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Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/Replace veneer on antique sewing machine

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Expert: - 1/30/2010


Question
Recently, I was given an antique sewing machine.  The top of the cabinet is in poor shape where the veneer has completely flaked off and in some cases is down to the 1 X 2 wood.  I know I will need to remove all of the flaked veneer off.  But my question is "Where do I find/purchase the veneer to replace it and how do I do it?"  Thanks for your help in advance

Answer
Hi Debbie, veneer restoration like this is a learned skill, and if it's a large area it can be tricky. The first task is to remove all the old veneer to prepare the substrate for the new veneer. Steaming the old veneer off is the best way with an old iron and a small squeeze bottle of water...using a wide, sharp chisel to carefully cut the pieces off, as they loosen up. Then, after thorough drying, a cabinet scraper should be used to scrape all the old glue off leaving a smooth, uniform surface.New veneer can be gotten several places, I'm assuming this is White quartersawn Oak veneer, as most of these where, but not all...it could also be Walnut, Mahogany, or another veneer. I use this site for most needs, but Constantines, WoodCraft.com, vandykes.com, etc. are also sources.

http://woodworker.com/c-Wood-specialties/Veneer/

http://www.constantines.com/116thickveneers.aspx

If there is an edge treatment, molding or other edge detail on the top, the veneer will need to be cut carefully and accurately before being glued on and clamped.This might entail making a template and transferring this to the veneer sheet. Certain jobs can use a contact type cement, but typically one would use a liquid PVA glue or hide glue for this type of assembly because they give one more "open" time in which to align, and clamp the veneer. Clamping cauls will also need to be made and a fairly large selection of clamps will be needed to clamp the veneer down until set. This is fairly advanced woodworking, and if you don't have similar experience under your belt, it's probably not something you'll be able to do....you'll likely be able to hire someone to do it, however, and it likely wouldn't be really expensive, especially if you're doing the refinishing. Post back if need be- regards- Greg

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Greg Scholl

Expertise

Questions on Woodworking, wood finishing and refinishing of all kinds, repairing furniture and wooden objects, Architectural details, Woodturning, carving, tool usage, product usage, some chemistry as it applies to woodworking and related interests,cabinet making and furniture construction/design, etc. I have experience with all manners of colorants, finishes, paints, stains, dyes, glazes, and coatings, wood species recognition and usage,tool recommendations, blade types and recommendation,techniques and methods for many Woodworking related issues, etc.

Experience

Fine furniture restorer and cabinet maker for over 30 years,serving high end Antique dealers, Interior designers, Collectors in the CT area. Consulting for area Painting/Decorating and Building contractors on non painting issues..(staining, wood prep.,clear finishing, floor restoration and architectural detail restoration and repair, etc.) Sold, built, serviced, setup Home, Industrial, and Commercial stationary woodworking tools for a major tool retailer in CT. for three years, sold hand and power tools , provided knowledge, parts replacement, service, and on site service, Trade show Demo, and training as well.

Publications
Published in Fine Woodworking Magazine (12/97), included on Fine Woodworkings first "Best of Fine Woodworking" CD-ROM (2002) ...("27 year compilation of expert know-how")

Education/Credentials
Art School at Silvermine Guild in Norwalk, CT., 9 year apprenticeship in a European run Cabinet and Restoration shop in CT., various classes on subjects having to do with the field. Seminars from major Tool manufacturers, Skil/Bosch, Delta, Powermatic, Ritter, Porter cable, Milwaukee, Dewalt/B&Decker, Performax.

Past/Present Clients
Many varied clients including work on Martha Stewarts' Westport, CT. show house, many fine Antique dealers and private collectors in and around Fairfield County and in Woodbury, CT. (the Antiques capital of CT.), Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Wilton Historical Society.

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