My first attempt at veneering
 

Having put my amplifiers on a bit of ply, and thinking about how to make it look better, I decided to have a go at making a suitable board by laminating the ply with some veneer. My first attempt is a simple board that the amps (Tipletone's) will sit on.

I chose some veneer which looks similar to a guitar I have, which I really like the look of, made from a wood called imbuya. What I found was walnut burr offcut sheets, not quite the same but similar. Whilst the sheets were not all flat, and a bit brittle, I had a go. I kept the flattest nicest sheet for the front edge, and two similar sheets butted together in the middle for the top. Using PVA wood glue, the veneer and ply was wetted, left a short time then mated to the ply with a slight overlap of the edges for later trimming. Some thin foam on top, more ply then a lot of weight overnight.

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

That definitely adds a bit of class!

:thumbsup:

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

A lot of the prettiest veneers are quite wrinkly, as you have found they stick down to be flat.

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

Yes, I am pleased to have found that. I tried wetting them and pressing overnight, prior to using them but I thought I may as well press using the glue to wet them and at least they will then stay flat.

Here is the method I used to press the front strips in place:

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

Amazing what a thin sheet of wood can do, agreed!

I went for a very gentle rounded corner on the front, rather than sharp edges. Gentle sanding to get all the joins as smooth as possible, although I had to repair a few bits that broke off during the process.

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

And it's LOTS cheaper than a solid plank of walnut, too! :-)

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

A handy hint for "clamping" is to use a length of sewing elastic, just wind it round and round, every turn exerts another few ounces of pressure.

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

All sanded now, to get the surfaces and edges as uniform as possible:

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

I really wanted imbuya veneer, but couldn't find it anywhere. This is a plank over 40 years old which must have come from a rather big tree. It is the look I am going for.

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

Thanks for this tip, great idea.

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

I got some coats of paint on it, outside. It absorbed quite a lot to start with.

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

Paint?

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

Sanding sealer, followed by nitrocellulose lacquer. Some tins I have for guitar refinishing, (a dormant hobby). The thing is patience is needed before sanding and polishing, so that the finish is hard enough.

In the meantime, I have constructed a 2nd bit for my Sylvania amp which was a console / radiogram amp so needed something to make it look more complete, and some left over ply and veneer was used. I was so pleased with the results of the first attempt that I started the other one. Pictures to follow in due course.

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

Here is my other base, which is still relatively simple but should make the amp look a lot better, as it looks a bit naked on its own. The main concern was cutting the sections to minimise joins, with the offcuts I had. I made sure the veneer was well stuck on the flat sections overnight. I am having some fun with this!

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

For now, all done. In a few weeks I will wet sand and polish.

Thanks for the various tips and advice, it was easier than I thought it would be, and I have started looking at what else I can veneer! :)

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

Good job, shame that most of the hard work is covered up, still you know it is there. I am thinking about veneering my new 3D printed preamp box* https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...8&postcount=17 I think cutting the holes for the displays will take all of my patience!

*Work has a 1m cube 3D printer which I can hijack occasionally and some really talented 3D drafters, this took one of them less than 10 minutes from my 2D sketch!

Re: My first attempt at veneering
 

Thanks!
About your preamp box, that is a nice bit of kit, and with a hole cutter for a drill that would be ok - but I wonder if it would be better to cut the holes before or after laminating, something to ponder.