To prepare myself for the LGK I experimented with a neglected kiddie project bird house. I have good hand tool skills, but I've never used a router or laminated anything in my life, so I thought some practice was a good idea. I also wanted to determine if I could accomplish a 3/8" roundover with this dry/brittle veneer. I could tell by handling the cut veneer piece that it is very prone to cracking.
First step was to roundover, then cut some 6x18" makore veneer and soften half of it, then roll on some heatlock glue, then iron on the veneer at 190F, then flush trim. Got a chance to try out cutting the veneer with scissors and veneer saw and box cutter. Router compression flush trim bit worked well on the glued veneer, except for the edge with the roundover - got lots of chipouts where the veneer changes direction - what's the best technique to deal with that, carefully follow the contour of the corner instead of a straight pass??
The veneer seemed to work out OK on the sharp radius. I suppose the softener helped the corner, but both sides looked OK. The softener did create a little waviness on the front face (it's the darker/left side) where there were micro cracks. I'll watch it for a few days and see if anything changes.
I'm happy with the experiment, but any tips appreciated!
BK
