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Basic Veneer Equipment for a Small Shop
Question
What do you think would be the basic equipment necessary for a one to two man shop, building semi-custom furniture? Doors, sides and tops would be shop-made veneer on MDF, unless someone has a better suggestion. I am considering:
Forum Responses
From contributor P: Vacuum bag: yes. Make sure it is polyurethane. Build a dedicated table for it. Wide belt sander: plan on spending 50k plus for one with sensor pads in the platen, or don't bother. Veneer trimmer: if you are really doing a lot of veneer, get a Hofer veneer saw from Veneer Systems. Terrific machine, also very useful for perfectly straight cuts in panels up to 10 feet long. Cost for a new one is about 20k (correct me if I'm wrong). You might be able to find a used one. You could also go with any of the jigs in the previous posts if you aren't doing high volume. This will save a lot of money in the short term, but they are very inefficient. I wouldn't bother sawing my own veneer. Get it from Certainlywood instead, and learn to deal with unbacked (real) veneer. A pinch roller is only useful for contact cement, which should never be used with real wood veneer.
From contributor E: At the very least you need a vacuum bag and/or press system. If you want to make shop sawn veneers, that's fine, but you're giving up lots of time. I can tape and glue up a panel before you even get the veneer sawn. Also, by purchasing veneer, you can get figure and quality not readily available in solid wood. Vacupress.com has lots of info on veneering and a forum to ask specific questions. A stroke sander will sand veneered panels - very good with a little expertise. I know someone who sands veneered panels with a platen equipped Timesaver WBS, and it wasn't $50K. He makes hundreds of pieces a year. Remember, the finish is the first thing anyone sees and feels on a piece of furniture. An average or poor finish on a well made cabinet will not be as inviting.
From contributor C: We've produced a lot of veneered work over the years. The majority of the veneer was cut with a $7.00 veneer saw (proper sharpening is critical) made by Two Cherries. It was all pressed in vacuum presses, and all tape was scraped off with a $3.00 scraper. For small quantities, you will need nothing more. I suggest purchasing a good vacuum pump, an industrial poly bag, and distilled water for the tape. Vacuum Pressing Systems in Maine has always been a good and reliable source, not only for equipment, but for advice as well. Recently I purchased a hot press and a Sheer veneer saw. Our volume is soaring and we need to keep up. Nonetheless, everyone who works in our shop knows how to sharpen the hand held saws, and the vacuum bags are still working every day. The next purchase will be a wide-belt sander with a segmented platen. The good news about stroke sanders is that they are effective, abundant and cheap. The bad news is that they can ruin a lot of work quickly. Mastering the stroke sander is not for everyone.
From contributor B: We do a lot of custom veneering. For sizing and seaming veneer we use a Miracle Veneer Trimmer. It's not expensive and can cut from one sheet to a whole bundle - ready to tape. Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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