[jeffh]

Looking for suggestions.  I have some walnut burl veneer I want to use on some small speakers I built.  The veneer is raw veneer with no backing. What is the best method to glue this veneer? 

I have no access to a vacuum press. I have seen suggestions to use the iron-on method, cold press and contact cement. I tried the cold press method on a few test pieces using Titebond. One piece looked great, and the other had a lot of glue bleed through the veneer.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Jeff

[Bob in St. Louis]

I don't know, but will be watching this thread with interest.


I built my kitchen island recently and topped it with Formica, using contact cement as the adhesive.
Was as easy as you can get, but you only get one shot when the two pieces touch. They will never come apart again.
You'll need a router with a flush trim bit to finish the edges.

Good luck, and take pictures. 

Bob

[S Clark]

I've tried the iron on method with unbacked veneer a couple of times, and it always splits.  In some cases you can cut slivers of veneer to fill cracks, but sometimes not.  I have a pair of small speakers with an olive burl that simply has lots of cracks beneath a heavy poly finish. It looks ok, but clearly not pro. I have a pair of GR-Research AV-3s that I hot pressed with plan oak that I finally removed- splits and bubbles.  You can try contact cement, but be aware that finishing out the veneer can penetrate and cause the cement to release.  The cold press method that you tried already is probably the best option.  Raw veneer is simply a PITA.

[TomS]

I tried HeatLock iron-on with raw walnut burl for my speaker stands.  I used softener, rolling overnight, everything I could think of, and it still split near the burls.

[Don Naples]

One piece looked great, and the other had a lot of glue bleed through the veneer.
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
Jeff

Jeff:

Unibond Blocker is a product made to reduce bleed through. If you are using raw veneer without a backing, this can help.
I like Unibond 800 for gluing veneer. It has a choice of light, medium, or dark catalyst to more closely match the darkness of the wood. For Walnut use the dark catalyst. I have also used Plastic Resin glue. It is a powdered, ureaformaldehyde wood glue and has reasonable working time. Titebond will work though it has a shorter working time and has more creep.
Don

[jeffh]

You'll need a router with a flush trim bit to finish the edges.

Bob

I have a brand new flush trim bit ready to go. I have one veneer project under my belt using paper backed veneer.

Unibond Blocker is a product made to reduce bleed through. If you are using raw veneer without a backing, this can help. I like Unibond 800 for gluing veneer. It has a choice of light, medium, or dark catalyst to more closely match the darkness of the wood. For Walnut use the dark catalyst.

I'll check this out.  Can you still stain/finish the wood when using this?  I would think if there was bleed through, it would still show up when you apply the finish even if it was dark.

Thanks for the advice, keep it coming.

Jeff

[jeffh]

I ended up using the iron on method based on the recommendation from my local woodworking supply store.  It was actually very easy.  First, I applied Super Soft 2™ Veneer Softener to the black walnut veneer.  This stuff worked really well.  It makes the veneer very soft allowing it to bend around the radius without splitting.  I applied Titebond to both surfaces and allowed them to dry for 20-30 minutes.  Next, with medium heat from an old iron, I started in the front, then the sides and lastly the back.  Now I just need to apply a finish.