Fine Furniture Tip on Repairing Sanded-Through Veneer; Better Blade Cleaner

Fine Furniture Tip on Repairing Sanded-Through Veneer; Better Blade Cleaner

As is often the case, we heard from other readers of last issue’s eZine who had additional suggestions for those woodworkers whose problems we posed.

One letter was in response to the Question & Answer in Issue 344 regarding the Repair of Sanded-Through Veneer. – Editor

“Repairing veneer is always difficult, but your suggestions to the person who sanded through his veneer are not especially helpful. Here is one I have used several times, with very satisfactory results: Find a piece of thin veneer that matches the original as closely as possible. Cut out a patch that is about one-half inch to one inch bigger than the sanded-through piece all around, depending on the size of the hole.  Glue the patch over the hole with the grain running in the same direction as the original veneer. Roller it down as you would any veneer, then weight or press it in place until it is thoroughly dry. You want as much contact between the surface and the patch as possible.

“This is the hard part: Feather the edges of the patch until they blend into the original veneer. You can use a power sander if you are very skilled with it, but if I had already sanded through the original veneer, I’d think twice about using one. A small hard sanding block with fine sandpaper will be slower, but it will give you much better control over what’s being taken off.

“This is a patch for fine furniture. If your veneer tabletop has a core of MDF or particleboard, go ahead and fix it with pigment.” – Louise Heite

We also heard from someone in response to last issue’s Tricks of the Trade on “Safer Blade Cleaning.” – Editor

“I have used Formula 409® kitchen cleaner: let soak 5 minutes, and the worst resins come off with an old toothbrush. Use your cans of oven cleaner for target practice!” – John Bennett

Aw, Shucks …

And, we also heard from someone who followed up on Rob’s mention in his editorial, a couple of issues ago, that he would be making a guest appearance at the grand opening of the new Rockler Woodworking and Hardware store in Seattle. – Editor

“I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your demos at the new Rockler store opening in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. I learned a lot (plus I won a Rockler gift card in your quiz). It was nice to see the person behind the best woodworking magazine around.” – Don Haff

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