# thin board to other substrate table top Help!!



## Catalina (Jun 11, 2010)

Ok, here is my dillemma/question that I need experienced advise on. I have 14 pieces of sequence cut, quartersawn maple that are around 4' long that are absolutely full of character. They are going into a kiln this month for finish drying. What I think I want to do is to cut wedges from these pieces to form a center piece in a dinning room table top (not sure of exact shape and size yet). After surfacing I suspect these to be around 1/2 to 5/8 inch in thickness, so they are way thicker than normal veneer. What would be the best substrate to mount these to and what would be the best way to mount them to it to have a stable sturdy table top? Any help would be appreciated as these pieces are way to gorgeous to screw up. I'm worried about E&C of different substrates so I can't glue them directly to MDF or Plywood can I? Could I glue them to a thin sheet or birch plywood that wood float on a MDF base? Would this be any different then directly gluing to MDF or thick plywood? Gene


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## Midlandbob (Sep 5, 2011)

I'm not quite sure what you are asking. If you want to get the most of your special wood, check the article in FWW #224 . DavidWelter did an article on "Shop sawn Veneers Make Better Furniture". (Jan- Feb 2012).
. He saws it to 1/16 a3/32 of an inch. He uses birch ply as a substrate I recall? If you want to use the wood at over 1/8 inch thick, you are probably best to laminate it on the same type of wood. Glueing special maple to plain maple would be best. Some edge treatment even a simple chamfer would hide the joint.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Catalina said:


> Ok, here is my dillemma/question that I need experienced advise on. I have 14 pieces of sequence cut, quartersawn maple that are around 4' long that are absolutely full of character. They are going into a kiln this month for finish drying. What I think I want to do is to cut wedges from these pieces to form a center piece in a dinning room table top (not sure of exact shape and size yet). After surfacing I suspect these to be around 1/2 to 5/8 inch in thickness, so they are way thicker than normal veneer. What would be the best substrate to mount these to and what would be the best way to mount them to it to have a stable sturdy table top? Any help would be appreciated as these pieces are way to gorgeous to screw up. I'm worried about E&C of different substrates so I can't glue them directly to MDF or Plywood can I? Could I glue them to a thin sheet or birch plywood that wood float on a MDF base? Would this be any different then directly gluing to MDF or thick plywood? Gene


Your concern for the E&C of the substrate isn't the problem. Any of the substrates are stable. It's the wood wedges that present an E&C problem. You may get no movement at 1/2" (depending on the ambient moisture swings), or, it's possible. But the thinner you make the wedges, the better your chances are that you'll minimize the possibility.










 







.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Either mdf or birch plywood would be fine to laminate your maple to however you might consider the weight of mdf. MDf would be a little more stable but it would make for a very heavy table. You will need to primarily glue the maple boards to each other. Then the glue up can be glued to a 1/4" to 3/4" sheet stock to aid for stability.


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

As said, any solid wood thicker than 1/8 will cause problems if glued to a composition or plywood substrate. The solid wood will want to expand and contract with changes in relative humidity and the substrate won't. The substrate will not keep the solid wood in place without it being warped.

Second, the wedges will not be expanding and contracting evenly. The part of the wedge closest to the center will have virtually no movement. The outer rim of the wedge will have quite a bit of movement. This uneven movement will mean that the wedged design will be forcing the seams in an unequal manner.

The only way to work with wedges is to use thin (less than 1/8") thick veneer. That's the way tabletops of this design are done.


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## Woodenhorse (May 24, 2011)

I agree that you should use thinner veneers. They will have far less movement, especially after sealed with a finish.


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## vinnypatternmaker (Mar 27, 2011)

*substrate*

Hi!
Re: Substrate for important/difficulte projects.
Although quite expensive $$$ :thumbdown:, google >steel rule plyood< to see what is probably the *best* stable plywood around. It's voidless, high quality hardwood, usually surfaced with birch :thumbsup:!
The bad news is that it's only sold in bundles (15-20) pcs. We use it now and then and fnd it to be the best substrate around!
Perhaps, if you are near a packaging company, they may agree to sell you a scrap that suits your size reqirement, for next to nothing! 
If you encounter acida (problems), please don't hesitate to email us personally, and we will try our best to help you :yes:!
PS...Howard above ^ has some great suggestons!
Best of luck,
Marena ad Vinny Susinno


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## Catalina (Jun 11, 2010)

Thanks guys for all the responses. I was afraid they would be too thick, bummer. I have sawed some pretty thin stock before but nothing to this extent, guess there is a first time for everything. On the bright side, if I don't screw them up, my 14 pieces will be turning into 28 pieces or I'll only need to resaw a portion of them. Besides planeing the gluing sides first before resawing, what other advise can ya give me? What would be the best blade to use on the bandsaw? I do have 2 bandsaws a 10 and a 20 inch. On the 10 I can go up to a 1/2 inch, on the 20 and inch and 1/8 I believe-I assume wider is better for this type work, correct? Thanks. Gene


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## Midlandbob (Sep 5, 2011)

I started using the woodslicer resaw blades. It is amazing how well they resaw. It is easy to cut 1/16 veneer that almost does not need clean up before glueing up.
I have no connection to the company. I have to mail order the blades as the store is in Georgia(I think).
-
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodslicer34resawbandsawblades105to166.aspx
This link might work or just search for highland woodworking.
Good luck with the maple.


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## Catalina (Jun 11, 2010)

Thanks for the tip on the resaw blades! Gene


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