How to make veneer at work and with their own hands?

Veneer refers to wood materials that have the form of thin sheets of wood, the thickness of which varies between 0.5-3.0 mm. The veneer is usually glued to wood panels or fiberboard, thus giving the material a more aesthetic and attractive look.

Types of veneer

Veneer is divided into various types. Depending on the method of production, the material is divided into:

• peeled;
• sawn;
• planed.

Depending on the appearance, the veneer is divided into the following types:

1. Natural. Such material has an appearance of thin sheets of natural color and structure. The main task in the production of such material is to preserve the naturalness of the tree. The advantages of natural veneer is its environmental friendliness, the preservation of the unique structure of the tree, attractive appearance. Products finished with material are similar to products from solid wood, but they are much lower, and the weight of the structure is less.
2. Color. In the manufacture of colored veneer its surface is stained, processed with stain. As a result, the material has a wide range of colors.
3. Fine-line. This type of material is obtained as a result of the reconstruction of peeled veneer obtained from soft woods. Initially, blocks are formed, from which veneer of various structures, patterns and colors of natural wood is subsequently made. This method allows you to simulate valuable wood in the manufacture of material from cheaper wood. As a result, the veneer has a more aesthetic look, and costs less.

Veneer has found application in the manufacture of various structures and products. The most popular material for finishing doors, furniture, for the manufacture of plywood. It is also quite often used in the manufacture of the body of guitars, during decorative works. In addition, veneer is widely used in tuning cars for interior trim.

It is worth noting that some manufacturers save on high-quality glue and varnish, using poor quality compounds. All this significantly affects the environmental cleanliness of the product.

Methods of making veneer

As mentioned above, veneers are divided into three types according to the manufacturing method. Let us consider these methods of material production in more detail.

1. Peeling method. In this case, specially prepared wood is used, which, when rotated, removes the top layer using a special machine. In the production of veneer using the peeling method, soft and hard rocks are used. With this treatment, the top layer is cut spirally. As a result, large sheets of veneer are obtained, however, their pattern is not very clear and bright. Therefore, peeled veneer often stick on plywood.
2. Planing method. With this method, the top layer of wood is cut in the transverse or longitudinal direction. Veneer of this type is made only from hardwood. The result is a sheet of material of fairly high density with a bright and beautiful pattern. Therefore, sliced ​​veneer is used in the manufacture of furniture and doors.
3. Cutting method. In this case, the veneer is obtained by sawing off sheets of minimum thickness from the prepared log. The material obtained by this method is the most expensive, since the production produces a large amount of waste.

In the production of veneer it is important to pay attention to the quality of the wood itself. The tree should have a smooth trunk with a minimum number of knots and branches. The prepared log is examined by a specialist and is determined by him on one or another method of treatment.

Making the veneer with your own hands

You can make the veneer with your own hands at home.

Of course, for this you need to have a special tool and have at least some skill in working with wood.

For the manufacture of sawn veneer, you will need a blank in the form of a bar. The surface of the workpiece is drawn in vertical stripes with a pitch of no more than 12 mm. After that, the timber is fixed in the workbench and sawn into marks using a jigsaw.

Sliced ​​veneer is initially manufactured similarly to sawn, but then the surface is machined with a mechanical or electric plane. It is better, of course, to choose an electric planer, since they ensure the best quality of processing. At the same time, it is necessary to work extremely carefully so that the thickness of all veneer sheets is the same.

For the production of peeled veneer, we will need a billet with a round section. Therefore, you will need a grinding machine to produce a cylindrical billet or a finished log. Further manufacturing technology veneer similar to the above processes. The only difference is that you get a large sheet of material.

Further processing of the obtained veneer depends on the personal preferences of the owner. To obtain the desired effect is grinding, processing paint and protective compounds.