VeneerSupplies.com Learning Center
Part 1: General Veneering Topics

A Starter Course in Veneering
What is veneer, and what makes it so useful? Veneer opens a whole new world of woodworking to even the most experienced craftsperson. With an exotic veneer, simple projects can be turned into works of art. In fact, a highly figured veneer can often be the qualifying characteristic that makes one project stand out well above the rest...

The Most Common Myths about Veneer
Regrettably, there is a lot of bad information about all sorts of things on the internet, in magazines, and on TV. Whether it be related to health, finances, or even woodworking, myths are everywhere, and they grow like wildfire. Let's take some time to set things straight about the most common veneering myths.

Our Best Veneering Tips for Beginners
No matter how many times you have veneered a panel, there's almost always a bit of worry when you pull a veneered panel out of the press. Maybe you start with a quick prayer or just cross your fingers while you wonder if there will be bubbles, ripples, delamination, or seam separation. Here are a few tips to ease the worry and avoid the most common mistakes when working with veneer.

Veneer Flattening DIY
Even the best veneers can have mild to moderate rippling. This is typically caused by areas where there is a high density of wood cells, which during changes in moisture content, expand and contract at a different rate than areas where the density of wood cells is less. Here is our guide to using veneer softener to flatten burls and more.

How to Cut a Clean Veneer Joint/Seam
It can be a challenge to find highly figured veneers in large sizes, so you may find it necessary to join two or more pieces of veneer together to make a large panel. The good news is that this method can reveal outstanding results that can only be achieved with veneer. With a few simple tools, the process is not complicated and relatively easy...

How to Tape a Veneer Seam
The first step of the veneer joinery process is to cut the edges of the veneers straight and clean using a handheld veneer saw and straight edge board. Once completed, you can move on to taping the joints. There are two common ways to use veneer tape. We'll start with the traditional method and then move on to the easier modern method.

Wood Veneer Adhesive Guide
Here is a brief look at the many types of glue available for working with veneer. Learn more about Heat Lock™, X-Press™, Titan DX™, Ultra-CAT™, and other veneering adhesives. This article is well worth the time to check out if you are new to the world of veneering.

Substrate Material Options
A substrate is the material to which a veneer is bonded. The most common substrates are plywood and MDF. With careful preparation and adhesive selection, almost any smooth surface can be veneered. We begin with one of the most common substrate questions...

Balance Veneer
The visible side of a veneered panel is often called the "face" side, and of course it's often the most important part of the project. However, there is no point in making a beautiful veneered panel if it warps. Unfortunately, most woodworkers don't realize that both sides of a panel must be veneered to avoid the tragic effects of an unbalanced panel...

Veneering Without a Vacuum Press
There are times when a vacuum press just is not feasible for a project. Whether it's because the project is too big to fit inside a vacuum bag or just too small to invest in a vacuum press, there are other ways to successfully veneer a project. Let's take a look at some options...

Iron-On Veneering
Heat Lock™ is a superb adhesive that takes only a small amount of practice to master, but it is best to create a test panel with veneer scraps before any project work begins. We recommend experimenting with this adhesive to learn how to best use it...

Dealing with Veneer Defects
A guide to fixing pinholes, cracks, voids, and bark patches in veneer. Even the best veneers can contain holes, splits, and other surface imperfections that may need attention before or after being applied to a panel. Fortunately, many of these problems are easy to repair...

The Right Way to Store Wood Veneer
A bit of good advice can go a long way. This article has tips for storing your gems from the forest. It includes small discussions on shop humidity, burl veneers, and end-taping.

Paper-Backed Veneer Guide
This PDF is filled with common questions and answers about paper-backed veneer and the process of applying it. We discuss everything from the backing thickness to substrates and finishing. There is also information about "peel and stick" (pressure-sensitive adhesive) veneers. This is one of our most-frequently viewed pages.

Edge Banding in Five Easy Steps
The edge banding we refer to in this article has a very durable hot melt adhesive on the back. Edge banding is real wood veneer that is pre-sanded and available most commonly in a 7/8" width. This is ideal for 3/4" thick sheet goods such as plywood and MDF because it allows a bit of overhang and makes it easy to trim it to a flush edge...

Veneering Dictionary
Balance veneer, bleed-through, book matching, fiddleback, sand-through, and more. This page of veneering terms is short but sweet. We even mention "vaneer"!

How to Sharpen a Veneer Saw
Our sharpening process is simply a beveling of the teeth on the saw blade with a fine sharpening stone. The bevel is made on the top side of the saw blade. This will provide you with a cut that is square on one side and beveled on the other. It is the square sides of the veneer that are taped together when joining two pieces...

UV Light and Its Effect on Wood
It is virtually impossible to get new wood to match old wood because nearly all species change in color, contrast, and/or brightness when exposed to any type of UV light. This includes natural light from the sun (both direct and indirect) and artificial light such as that which comes from fluorescent light bulbs...

VeneerSupplies.com Learning Center
Part 2: Vacuum Pressing Topics

Introduction to Our Vacuum Press Kits
Ultimately, the question is how to get the wood veneer to cure flat on the project panel. A vacuum press does the trick, and now it does it easily and affordably. A vacuum press gives you the opportunity to use some of the finest woods available. Here is a short list of reasons to build your own press.

Getting Started in Vacuum Pressing
Maybe you've heard, read, or thought that veneering is a difficult process. This is far from true, and it doesn't take much to learn the basics. The methods are simple, the tools and supplies are readily available, and the learning curve is short and straight-forward...

Breather Mesh Tutorial
Breather mesh is plastic fabric used inside a vacuum bag that allows air to flow away from the project and towards the vacuum port (also called the "bag stem"). Breather mesh helps create evenly distributed vacuum/force inside the bag, and this is the key to successful vacuum pressing.

How to Make a Custom Vacuum Bag
The process of making an airtight bag can be challenging. Users often tell us about all the time they spend making a custom vacuum bag and taking all the necessary steps to prepare and seal it, only then to notice it has a leak. In this article, we'll help you avoid this problem. There is a secret to getting it done right, and we'll tell you more about that at the end.

Polyurethane vs. Vinyl Vacuum Bags
For many years, most woodworkers didn't give much attention to polyurethane vacuum bags for one simple reason: the cost. We've argued in the past that polyurethane wasn't worth three times more money than vinyl. Though there are many characteristics of polyurethane material that make it better than vinyl, it was still not worth the added expense. But things have changed!