The document provides instructions for veneering a small cabinet panel using Honduras mahogany veneer. It describes preparing the materials, including the mahogany veneer and beech frame. It then outlines the gluing process using a special veneer glue and roller, pressing the panel overnight, and removing excess veneer using chisels and a table saw. The detailed steps and accompanying diagrams provide a concise tutorial for veneering a small woodworking project.

1. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Project Description
Panel to the side of a small cabinet.
This will be fitted in a frame of beech
(Fagus sylvatica).
The veneer is of Honduras
mahogany (Swietenia
macrophylla), the wood I will use for
the drawer fronts.
The scientific name is very important to
know with that wood we go to work. The
common names vary according to
countries, regions, provinces, populations,
warehouses or professionals. Besides in
this case they exist quantity of substitutes
to which are also called Mahogany, being
the most known the "African Mahogany"
(Khaya senegalensis).
The Honduras mahogany that I will use is
genuine mahogany, although the mythical
is the Mahogany of Cuba (Swietenia
mahagoni), this last has been the most
appreciated wood in cabinetmaking, but in Once I went to buy hard maple and I asked the salesman: It’s Acer saccharum or
the actuality practically has disappeared.
Acer saccharinum?
Still I remember his amazement face!

2. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Materials and tools

3. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Wood to use
Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)
Veneer of 0.6 mm.
Ilomba (Pycnanthus angolensis)
16 mm plywood. Is often popularly
called "marine plywood" the veneer
that form it are bonded with phenolic
glue, that do it resistant to moisture.
In the Manuel Soler’s website: http://www.xiloteca.com/ you can find related more than three thousand wood species, with his
scientific and common names.

4. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Interest rules
• The board larger than the panel.
• The veneer larger than the board.
In this case, we can appreciate that a
side of the board protrudes to the
veneer. It doesn't fulfill the second
rule of the billed, but I take one that I
had in that size- At the end it was us
useful, being able to cut it when we
want.

5. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Gluing utilities
Glue
Varnish roller
Masking tape
Transparent polyethylene film
Glue: The more classic woodworkers
will use hide glue in flakes, for
afterwards melt it. The more restless
will use contact adhesive. The more
practical the "white glue" (PVA) . But I
have chosen a special veneering glue.
Masking tape: I have choose the
blue, because it adheres less than the
yellow, the risk that damage the
wood is minimum.
Transparent film: Yes, that! Yes, that!
The one who we have in the kitchen.

6. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Surface to glue
We delimit the surface to glue.
It’s necessary to avoid apply glue in
the no covered part by the veneer.
Afterwards it would cause us problems
to the hour of press it.

7. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Surface to glue
We apply glue to the board.
The special glue for veneer allows us
work calm.

8. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Surface to glue
With the varnish roller we extend
the glue.
The use of the roller facilitates a lot
this work.
I learned this practical gluing method watching a video of Steve Latta, a renowned teacher of woodworking in the USA.
Very entertaining!

9. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Surface to glue
We must achieve a uniform coat.
As you can see, the glue covers the
whole of the surface to veneer.

10. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Trick
If we wrap well the roller with
transparent film, we will avoid that
it dry during a month at least.

11. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Gluing
We put the veneer on the board
already glued.
The veneer is placed so that it
protrudes by as many edges as
possible.. As you can see, it looks a
little of glue. No problem!

12. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Warning
We must avoid that the board will
bond to that we use for pressing.
The polyethylene film prevents
bleeding through the open grain, our
panel can be bond to the board use for
pressing.
Be careful!
Este truco lo he visto en … ¡ no me acuerdo!

13. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Pressing Tools
4
1 - Plywood of equal or greater size 3
than the future panel.
2 - Strong strips, in this case they
are of beech (Fagus sylvatica).
3 - Bench Holddowns. 2
4 - Bar clamps.
1

14. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Pressing
Now, we press the panel between a
board and the workbench surface.
Pressing time depends of the glue
used. Consult the product label.

15. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Pressing
If we do not have a workbench
or some holddowns, this is a
good alternative: the panel is
pressed between two thick
boards.
We will use six bar clamps and
six wooden strips.
Here I've used quick clamps, but
I prefer the traditional bar
clamps.

16. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
After the pressing time, the board
is thus ready for the next steps.

17. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Removing the excess 1st
part
In this section we proceed to remove A2
the A1 and A2 excess. A1

18. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Removing the excess 1st
part (Tools)
Mallet
Chisel
The chisel very sharpened and
better when wider, because we will
do fewer cuts and we will get a
better finish. In this task I used one
of 40 mm, about 1 ½”.
This is the link of my friend’s video Julio Alonso, where you can see the better mode I know to sharpen a chisel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG1VjV-ZtOA

19. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Removing the excess 1st
part
Place the blade on the remainder.
Pressed the blade with your index
finger against the edge of the
board, so the cut can be flatter.
With thumb and index finger
control the verticality of the tool.

20. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Removing the excess 1st
part
A blow with the mallet.
A workbench covered with
wounds, is a sign of experience, but
the wrinkles on the face too. For this
reason I prefer to look after
it, within an order, for it has time to
grow old.
I have placed the cut surface over a
board, plywood of course, I keep it
for these cases.

21. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Removing the excess 1st
part
Here we can see the surplus as
follows.
Blow by blow we will finish the
edge.

22. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
nd
Removing the excess 2
part (Tools):
Top table saw.
1
I will use a small top table saw, the
cutting height is just over 2 cm
(about 3/8”), so it is suitable for
small projects and modeling.
Nothing else!
I've had to adapt a homemade fence
(1) to extensible Guide (2). Of origin
it can only make cuts about 10 cm
(about 4”) width, in this case we
need 24.6 cm (about 9 11/16”).
2

23. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Removing the excess B2
2nd part
With the chisel, we have cut the
excess in the cross direction of the
grain. Sides A1 & A2.
A1 A2
With the saw, we will do it in the
right direction of the grain. Sides
B1 and B2.
B1

24. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Removing the excess 2nd
part B1
As you can see, on this edge the
veneer protrudes above and
under, so with the chisel we don’t
work well, on the first face we will
work with the tool angle and would
not be straight edge.

25. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Removing the excess 2nd
part
B2
You can see that with a cut
removes the two remaining. B1
By having a edge without veneer
(B2), we have a perfect support on
the fence and therefore a straight
sawing.

26. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Removing the excess 2nd
part
When we will remove the extra
edge (B2), the panel will be the
final width.

27. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
Removing the excess 2nd B1
part
We sawed flat on the side B1.

28. Woodworking for amateurs
Veneering
(Small projects)
END OF TASK
Here is our finished panel.