[OP]
Member
I want to do a sunburst pattern for a round table, but am not sure the best method to get all the veneers "sweet" so that they all tape together w/o gaps. Will stacking 12 pieces and using a knife to cut out the pattern be sufficient? Should I make a template and trim the veneers with a router? I'd like to waste as little veneer screwing this up as possible!
Contributor
You don't indicate how much experience you have with laying veneer and especially with sunburst table tops. The sunburst is definitely considered an advanced technique. There's a whole process involved in doing a sunburst, much more than I can type here.
If your question is just how to get the edges straight so the pieces meet well, one way it to press the packet of veneer, after you cut it, between two straight pieces of wood, and shoot the edge with a non-corrugated long plane, like a #6 or #7.
You can also use a sanding block with the same setup.
Note that this does not mean the pieces will "fit" into a sunburst - it only means that the edges of two pieces will fit without gaps.
Mike
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 09-23-2008 at 2:51 PM.
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Member
The veneering I've done has involved a max of jointing two pieces together, so I've always just had to take a router to one side of each piece, tape it up, and throw it in my press. This will be my first foray into anything that involved any type of precision. If this were solid wood, I'd just make a template, tape it to my piece of wood, and flush trim it on my router table. However, it doesn't seem like veneer would work quite the same.
Contributor
My advice would be to learn more about veneering before tackling a sunburst. There are also some special veneering tools that will make the job easier (like a veneer saw) but even then, you have to know how to sharpen it.
When laying the sunburst, there's an order in which to lay the segments (they don't go 1-2-3-4, etc) and some of them are inverted. This is to get the best match piece-to-piece. Getting a nice match in the center is quite a challenge and is the reason why you often see some decorative element in the center of a starburst (to replace the screwed up center). I repeat: A sunburst is an advanced (very advanced) veneer technique. I would not recommend attempting it until you have more veneer experience.
If you're dead set to do it, I'd get some scrap veneer and do one first.
A decent book is "The Complete Manual of Wood Veneering" by William Lincoln. Burton also has a book on veneering (don't remember the name).
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Member
Thanks for the info, I will definately look into the book.
Contributor
The Burton book is "Veneering: A Foundation Course"
Good Luck!
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
Jeremy-
How many segments are you planning for in your design ??
You can buy pre-made templates for 10,12,16 part designs, they are very, very helpful-http://www.schurchwoodwork.com/tools/index.html
If this is something you want to try, and are doing it to learn the technique, then I would get some cheaper veneer and practice first.
Its not easy, I thought I was pretty decent at doing veneer till I attempted a demilune table (kinda like 1/2 of a starburst), wow, took some practice, not only to get the angles of the cuts correct, but also to line up the grain to a pleasing pattern.
If you just want a starburst pattern for a table, then their are some sites that sell them allready made up.
Good luck
Dave
Mission Furniture- My mission is to build more furniture !
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