Veneerin rasied panels?

Al killian

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Floydada, Tx
I am thinking that my next place will be hickory cabinets with a burl center shaker panel. Is this feasable? The center panel would have a 15 degree edge. I know that veneer properly treated is very plyable, however where the corners aremigth need to do some work or should I just go with flat panels? Better yet make a trip to Tods with materail and have him help.:)
 
I've made panels similar to your description. They were cherry with crotch walnut on the raised portion. The design was a cherry frame around an MDF center panel. The frame pieces were about 1/4" wider than the final desired dimension. A veneer of walnut was glued to the MDF panel, slightly overlapping the frame. When run past the raised panel bit, it made the cut in the cherry frame and into the edge of the veneer.

The Shaker panel I've familiar with have a flat panel on the outside. In some cases, the panel is raised on the inside of a door. What is your plan?
 
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Al,
I have bent vaneer for a curved surface but I never tried it like you described. The agle 15 degrees isn't bad but i don't think you can get it sharp enough for a raised panel. Maybe Td can suggest a way but I don't know. I will await input from others.
 
It can be DONE... but the real bugbear will be in the four corners where you have a compound angle. Bill's approach - a veneered MDF field surrounded by four independent wedge-shaped pieces for the edges - is about the best way to get it done. After the "raising", you can add veneer to the surround fairly easily, although the corners are still a little tough to get just right. Best to start with one pair of edges (say the sides), trim the veneer to fit the ends flush, then veneer the ends last & trim THEM flush to the veneered sides. Then the top strip will overlap the side veneer's end grain.

I hope that made something like sense. I c'd post a SketchUp for ya, if you like.
 
It can be done but you will probably need a vacum press. Back in the early 80's the cabinet shop I was working had the sales rep for Merillat cabinets stop by and he was bragging about how all their raised panel doors were made of solid wood. My boss said they weren't. He had me cut one in half and sure enough it had a particle board core with veneer conering it. This was a door that had a panel with a simple cove cut on it.

I could not tell if it was unbacked veneer or not but it is something I might give a try on in my vacum press.
 
There are lots of ways you can skin this cat.

1. Using hot hide glue and a veneer hammer you can probably get the veneer to bend across those 15* angles and look good. You'll have wrinkles on the corners, but with some careful cutting and sanding you can probably make them look good. You'll have to veneer both sides as hide glue is water based and will expand the veneer.

1a. Using a vacuum bag you can get the same effect, it'll need the same treatment at the corners.

2. You can use a solid wood substrate, veneer it flat, then raise your panel. The grain won't match from the center panel to the cut portion, but it won't all that noticeable especially if the cut edges are narrow. You can also mottle on some glaze during finishing to further mask the grain difference.

3. Again using a solid wood substrate. You can cut the long grain edges, then veneer. The veneer will wrap over the bends on the sides. Then you cut the endgrain. The grain difference is much less noticeable on the end grain. You then can again mottle on some glaze during the finish process to further mask the grain difference.

4. As mentioned before, you can miter a solid wood "frame" around the panel that is wider than the raised portion. Veneer, then raise the panel.
 
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