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Bloodwood veneer is killing me. Cutting bigger sized strips with a veneer cutter seems to work, then I thin the strips down to 0.3 mm or so, and try to cut 2 mm strips off. Not working. Nothing seems to cut it cleanly. It just wants to pull apart. Anyone have an idea? I have heard of folks using pasta machines, but I don't have one of those, yet. I may have to invest in one. There must be a good way, and I just can't think of it.

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Waddy

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Have you tried wetting it?

I wet one strip, but I just sprayed it down with a spray bottle. Maybe I should have soaked it for a while. I wondered about spraying it with Super-Soft II, but haven't tried that yet. How wet should it be? Cut it with a razor blade, or one of those rotary blades?

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Waddy

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I cut all my veneer strips using a wide plane iron and a wooden mallet, I find it more precise than using a knife. It works pretty ok with bloodwood, but it might still split once in a while. Just make sure you connect/line the "blows" well if that makes sense.

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Build log

That's a good idea, Alex. I had not thought of that. I might get better results that way. I'll give that a try as I await other ideas. Keep 'em coming guys.

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Waddy

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I cut my maple veneer with a sharp utility knife blade and a streight edge (parallel ruler) on my drafting table. I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried mat board cutters and streight edge systems.

I have cut lots of other kinds of veneer with a blade and a ruler, but this stuff just does not cut like Maple, or many others. The only other one I have had lots of trouble with is BRW veneer.

Todd, that's a good idea. Maybe I'll try that. The stuff just splits so bad.

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Waddy

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Waddy, on the last veneer that gave me beaucoups trouble (some curly Makore) the only way I could get it to behave was to glue it to the next piece of the purfling equation. The design called for the Makore to be bordered w/ maple veneers. So, gluing it to another veneer seemed like the trick. It was! I use Chris' method--sharp knife, long straight edge. Oh, and on the straight edge, put some self-adhesive sandpaper on the down face, so that the veneer won't slide around (or be pulled by the knife blade) underneath the straight edge--the sandpaper will hold it still.

Good luck, this stuff can be maddening.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I've had luck clamping the veneer under the straight edge in several places, and using a fresh blade, either Xacto or utility knife. If there is a trick, it is making several light passes with the blade - just enough to sever the wood fibers. Listen carefully. You can hear it as the fibers are cut: you've got it right. You can also tell the moment it isn't!

Because the blades are sharpened on both sides, they want to cut slightly different paths unless they are held at the same angle against the straight edge on each pass.

I wish that I could say that a lower angle tends to slice the veneer more cleanly, but I haven't found that to be the case.

Hope this helps.

Larry

My secret weapon is an old 30" guillotine paper cutter. But I'd suggest you cut your 2mm width before you "resaw" to thin pieces, and then finish the thinning in a drum sander (where you can tack to a backer board). And saw from a board with straight grain and zero runout, or as close as you can get.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Waddy, I use my Epilog laser to cut real nice thin strips of veneer all the time. I've cut bloodwood veneer before, no problemo. If you get stuck, I can cut you a bunch if you like. I can make up to 3' long strips, any width you like from about 20mil up. 2mm wide strips are easy-peasy. I'd be glad to help. PM me if you're interested (I have a couple of flitches of bloodwood veneer - it's all 0.55mm to 0.6mm thick though, 0.3mm is awfully thin for veneer!).

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Waddy, I've had a similar experience, bloodwood just seems to want to fall apart. I've also had trouble bending bloodwood veneer around a rosette without it breaking into splinters. I now cut my veneers into 1 inch wide strips using my table saw and a fine slitting blade, a wide featherboard, slippery uhm fence. I then glue the bloodwood to whatever purfling it will be next to, like maple. The maple bloodwood pair is twice as thick but easier to cut straight into thin strips and bend sharply without breaking
.

Thanks, everyone. Lots of good ideas. I'll try some of them. The future says I may stay away from Bloodwood as much as possible in the future. It does want to fall apart at the drop of a hat. I made my wheat out of Bloodwood, Padauk and the .3 mm thin natural veneer from LMI. That stuff is expensive, but it is awesome. I may get some of the brick red in that and solve my problem that way if I have to.

Dave, thanks for your offer. You are right .3 mm is thin, but I need to keep it thin as an outside layer on the wheat. I only need to get about 15 strips at that thickness to get the job done. If I can't conquer it, I'll let you know. Thanks again for the offer.

Wow, Howard, a 30" paper cutter. What a great item to have in your arsenal. It would save a lot of time cutting strips that way.

I'm still thinking of trying the pasta machine thing. That sounds really intriguing to me, and those things are not to expensive on E-Bay, but this has become my hang-up for the pair of guitars I'm currently building, and until I get this solved, I'm stuck. I have to get this done to finish the rosettes and the top purflings.

Thanks again for your ideas.

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Waddy

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Waddy, I've got a pasta machine that cuts two sizes. I ran a dry piece of mahogany, only wood I had on hand that was thin enough, through the smaller of the two and it broke a couple of them, but for the most part no issues. I wetted another piece and put it through the larger, 6.5mm. No issues with that one at all. I think I spent maybe $25 in total on the machine. Got it off eBay.

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Aoibeann

Thanks, Lillian. I've been thinking hard on that. Apparently, Grant, and others have had good luck with them. If a few break, it isn't a big deal. I'm throwing away more than a few.

I did do something Howard recommended, and that was to eliminate the run-out. I had not thought of that. It makes a huge difference. Wastes some angled corners, but still gives much better results. Makes sense. Don't know why I didn't think of it myself.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Hey,
I use my fret slotting blade with a zero clearance insert and a featherboard. Works like a charm. In future I won't bother as LMI sells it for dirt cheap. Buy the 1/4 thick stuff and rip it on the bandsaw to double your money. Super flexy too, you don't even need to put it in the bender, or hotpipe it for rosettes.
Cheers

What else do you use that machine for?

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

How on earth do use a pasta machine to make purfling?

Those who use them, wet the veneer, and feed it though the pasta machine using the 2mm spagetti blade, and out comes 2mm wide strips of purfling. There is some loss, but it, apparently, is small. Let dry, boil 7 minutes until done, serve with your choice of sauce.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars