at last, delicious veneers

want 8'x4' sheets of veneer? go to magellan veneer at pasong tamo extension hehehe. (shameless plug). well i visited their showroom (called borders) and ordered myself 2 sheets of maple veneer. i dont know exactly how much they will cost me but i know that it is less than 3400 pesos each.

they also gave me a sampler pack of the the veneers they carry.


i think i like the figured anegre the most and will make a killer drum finish but damn expensive. its the one in the middle with the wavvy features. damn nice up close. walnut is another nice wood that i would like to try someday along with cherry. nice grains, perfect for natural glossy and satin finishes.

burls start at 30k pesos per 8'x4' sheet so i definitely cant build a mappa burl kit. way over budget.

the shell

its finished in 8-ply all horizontal grain configuration. its also butt-ugly because i havent had the time to remove the excess glue and sand it smooth. i dont have a table saw at home so i have to bring it to a wood shop to cut it down to 7" deep.

ok, i haven't downloaded my finished shell pic yet but i hope this will do for now. this is how the shell looks like after 4 plies. i am about to close the seams on this one.


i did two things to the mold: i added a piece of wood and packaging tape for a smoother surface.

the piece of wood helps me align the shell with the mold. its a small thing but does a very big job. i screwed that wood on one end of the mold to act as a stopped. all i have to do is push the new ply against that stopper and stack the shell over it while also pushing and voila, alignment achieved. it rotates too so i can get it out of the way if need be like when im cleaning excess glue that got transferred on the mold.


the packaging tape is wrapped around the surfaces of the mold. this is to ensure that the glue doesnt destroy the mold and allows me for faster cleanup. even if i do use glossy magazine pages as a 'glue catcher' its still not enough. the packaging tape is important.