Epoxy for ebony veneer?

[Randall Hansen]

Short version: I'm thinking of using epoxy to veneer ebony to 18mm baltic birch plywood. Is this a good idea?

Longer version: I'm making a magnetic knife rack. I'm drilling a couple dozen 1" holes in the plywood, and will epoxy thin rare earth magnets into those holes, flush with the surface. Then I'll veneer the whole thing with ebony. The epoxy should hold the ebony to the magnets as well, which another veneer glue might not.

The piece will be 12" x 4 3/4", which I think is small enough to hammer or to clamp; I'm planning to clamp. I don't have a vacuum press. If I don't use epoxy it seems that Unibond 800 is a local favorite. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Frank Drew]

Randall, I've never used ebony veneer but for other veneers I got by fine with white or yellow glue or occasionally plastic resin glue (mostly when I was doing a curved lamination and wanted no creep along the glue line.)

I see no reason why epoxy would be wrong for this application but it might be overkill, although I take your point about it sticking to the magnets.

[Cary Swoveland]

Rick,

I think epoxy would be a good choice--perhaps the only choice--considering that you'd like the veneer to adhere to the magnets as well as to the wood.

I suggest you experiment with different size magnets before you commit. You probably know that the strength of the magnetic attraction is increased considerably by installing it in a magnetic cup. The cup is also a convenient way to install a magnet, and improves appearance when the magnet is visible.

I am concerned with how the veneer will hold up over time. I suggest you make a one-knife board and pull a knife off and stick it back on, say, 10,000 times. An obvious alternative--which you surely considered--would be to let the magnets show, and possibly be a little proud of the veneer. That is, drill holes for the magnet cups after you've applied the veneer. In addition to protecting the veneer, you could use smaller magnets and replacing the knives on the rack might be easier.

Regardless of whether the veneer covers the magnets or not, to improve durability, you might consider using solid wood around the outside of the plywood, either ebony or something similar (e.g., dyed walnut) or complementary (e.g., maple).

Cary