Veneer experiment

[bobleibo]

I had a bunch of veneer scraps and was curious about turning it into a pen but not just plain and boring like straight Spectraply, so this is what I ended up with ....a lot of work for what was only a curiosity, not sure if I'll try to refine it, so..
pic 1 - veneer pieces
pic 2 - I made a form out of hard maple, glued them up and clamped them up, all 74 pieces.
pic 3 - this is what the raw block looked like out of the form
pic 4 - this is the block cut into 2 pen blanks
pic 5 - this is the first blank that blew out when the glue expanded instead of discharging while drilling. No, I was not mad at all but I have no idea where that hole in the wall came from
pic 6 thru 8 - this is the pen.
Wasn't sure what I would end up with but there was only one way to find out~
Thanks for looking
Bob

 

[Bean_Counter]

I think the experiment worked out well. Very nice pen, how big was the block? I'm assuming there was a lot of waste?

I usually get mad and throw something and then get mad again cause I have to go shag whatever I threw lol.....

 

[Jim15]

I think it's a great looking pen.

 

[bobleibo]

I think the experiment worked out well. Very nice pen, how big was the block? I'm assuming there was a lot of waste?

I usually get mad and throw something and then get mad again cause I have to go shag whatever I threw lol.....

The scraps are 1-3/4" wide thinking I could get 2 blanks out of it. Here's a pic of the first block I glued up and sanded. I forgot to compensate for the curves which prevented getting a section out of the middle which you can see where I marked. On the other raw block you can see where the lines are that leaves enough to get two 3/4" blanks out of it. Everything outside of the lines is waste.

 

[Curly]

Nice work. Wave blanks! Are you taking the off cut "crests" and glueing them into the "troughs" on the opposite side? It would reduce the waste and make for a bigger blank.

 

[Jack Parker]

Nice experiment, Bob. I'm sure it was a tough getting there, but the results speak for themselves!

 

[magpens]

I like !!!! . Think I'll try it.

 

[bobleibo]

Here are a few tips for anyone who wants to give it a go......
- I used Tightbond wood glue. Whatever you use, make sure it has a long working time, you'll need it. I might try Gorilla epoxy IF I do it again.
- have your gluing process set up, you won't have time to fumble around
- this is the second maple form I made. The first one had curves that were too severe to press the glued veneer into it even using big pipe clamps.
- the thicker the stack of veneer, the less of a curve you can press
- clamp the living **** out of it! Veneer splinters very easily and your raw blanks will show it if there are any gaps. Think catches.
- when you take it out of the form, there will be a very slight spring back, enough that you will not be able to add more veneer to the block and re-clamp with the same form so make sure you use enough to end up with a section out of the middle (sideways) that is big enough for your blank.
- the "crests" and troughs" will not fit into the other side, thus the waste.
- I cut mine on the band saw and sanded flat after. This helps get squared blanks.
- I rounded them before I drilled them.
- When you drill GO SLOW! There is a lot of glue in this which can gunk up. If it cannot find it's way out like normal sawdust, it will find another way out! (refer to blow-out in first post)
- did I mention DRILL SLOWLY? and back your drill out often.
- use drill bits that have very clean flutes to help get the gunk out.

If anyone has ideas or suggestions that might make this a better process, I'd love to hear them.
Cheers
Bob

 

[Curly]

Thanks for answering. I hadn't considered the spring back.

 

[Sappheiros]

I'm quite a fan of that pen!

 

[Cwalker935]

That's very cool. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Drewboy22]

That is a great lookin' pen and a great use of scrap!!

 

[BRobbins629]

Very neat idea. May be easier if you soaked the veneer in water and pressed in the form without glue. Let it dry and it should take the shape of the form. After drying it should be easier to glue up and you could probably use steeper curves.

 

[Krash]

Nice! That concept has a lot of potential for interesting glue-ups!

 

[KenV]

Bob, a most excellent example of strip lamination techniques scaled down to pen scale!!!!

Using wood glues may require several days of curing because of all the water added in proportion to the amount of Wood. Partially cured wood glue is gummy.

I saw some work by a California Turner several years ago where he was using marine epoxy for the adhesive and varying the thickness of the glue to good effect.

Well done indeed.

 

[bobleibo]

Very neat idea. May be easier if you soaked the veneer in water and pressed in the form without glue. Let it dry and it should take the shape of the form. After drying it should be easier to glue up and you could probably use steeper curves.

That's a great idea. My hope was the moisture in the glue would help some with flex. Doing in steps might get better results.

Bob, a most excellent example of strip lamination techniques scaled down to pen scale!!!!

Using wood glues may require several days of curing because of all the water added in proportion to the amount of Wood. Partially cured wood glue is gummy.

I saw some work by a California Turner several years ago where he was using marine epoxy for the adhesive and varying the thickness of the glue to good effect.

Well done indeed.

You sure got the part about partially cure glue being gummy...which is what caused the blowout. I also think the heat of the drill may have added to that. Marine glue is a good thought. It cures hard.

Thank you for the kiddos and suggestions. It gives me encouragement to experiment again.
Cheers
Bob

 

[D.Oliver]

Awesome pen, Bob!

 

[carlmorrell]

When veneering, I almost always use modified urea resin.