Veneering a table top with a veneer press

Question:

I am planning a kitchen area dining table (daily use). I have a couple of questions that hopefully someone will have some feedback on:

I have a veneer vacuum press which I plan to use for veneering the table top. I’m planning on edging the table with either black dyed hardwood or anodized aluminum channel. I’ve only used raw veneer in the past primarily with a PVA cold press glue. When vacuum pressing the 10mil veneer, will it matter if using a PVA cold press glue or a urea formaldehyde glue?

I am thinking about using Bloodwood veneer on MDF for the table top. Is there a more economical backer veneer that I can use with this? Does anyone have experience using Waterlox for a dining/kitchen table top? If so, how well did it hold up? Thanks!

Answer:

You can use either the cold press glue or the UF glue with equally good results. As for your backing material, you can use a less expensive 10 mil veneer or even a backing sheet like gator-ply or a phenolic paper backer. We don’t have any practical experience with the Waterlox, but any finish suitable for a table should be chemical, heat and moisture resistant. If Waterlox fits these criteria I’d say it’s perfect.

Good luck with your project!

Oakwood Veneer Tech Support