Using "veneer" wood

[Landlubber Mike]

I picked up some cherry veneer from Woodcraft a few months ago.  One of the packets is the typical reddish color, the other is almost a golden orange color when oiled.  I'm thinking of using the latter for the upper hull and decking of my La Renommee build which contrasts nicely with the dark walnut I picked up from Crown Timberyard - here are some pictures:

 

 

Is there any issue with using "veneer" material for models?  The stuff I bought is very flexible, almost like thick paper.  To give some idea, I sanded it down in my Byrnes thickness sander and it started curling around the roller at around 0.5mm.  I'm used to wood that you have to heat/soak etc. to get bends, but this stuff is almost too flexible.  What I can't tell is whether the sheets are crimped with micro-cuts to help with flexibility or not.  Seems like I can sand out the machining marks to get a smooth finish so I'm tempted to use it as it's the color I have been looking for.

 

Any tips or experiences with using similar products?  Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything before laying down the first deck planking.  Thanks! 

[Landlubber Mike]

This company also offers dyed veneer sheets as well.  The colors looked really nice.  A potential option if one wants to avoid paint.  I know some kits come with dyed strips (my Corel Unicorn kit, for example, came with strips already dyed black).

 

https://sveneers.com/wood-veneers/dyed-wood-veneer/

 

Given the flexibility, seems like this kind of material is a great option as opposed to fighting wood that doesn't want to bend.  One issue perhaps is that these veneers are normally on the thinner side.

[marktiedens]

Hi Mike - I used cherry veneer to plank the lower hull on my present build & it came out great. My only issue was cutting strips off the veneer sheet without a wavy edge.  I got a strip cutter from Micro-Mark that worked pretty good after changing the blade from a pointed one to a rounded one - the pointed blade wanted to follow the grain while the rounded one didn`t. A metal straight edge clamped down on the veneer would probably work also.  I did have to cut spiled planks for the bow area - as flexible as this stuff is,It still doesn`t like to edge bend. Obviously, the underlayment needs to be very smooth - any little bumps or dips will show.  The best part is - a package of 4 sheets from my local wood store is only about 15$ US.  

 

Mark

[alde]

I bought a 4 foot by 18 inch roll of Swiss Pear veneer a while back hoping to use it to plank small boats. it looks like it would be perfect for that.

[Jim Rogers]

Master Korabel kits use all veneer wood, while it make things easy as far as attaching ceilings and hull planking it splits just looking at it, will rip out very easy with a drill. It looks great just be very careful when attaching parts to it that require drilling or cutting. Others may have had different experiences. This is mine.

[druxey]

If the veneer is rotary cut - most is - it will tend to curl, particularly when dampened.

[Gregory]

Being a fan of natural wood, I like to use veneer for variety and contrast.  It also facilitates spiling if that is your thing..

 

Here is a sample of a work in progress.

 

 

With reference to your comment on flexibility, your sample planks above, appear to have been cut across the grain.

That would certainly impart a flexibility that might not be desirable in some situations.

 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2018 by Gregory

[Landlubber Mike]

Thanks everyone!  I'll keep an eye out on for how it handles drilling and cutting.  It seemed to do ok on the quick test planks I cut on the table saw, though I noticed it did have a tendency to chip the wood at the entry point of the saw.  At the current thickness of 1.5mm, it seems to hold up ok.  Getting it down to 0.5mm was a different story though, as it curled, cracked, etc.  I'll probably try to keep it at a width no less than 0.75mm.

 

Gregory, love the model, very nice!  I too am a fan of natural wood.  And good eye on those sample planks - I do believe I cut them across the grain with the small sample piece I cut off the sheet.

[Jim Rogers]

That was the other thing I forgot. The Curling. It was terrible when using PVA, it would just roll up in a circle. Had to use CA no other choice. Laid it down about three inches at a time workingbthe CA under with a toothpick.

[JerseyCity Frankie]

Maybe try ironing it flat with a steam iron? Steam bending is a thing.  As mentioned above, veneer is shaved off a spinning log so it’s “real” shape is the diameter of the log, it doesn’t want to get flat and stay that way. Lloyd McCaffery covers the issue in his book Ships in Miniature, here is his illustration. He points out that in th process of making veneer, the cutting blade is continuously forcing the wood fibers to shear as the veneer is bent back away from the log by the cutter. These tiny cracks are what keep catching the x-acto blade and making it wander.  McCaffery states he won’t use veneer on the model, only the case and the base. But his model timbers are typically incredibly tinny.

[Gregory]

Good point about the iron..  I have a small hobby iron that I use.  It works very well when using PVA.  The glue sets up within a few seconds as it cools.

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2018 by Gregory

[reklein]

One thing about cherry is that it usually doesn't take stains and finishes evenly and should be sealed before finishing.

[druxey]

To counteract curling when gluing up veneer, dampen it. I usually dampen the side that is concave first ( the contracted surface), then spread glue the opposite side. 

[marktiedens]

Forgot to say - I did use CA to glue my planking,BUT,the CA I`m using is odorless & seems to be fumeless - no more bad reactions. The only drawback is that it`s a bit more expensive than the usual stuff.

 

Mark