which is likely why it was a better deal. The 2750 has the most capacity of the Thomas pumps, in the 6-7 cfm range. Dave
Contributor
Just an opinion: A vacuum pump with 2 to 3 CFM should be big enough for most applications. The advantage of a high CFM pump is to get the bag pulled down quickly, but this is only an advantage in certain situations - where you have an odd shaped piece in the bag and there's lots of empty space. For most flat panels, a 2 CFM pump gets the panel in press pretty quickly. And once the bag is pulled down, you don't need much CFM - just enough to make up for the leaks. With a good condition commercial bag, that's really small.
It's been a long time since I bought mine, but Joe Woodworker used to have rebuilt vacuum pumps in the 2 or so CFM range for under $200, and 115V. The one I have has held up fine for a good many years now.
Mike
[Also, you can make a vacuum reservoir from a couple of pieces of big Schedule 40 PVC. Joe W has plans on his site for how to do it. Of course, if you have access to a cheap tank of some kind which will safely withstand the vacuum, you can use that.]
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 08-02-2016 at 3:18 PM.
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
I have re-read the OP's initial post a few times. I think the logic is reversed? In furniture making, guys use a stable substrate to support the veneer such as a table top or decorative door panels where any movement can destroy the veneer. But, I don't get where veneer would be used to "stabilize" furniture?
Member
I think he meant that the veneered laminated panel would be more stable than a panel made of solid, not that the veneer alone would make the substrate stable. I think he's planning to start with a stable core, either multi-ply or mdf.
[OP]
Member
Frank is correct I'm gluing my shop-sawn veneer to a substrate, most likely multi-ply for its strength. Thanks for the input everyone ill be sure to let you know how it goes once I get my vacuum pump up and running.
[OP]
Member
Also what are some good bandsaw blades to resaw veneer with?
Contributor
That's a subject of its own, and you will find numerous threads here on the subject. I have had fairly good results on my old Crescent 36" with a 1" wide Lenox Classic 2/3 pitch bimetal blade. For a smoother cut and far greater longevity at a much higher price a carbide tipped blade like the Lenox Woodmaster CT, Lenox Trimaster or Laguna Resaw King is an option. Spectrum Supply has good pricing on the Lenox line.
[OP]
Member
I think I'm going to go with the lenox woodmaster CT, i did search around on the forums. Just didn't hear much about using the Woodmaster CT for use in cutting veneer. That being said I figure I should go with the quality blade first. I don't mind spending extra on something I know will save me money in the long run. Thanks for the input kevin.
Contributor
How big is the kerf on those carbide bandsaw blades?
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Member
The woodmaster CT is 0.051", a little bigger than I want but I hear all the smaller kerf blades just dull very fast. Although i still might try one out.
Contributor
About 1/16". Exact figures for the Lenox blades at spectrumsupply.com
Moderator
I seem to be the contrarian on the Woodmaster CT. I did NOT like it at all so it hangs on my wall for the past 10 years gathering dust. I got much better cuts with the Trimaster or the Diemaster2 bimetal (6 tpi, hook style) blade from Lenox.
Trimaster is 1/16" (0.625) and I think the Diemaster2 is around 0.35". I really like the bimetal blade...cheap and it has cut extremely well for me on my MM20 band saw.
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