Stained glass

To take my woodworking to a higher level, I wanted to learn how to create stained glass panels I could incorporate into some of my woodworking projects. Like woodworking, stained glass is a very old craft that has recently become a popular hobby in the United States. On a recent visit to the Morse Museum in Orlando Florida, I was blown away by the beautiful creations of Louis Comfort Tiffany. I wanted to gain at least a very basic understanding of how stained glass objects were made, so I searched for a stained glass store that offered a beginners class. I took a four night introduction class at Art Glass by Sonya in Orlando that taught me the basics. After this introduction to the craft I went back to my shop in Illinois, bought some cheap glass to practice with, and learned enough to create some simple projects. I love teaching kids, so I invited my triplet granddaughters over for a three-day intensive stained glass workshop at the shop. Here is the results:

Fast and Easy???

I get really aggravated at woodworking publications or web sites that hype the notion that they can show you how do something in a way that is “fast” or “easy.” Seriously, if all I care about is “fast” or “easy”, why on earth would I have any interest in woodworking? Nothing about woodworking is fast, and if it were easy, what would be the point? Going to McDonald’s is “fast” and “easy,” but it is almost never satisfying. Modern life is full of fast and easy. We’re constantly inundated with fast and easy. it’s everywhere, ubiquitous, and seems to be some kind of Holy Grail we all seek.

When I descend into my woodworking world, like most woodworkers, I’ve chosen to reject the modern world’s obsession with fast and easy. I choose, I prefer, I crave - slow and difficult! I place achievement on a higher plane than convenience. I place contentment on a higher plane than gratification. I

Repeated dry-fitting joints made with the Festool Domino machine

The Festool Domino machine makes extremely tight fitting joints that can be extremely difficult to take apart - even without glue! Here is a short video that explains how I’m able to dry fit joints made with the Festool Domino machine.

Butterfly and flower marquetry project by a 10 year old

My granddaughter Corina will turn 11 in September. She has a strong interest in art and at her young age has already done several marquetry projects with me. The marquetry “skin” you see below will eventually become the top of a jewelry box.



Here is the image on semi-transparent paper she created off an image she found on the Internet:





Applying veneer tape to the veneer to strengthen it in preparation for cutting:



Using a brass brush to ensure the wet tape is making good contact with the veneer:



Using a straight edge to cut the cardboard backer that will form the packet:



Setting the nails that hold the packet together:



Hard at work on the scroll saw cutting the intricate pieces:


Each piece cut from the packet is numbered and we use a board with a grid to hold all the pieces after they are cut and before sand shading:




This is what the packet looks like after all the pieces are cut out on the scroll saw. You can see how different colored veneers have been stacked under the drawing. For any given piece, you might be cutting through five or six different veneers, but you will only keep one:



Here the background veneer is about to emerge from the packet:



Using blue tape to form a sticky surface onto which the various shapes are placed. There is an entire sequence to doing this that I don’t really show here:




At the end of a long day in the shop with grandpa, a beautiful picture emerges:

Veneer - glue up and vacuum pressing process

I prepared the veneer skin by seaming the veneer with veneer tape. The side you see with the tape is the show side and the other side is the glue side. This particular glue up is destined to be the balancing veneer on the floor of my entertainment center. In other words, it will be on the bottom of the cabinet facing the floor, so all pressure is off to get this perfect!


Cauls are prepared for both sides of the veneer. I use 3/4 inch MDF that I’ve pre covered with plastic to ensure that I don’t glue the panel to the caul.


I’ll spread the glue with a paint roller. I’ve found these black rollers work very well.


Gloves and blue tape need to be on hand.

The glue is a two part glue consisting of a resin and a hardener mixed in a ratio of 4:1.

I mix is slowly adding a little of the powdered hardener at a time, then stirring until it has been incorporated into the resin.


Here is the glue mixed and ready to spread. It has the consistency of thick syrup.

I pour some on the MDF panel that is the substrate for the veneer skin I’m applying.


The paint roller is used to spread a thin coat of the glue evenly on the substrate.




I carefully lay the veneer skin on the substrate with the glue face facing the glue. This may seem inherently obvious, but it is very easy to make a fatal mistake at this point (which I know from experience!)

I use clear packing tape in a few places around the substrate to fix the veneer skin to the substrate so it will not move as the vacuum press starts to apply pressure.




I place the top caul over the panel and very carefully align it so the substrate is completely covered. I size the cauls so I end up with about a 1/4 inch overhang.


