Cherry Plywood sand through

Treat it like a burn mark and read some convenient book on restoring antiques by replacing patches of veneer. As always, lemon or diamond shaped patches hide better than rectangles. At this stage, while you're still sanding the whole carcase, then a good patch repair should end up pratically invisible.

You might like to try splitting a veneer patch off a ply offcut, so as to get a better match.

Zachary Taylor's "Decorative Wood Inlay" will tell you,

or Bennett's "Discovering and Restoring Antique Furniture" is the best resto guide

My first choice would be to put that side against the wall. If it cannot be concealed, or the project is for a customer, you're probably hosed. The glueline of layered veneer will be visible in the feathering. The spot cannot be stained or painted to match because the surrounding Cherry will change color over time. Veneering the entire 11 x 84 piece might be a good choice - cheaper and faster than buying another piece of plywood and remachining the piece.

Usually on "mistakes" like this I take the opportunity to advance my craft.

If you are going to "re-veneer" it. Then get a veneer saw, and do some marquetry style inlay. Then put the piece in a prominent place where the "art" can be viewed.

Assuming that this is possible or practical.

Some of my mistakes get the most compliments. Only difference between now and when I started is that now I explain nothing. :-)

Then you don't even need Cherry veneer - but whatever you can get and an idea for a "picture" or a pattern.

dwright wrote:

On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 07:01:07 -0700, dwright wrote (in article ):

I noticed that the oak ply I'm working with has a veneer only as thick as needed to allow for the grain to present itself....

My only suggestions would be to 1) if you can remove the damaged piece, do it, or 2) buy some 1/8" cherry plywood and cover up the damage in a way that is balanced (i.e. if the side is damaged, recover both sides). You might be able to then hide the seam with the face frame.

This side will be against a wall for many years. But since I haven't put the face frame on yet nobody would know the whole sheet of venere was there. But the "patch" idea from Andy sound like a good place to start and if I don't like it, there is always the full sheet idea. I always like to learn a new skill.

Dan

Dan, Real cherry veneer is available that you just peel off the paper and stick on. piece of cake especially since you haven't added face frames yet. If you can't find the PSA veneer just use a kraft backed veneer and apply like formica. I do not recommend trying to cut in a patch. Waste of mucho time and looks like ... well....crap.

Get your Xacto knife out and cut a patch from your leftover stock, in an elongated diamond shape.

Lift the veneer off (drill in from the back side with a drill press or a router) and lay this over the area to be patched.

Trace it with a fine point pencil and then cut along the inside of the line.

Done properly, your patch should lay in just fine.

Thomas J. Watson - WoodDorker

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

I ordered my veneer from Rocker today. I desided this would be the fastest and if I waste any more time on this project, I'll never get my taxes done. I'll post after I try it.