Winners in the seventh annual Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge have been announced. This is the second time around for me to serve as a judge in this contest, and it was a challenge for me and the other judges to settle on the best among a diverse group of outstanding entries. Here’s a link to … Read more
Veneer has been used for centuries to add an artistic touch to furniture and other woodworking projects. The visual effect can be stunning, and there are things you can do with veneer that wouldn’t be possible with solid wood. Intricate patterns, exotic inlays and spectacular grain that matches across an elevation or around an entire … Read more
Earlier this summer, I made a series of posts on this blog about how veneer is made. The photos in those posts came from a trip I made in June to the Veneer Tech plant in North Carolina to serve as a judge in the 2010 Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge. This morning the winners were … Read more
Down the road a few miles from the Atlantic Veneer slicing operation is the Veneer Tech splicing plant. Veneer Tech takes leaves of veneer and assembles them into faces. Think of a 4 x 8 sheet of hardwood plywood, or a sheet of backed veneer. The large faces are assembled then later bonded to a … Read more
At different points in our tour of the veneer mill, our guide would point out a certain element, or an individual who played a critical role in keeping the operation moving efficiently and profitably. The veneer slicing machines are large and complicated, but each of the dozen in the facility depends on a simple knife. … Read more
My visit to Atlantic Veneer began outside the mill in the log yard, and the first impression is that this is a serious operation that processes an amazing amount of material. Several trucks a day unload logs of maple, cherry and white oak that are harvested in western Pennsylvania and upstate New York. These are … Read more
Last Thursday and Friday I was in Beaufort, N.C, as part of a panel of judges for the Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge. The folks from Veneer Tech were gracious hosts, and the results of the contest will be announced in August at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta. After the winners are revealed I will … Read more