I use blue tape to bind the sandwich together. The idea is to tape the entire assembly so it will not move as the vacuum press begins to apply pressure.


The assembly is very heavy, so I’ve devised a very simple system so I can do this by myself. I’ve built the veneer sandwich on a movable cart that is slightly higher than my vacuum press. I can position the assembly in front of the press and carefully load it into the bag.


I seal the bag and turn on the vacuum.

Once the vacuum has removed all the air inside the bag, the pressing is underway with about 1400 pounds per square foot of pressure on the sandwich.




After the glue has cured (how long this takes depends upon the temperature, but it takes a minimum of four hours) I remove the panel from the press. Now I must remove the veneer tape. I do this using a sponge to soak the veneer tape with water to reactivate the glue. Then it is a simple matter of carefully easing the tape off the panel.

Veneer - specialized tools and simple joinery techniques

Working with veneer does require a few specialized tools.


Cutting veneer can be done using a variety of tools depending upon the type of veneer and the specific type of cut being made. A good straightedge and a veneer saw is one of the more common methods.



The fabric cutter (white with orange) is an example of a tool designed for another purpose (cutting fabric) that can be extremely useful for certain types of veneer cuts. In addition to the veneer saw and fabric saw, I occasionally us a very, very sharp chisel that I’ve slightly modified to cut veneer, and I also have a surgeon’s scalpel that is “scary” sharp. I tend to use the scalpel more when I’m doing marquetry or when I’m trying to cut difficult veneer with squirely grain.

The soft bristle brass brush is used to massage the moist veneer tape to get the best possible surface contact with the veneer tape. The little roller is a wallpaper roller I stole from my wife years ago. I use it to massage the seams to get the seam perfectly flat.



Veneer tape is probably the most unusual item. It is a thin paper tape with a moisture activated glue on one side. This tape dispenser makes moistening and cutting the tape easy.

The following sequence of photos shows the process of seaming two pieces of veneer together. I first cut both pieces for the joint using a straightedge and veneer saw. Next I use blue painters tape to carefully align the two edges together. I use one inch veneer tape across the joint followed by two inch veneer tape along the joint. The bottom photo shows the result after pressing. The photo will not really show it, but the resulting joint is virtually invisible!


Two pieces of veneer edge jointed and ready to be joined.


Blue tape is used to bring the edges into precise contact.


Veneer tape is placed across the joint.


Blue tape removed.


Veneer tape placed along joint on top of joint.


Result after pressing. The idea is to make the joint disappear.

Veneer - Substrate and glue

I’ve heard a lot of misinformation about gluing veneer, particularly regarding the type of glue you should be using. The absolute worst glue you can use on a veneer project is contact cement. I’m amazed at how often I see some magazine advise using contact cement for veneer, or worse yet, occasionally on a woodworking television show. Contact cement is formulated to be used with rigid material like formica. Contact cement does not form a rigid glue line and always maintains a certain amount of flex or give to it. White and yellow glues are better, but still do not result in a rigid glue line. Additionally, the working time for white or yellow glues is relatively short and you have to work quickly before the glue sets up. The best glue for working with veneer is one of a family of glues based on urea formaldehyde because it has a relatively long open time and cures based on a catalytic reaction.



I’ve used a product called Unibond800 for years and have great success with it. Unibond800 has the unique characteristic of an absolutely rigid glue line after curing. This makes this glue ideal not only for veneer but also for bentwood lamination work. When using it for bentwood lamination, I experience virtually no spring back after removing the work piece from the glue form.

It does have a couple of drawbacks. First, it has a relatively short shelf life of about 6 months to a year, depending upon the temperature you’re storing it at. And second, since you add a catalyst powder to the glue, you must use whatever you mix because whatever is left will cure rock hard. Third, and this is a relatively minor one, the glue cures best in a warmer environment. If you are doing a glue up and the temperature is below 70 degrees, you need to cover the project with a heating blanket, or else the glue might not set at all.

The substrate you choose needs to be perfectly flat, free from any voids or surface defects, and as free from seasonal wood movement as possible. Plywood is an excellent choice, but you need to select high quality plywood that is free from internal voids. MDF is a wonderful substrate for veneer because it is dead flat, free from any internal voids, and will not change dimensions seasonally.



The picture above is a piece of MDF that I’ve applied 3/8 thick mahogany edge banding to. Later I’ll use a hand plane to bring the edge banding exactly to the surface of the MDF, and eventually glue the veneer on top of the edge banding, giving the illusion of solid wood.