Glue for shop-sawn veneer?

[Aram]

Coming up on a project with shop-sawn veneer onto plywood. Nothing very large. Last time I made a veneered piece, I used Unibond 800. That was a long time ago. I believe the formulation has changed, and anyway I can't seem to find any place online that sells less than a gallon. I don't need anywhere near that much. My local Woodcraft does't carry plastic resin glues.

Thoughts? What's a good choice these days? I have to cover maybe 10 sq ft. No vac bag, just clamps and cauls, if that matters.

[fredhargis]

The Weldwood powder glue is very good for this, I've used it quite a bit. The Amazon stuff seems to be fresh, but in my local stores the stuff had 1/4" of dust on the lid. It does have a self life, so i skipped the local stuff...and I'm not sure how to interpret the code date jargon.

[jteneyck]

Coming up on a project with shop-sawn veneer onto plywood. Nothing very large. Last time I made a veneered piece, I used Unibond 800. That was a long time ago. I believe the formulation has changed, and anyway I can't seem to find any place online that sells less than a gallon. I don't need anywhere near that much. My local Woodcraft does't carry plastic resin glues.

Thoughts? What's a good choice these days? I have to cover maybe 10 sq ft. No vac bag, just clamps and cauls, if that matters.

If your shop sawn veneer is 1/16" or greater I wood not use BetterBond or other PVAc glues, although I know many people report they work OK.  I had failures after several months so I won't use them.  I mostly use Weldwood PRG, but if you don't want to use that I would use liquid hide glue, Gorilla Glue, or slow set epoxy.  Epoxy in particular requires very little pressure and with no added water the veneer won't swell and curl as you put things together.  All will provide a rigid bond. 


John

[KC]

The Weldwood powder glue is very good for this, I've used it quite a bit. The Amazon stuff seems to be fresh, but in my local stores the stuff had 1/4" of dust on the lid. It does have a self life, so i skipped the local stuff...and I'm not sure how to interpret the code date jargon.

That's what I've used for years on bent laminations and flat glue-ups.  My experience says it has a shelf life once it's opened.  Local Do it Best store carries it here, with an inventory stock of two I think.  Whenever I pick one up I make a point of opening it at the counter to make sure it's good.  Never found a bad one yet, but they'll go bad at home after I've opened and closed them a few times and let it sit for a couple months.

[mike4244]

Coming up on a project with shop-sawn veneer onto plywood. Nothing very large. Last time I made a veneered piece, I used Unibond 800. That was a long time ago. I believe the formulation has changed, and anyway I can't seem to find any place online that sells less than a gallon. I don't need anywhere near that much. My local Woodcraft does't carry plastic resin glues.

Thoughts? What's a good choice these days? I have to cover maybe 10 sq ft. No vac bag, just clamps and cauls, if that matters.

I prefer hot hide glue. No clamps ,cauls or vacuum bags needed. Laminate roller comes in handy but a scrap of wood rounded over also works well. This glue is reversible if needed, just heat from a heat gun or  hair dryer will soften the glue if you have to reposition the veneer.
I suggested on another post that the veneer should be perpendicular to the plywood. Another post disagreed with me. I would investigate this myself if I were you. 
mike

[jteneyck]

I suggested on another post that the veneer should be perpendicular to the plywood. Another post disagreed with me. I would investigate this myself if I were you. 
mike

I can't speak for commercial veneer but for shop sawn it doesn't seem to matter which way the grain is oriented.  With 1/16" shop sawn veneer I haven't found any disadvantage when running the veneer in the same direction as the grain on the plywood.  I have some large pieces that are now about 5 years old and they look as good as new.  I do prefer to run the grain perpendicular but if the piece is longer than 5', the width of Baltic birch plywood, you don't have a choice unless you first crossband it.  

Which glue you use has a lot to do with the application and volume of work to be done. Hot hide glue is a fine choice for smaller projects and ones that won't be subjected to moisture, heat, etc. For kitchen and bath cabinet doors and drawer fronts, or exterior projects, however, it would be a really poor choice. Epoxy and UF (Unibond 800, PRG) are universally good choices.

John

[briman87]

I use titebond 3 for skateboards. It is kind of a industry standard and with skateboards it is all veneer unless you are vertical laminating them but then still use titebond 3.

[jteneyck]

I use titebond 3 for skateboards.  It is kind of a industry standard and with skateboards it is all veneer unless you are vertical laminating them but then still use titebond 3.

No way TB3 would be an industry standard for that application.  Don't leave them out in the hot sun!  

John

[handi]

I know I will be in the minority here, but Titebond 1 would be my choice.
It hardens to brittle so there is no creep issue and I have had great success with it.

Otherwise, I would use epoxy.

The real issue is clamping. This is where vacuum bags make all the difference.

[jteneyck]

I know I will be in the minority here, but Titebond 1 would be my choice.
It hardens to brittle so there is no creep issue and I have had great success with it.

Otherwise, I would use epoxy.

The real issue is clamping. This is where vacuum bags make all the difference.

Epoxy only needs enough pressure to keep the mating parts together.  That's another of its advantages when you don't have a vacuum bag.  Another little factoid about epoxy.  White vinegar cleans up squeeze-out easy-peasy.  
John