To join veneer edges together, they need to be straight and true – just like when gluing up solid lumber. Gaps are not allowed. Granted, veneer edges are not glued in the same way as solid lumber, but are taped together to form a wider piece, called a veneer face. There are a number of … Read more
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
June 1st is the deadline for submitting your entry to this year’s Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge. This annual contest seeks the best veneer work, and prizes are awarded to the craftsperson who makes the piece, and also to the supplier of the veneer used in the grand prize winning entry, as well as the sales … 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
