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Cutting Veneers


FOLLOW JOHN BULLAR’S EXPERT GUIDE TO PREPARING YOUR OWN VENEERS

Pile of pink dyed wood sheets and block

It is extremely useful to be able to cut your own veneers and even a small bandsaw is quite capable of making impressively accurate cuts provided it is set up properly. The resulting surface finish varies with the type of blade used, but experiment a bit, as you get different effects with different species and densities of timber.

How to Cut Veneers

Close-up of stacked bandsaw blades
1. The key to getting the required accuracy is to use a blade that is sharp and there are many different types available. My preference is to use a 5/8in x 4tpi blade, but a thin gauge one, which allows you to apply plenty of tension to increase the beam strength
Close-up of bandsaw blade on table.
2. Make sure the blade is set up accurately and that the thrust roller is adjusted so that the teeth cannot move back between the side guides
Close-up of a band saw blade.
3. Bandsaw fences have improved considerably over recent years, although many are still not tall enough to provide adequate support for deep cuts
Hands adjusting band saw fence for cutting wood.
4. A shorter fence is easily overcome by screwing on a sub fence, preferably one with a polished surface to help the timber slide easily
Measuring wood piece on a bandsaw with square tool.
5. Make sure the fence is dead square to the table. You can usually adjust the fence guide rail to correct any inaccuracy here
Person adjusting bandsaw blade height with ruler
6. The table must also be perfectly square to the fence, as even tiny inaccuracies will be magnified over the deep cut. Set this carefully using a square
Cutting wood with a bandsaw
7. To check that the result is spot-on, make a very shallow cut in the end of a piece of timber and then turn it over end for end and hold it against the back of the blade, as this will magnify any inaccuracy
Hands guiding wood through bandsaw for cutting.
8. Plane the face of the board and then set the veneer thickness required between the blade and the fence, rather than trying to slice the veneer off the outer edge of the board
Wood being cut with a saw
9. Feed it steadily, keeping pressure against the fence on the infeed side of the blade
Person holding curved wooden piece near bandsaw.
10. With care, it is possible to produce wafer-thin veneers which are 125mm or 150mm wide using only a very modest bandsaw
Close-up of textured wooden surface
11. However, always feed steadily, as every time you stop and start, the blade wanders slightly and leaves a definite mark in the surface

Further Reading

Veneer Maintenance

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