They have a spare bedroom .........
No I hadn't, I don't know if that would make much difference as the inner Ply is multiple layers, its not something I've come across before. I just went for 12+12mm thicknesses of the MDF/Birch ply. The ply is stiffer, the MDF easier to machine/finish. The combination seems very dead when you give it a wack.
The veneer arrived today, four eight foot sheets, plus the kilo of hide glue also arrived early. I made a glue pot/warmer from a used babies bottle warmer so I'm almost ready to start.
The hammer/hide glue is a new process for me so a bit of practice is required, I have some small full range speakers I use for testing purposes, in plain MDF boxes, they will get some veneer now. I intend to route the edges with a round over bit after veneering, R8 or R10 (sizes I already have). This is why I've gone for hide glue, it machines well without clogging the cutter, wont leave a witness line where it is cut at an acute angle, as its almost invisible being clear, plus it accepts wood stain, unlike most other glues. The small test speakers will also allow me to try out some dying techniques for the exposed MDF edges after the rads are cut. I've seen some of the things they do with MDF furniture by feathering in the edges with a dark stain, it blends the exposed MDF with the veneer and gives an aged look at the same time. Bit like these:
Last edited by Qwin; 22-08-2019 at 23:48.
ken if you need any advice about veneering using hide glue let me know,i used to use it all the time when making and restoring furniture.
a few pointers though,you dont want your iron too hot,spit on the iron and your spit should just start to bubble.
apply glue to both surfaces,let it tack off before starting.start in the middle and work outwards towards the edges,do one half first then the other.
sorry if you know this already.
My System
John Wood KT88 Amp.
Paradise Phono Stage
Sony TTS-8000 Turntable.
PMAT-1010 MK6 Tonearm.
Ortofon Cadenza Bronze
Sony X555ES Cd Player
Yamaha NS1000m Speakers
Thanks Jamie, I've seen lots of Vids on Youtube, they make it look easy, but I know this is not the case. A bit of skill and experience is required. Got myself a veneer hammer with approx 5" blade and have an old electric dry iron for jobs like this. Some folks use an iron some don't, I suppose it depends how quick you can get the glue on to the fairly large surfaces and remain workable. Tips I've picked up are: Pre coat the edges of MDF etc and let it dry before starting, it absorbs a lot of glue and can lift at the edges if you dont. Coat both surfaces and both sides of the veneer, this stops it curling and helps fill any grain/cracks, plus it lubricates the hammer when rubbing down. Like you suggest always start in the middle and work outward in the direction of the grain as much as possible.
I just cut the 8' sheets down into pieces about 1" bigger than the panels, sorted a pair of nice pieces for the fronts and matched the grain to continue over on to the tops.
I have about a foot left from each sheet so can practice a bit first.
There is a member of this parish that has built two sets of my "Upgraded" semi active NS-1000M's, he is in Malaysia. He is very happy with them, though he gave up on the hide glue after a couple of attempts and resorted to contact cement. This was ok for him as he wanted square edges. The finished items look very nice. It was strange advising him on building the cabinets, when I hadn't built my own, but I was using tried and trusted techniques, plus I had built a chip board prototype that worked great.
I shouldn't really be monopolising this thread with my speaker stuff, but it's relevant in as much as I'm hoping to take them to this meeting - and it will keep folks amused till a date is set. I will start a thread when I complete everything and summarise the final design, which has been 3 years work to get to where I am.