Keith – Wow! That was excellent. Thank you. This is one of my favorite topics . . . I will be watching this again!

Hello Keith, greetings and many thanks from Germany. Great video. I am very impressed. I’ve learned so much from your videos.

Keep it up!
Thomas

Great video. Can’t wait to see the next one and I hope the recipe is included!

This is completely new information for me. I have never heard of this and its very interesting. Great video as always Keith.

Looking forward to the video about a traditional european workbench. Great site and videos. Thank you!

Keith, you have beyond the shadow of a doubt THE best woodworking video’s on the web! Keep it up!

Very nicely presented information.Thanks Keith and well done to Mr. Edwards.

Thanks for the new video, well it’s new to me. Anyway, that was enlightening. I had wondered how veneering was done. I have an older dresser that has a couple places that need to be fixed. I may not be able to do it (yet) but now I have a starting point for practicing.

Doug-Evansville, IN

Keith

Glad to see you back after your trek to the west. As always a great video – I have always had an interest in veneering and have been dabbleling – this was very well produced and informative. An add on would be the Woodwright PBS show on veneering – a little different presentation but very complementary. I think your production quality and presentation skills rival the Woodwright – a big complement in my opinion, keep up the great work. Also kudos to Patrick Edwards.

Hi Keith,

This is yet another wonderfully informative, skillfully produced video. I’m looking forward to more.
I still think your videos should be on TV.

Rob

Superb in both content and production! The last time I put veneer on the top of an old cabinet, I went headlong into the project and used contact cement. Through no fault of my own, it turned out well, and it still looks good after 30 plus years. But I like the old method better. Now I know how a veneer hammer is used. Thanks Keith for another great tutorial video.

I enjoyed the presentation. I used to work with hide glue as a boy working in a boat yard. This video brought back a lot of memories. Thanks for your hard work

I’ve never come across any web site with such great demos. Hands down, one of the best woodworking resources.

When Patrick Edwards shows how to put an inlayed decorative strip into his veneer, he cuts a “slot” with a veneer saw, and then drops a strip of precut veneer into it. But he did not measure the width of the slot or the width of the strip. So how does he insure that there won’t be a gap?

Keith’s Note: Ken, you win the award today for most inquisitive viewer! Most normal folks would indeed need to measure the width and cut a piece to fit. In Patrick’s case, he is so skilled that he could eyeball the cut to make use of a strip he had already cut. There are various ways of fitting inlays, which we didn’t have time to cover in this video. But stay tuned. We’ll get back to this topic in the future.

I’m a kitchen designer and our cabinet manufacturers tell us that some veneers are rift cut or flat cut, but are veneers made the same way as boards? Also is there more waste to cut veneers? Everyone wants the best green answer.

Keith’s Note: Veneers can be quarter sawn, rift, or plain cut in the same way that dimensional lumber is cut. When a fine hardwood log is veneered, there is significantly more yield from it than would be created by simply sawing the tree into boards. Ultimately the “green-ness” of the end product depends as much on how the veneer is applied to substrates (as in making plywoods) as on how the raw materials where sourced and transported. Some processes are more green than others. Knowing what is green or not can be confusing. There are a number of organizations that attempt to certify that lumber comes from sustainable forests and is processed and delivered with the least environmental impacts. For more information search on the keywords “Forest Stewardship Council” or the “U.S. Green Building Council”.

One final note, rotary veneers are the cheapest type of veneer and are creating by slicing the outer surface of a log like you would peel a potato. The slicer removes a thin layer of the log as it turns on a spindle. These types of veneers typically look unnatural.

When I was watching the video, the presenter mentioned in passing, that for plywood a toothing plane would not be needed – or did I hear that wrong. Or is hammer veneering not applicable to plywood or similar substrate material.

I have located the appropriate tools at Highland Hardware and for small boxes etc I was considering using this technique as opposed to another machine (vacuum) to clutter up my shop and only use occasionally.

John

Keith’s Note: The toothing plane is traditionally used with solid wood substrates. If you intend to use plywood as a substrate, then you are probably headed into a realm where you are combining old world techniques with modern materials in a way that might not turn out so well. Modern manufactured plywoods are made with veneers that are so thin, there is really not enough wood available for toothing. It’s not done in this case.

In your case, since you are making small boxes, it would seem that a solid wood substrate would work very well. With small pieces, the type you might use in small box construction, you won’t have much trouble with dimensional stability, i.e. cupping, twisting, warping. So you’ve got the perfect project for traditional hammer veneering using traditional materials. BTW, I think you’ve got great project planned.

Great. I have never veneered and I am about to. I have learned a lot just from this video. Thanks.

The toothing plane as an indicator is really interesting. I wonder if you could use one as an indicator to show high spots when flattening stock with bench planes as part of general stock preparation (not inlay prep).

Keith’s Note: There is no end to the ways you can creatively use your tools. I observed that most accomplished artisans are inventive in the way the use tools.

I would be very grateful to hear what veneer thickness you’d recommend for use in learning the art of this fascinating medium — for larger sized furniture applications… Thank you ever so kindly. Debbie, Professional Artist

Can you do the same thing with fein blades?

Keith’s Note: Not sure. You could try it. Good luck.

Great video, I enjoyed it immensely – thanks!
I’ve been trying my hand at marquetry, and everything I read warns me away from solid wood substrates because of expansion – MDF and plywood substrates are recomendended because of their stability. Is that not an issue here? Thanks.

Keith’s Note: Well this is a case of new technology versus the wisdom of the ages. The artisans of centuries ago mastered marquetry techniques without MDF or plywood, but there is certainly a case to be made for the stability of modern substrates. How you approach this depends on your interests, techniques, resources and skills. Experiment and have fun — and good luck with it!

Keith, Thanks so much for a great explanatory video. It seems so easy in the hands of a master. With good explanation, difficult things are not as intimidating as you think. Thanks again. BOB