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Woodworking
Techniques
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Wood Veneers: Gluing up your work

Spreading the Glue:
For hide or PVA glue pour some glue in a tray. Brush or Roll on with a hard rubber roller - a nice even & THIN glue line. Never apply glue to the veneer itself - only to the substrate.

Hide Glue:
If the glue gels over it is not a problem. The veneer will not stick, so align it to the right position, cover it with craft paper and with your iron on medium, heat the entire surface to be glued. The heat from the iron will reactive the glue. Remove paper and use a veneer hammer to press the veneer into place while the glue is still hot and liquid. Work from the middle to the outside, as a means to drag air bubbles out from under the veneer. Work quickly before the glue cools, re iron if necessary..... trim veneer as needed.

PVA:
Place veneer on substrate, and with a small roller press down the veneer to the surface, eliminating any aire bubbles as go. Cover with paper, add a scrap piece of plywood or MDF on top and clamp. It should be clamped from the center out to force any air bubbles or excess glue to the outside. Clamping should be every 3-6".

Vacuum Bag Presses are great to use, because they will exert an even force across the entire surface. Just make sure that you tape the veneer into place and cover with kraft paper so it does not get stuck to the vacuum bag in the gluing process. Whatever method you use make sure that it is left in the clamp for the full drying time as dictated be the glue that you are using.

For small projects, you can actually iron on the veneers. It works something in the reverse of hide glues, in that the iron, evaporates off the water in the PVA glue, thus speeding the drying process. You do have to be careful with the veneer slipping though. The heat initially makes the glue very slippery and the veneer wants to head south..... make sure it is infact positioned correctly before the iron fully dries the glue.... at which time you CANNOT reposition it.... practise on a scrap first so you know what to expect.

Contact Cements:
Remember that contact cements work a little different than traditional glues. It must be spread on both the veneer and the panel. Some of the newer glues, are designed for spray applications, if not, spread using a notched trowel, or my choice a piece of arborite, and with a back and forthe troweling technic cover your entire surface. It is very important NOT to leave blobs as this will show through, especially the thin veneers, and leave bulges in your work. Set asside for both to thoroughly dry.

Once dry, lay a piece of thin paper on top of your panel and gently lay the veneer over top, positioning it correctly, trying not to exert any downward pressure on your stack. Gently pull out the paper from between the veneer and panel and press into place as you go. Hammer down into place to assure good contact.

Other Tips:
When gluing to solid wood, always glue to the heartwood side of the board, since the wood always has a natural tendency to cup towards the sapwood, and the veneer will have a couterbalancing effect.

Better yet I would suggest you glue the reverse side of your substrate as well, with a counter balance veneer (backer veneer) even if the back side will never be seen. This should be done at the same time as gluing your face - especially in a hot press. This evens out stress on your outer skin and helps prevent future problems with your finish...

Use MDF as a substrate whenever possible, to obtain a more stable core... of course we all know that MDF is not good if joinery is involved, so keep the whole project in mind when making these decisions

You can use a "decorators size" or thinned glue to seal the back of the veneer, so that it absorbs less moisture thus less shrinkage and drying issues.

Roughing up the surface of your substrate, will allow for better glue adhesion.

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