Taught by John Randazzo
Not currently scheduled
A $100.00 deposit is required to confirm your reservation. Deposit is refundable until 30 days before the class.
(It is recommended, though not required, that you have taken the Intro to Veneering class before taking this class)
About Veneer:
Veneer is an excellent medium sandwiched between two opposing reputations of being both cheap and incredibly difficult. It gets its bad name for being a cheap alternative to solid wood thanks to a plague of poorly crafted, assembly-line factory furniture from the 70s, while those who have dabbled in veneering often believe that good veneer work requires tremendous skill. The reality is that much of the finest furniture produced throughout history has been veneered, and that, like anything else, veneering requires practice, a little knowledge, and sharp tools.
In modern times, the very best trees are made into veneer. Walnut burls and birds-eye maple are relatively easy to come by and use. Learning to utilize veneer will open up a huge variety of options in design that would be difficult if not impossible to do with solid wood, including the use of exotic woods that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive.
About the class:
A step up from the straight lines and square corners of the chessboard, in this class you will learn the techniques necessary to create a veneered, circular tabletop, and along with it how to add style and flair (and value!) to any piece.
Building up from the very basics, you will further learn how to tune up and sharpen the veneer saw to allow you to make precision cuts. You will learn the various types of matching, such as slip, book, four way and radial matching. We will also cover the use of the proper substrate and the best type of glue to use for your specific application. Borders and inlay will also be a used on your radial matched project. Even though we call this class “Basic Veneering” the techniques you will learn will raise the level of your work far above that title. You will also learn the basic use of the vacuum press which we will use to press your project. More advanced use of the vacuum press is covered in John’s Vacuum Pressing class. The classes can be taken in any order. If you have not done any veneer work, you might want to consider starting with the Introduction to Veneering class