Once the second coat is dry you position the veneer, and orient the grain to your liking, then use an iron, on high steam, to seal the veneer to the plywood. It could not be simpler. After one use of Heat Lock I am a convert. I will likely never use contact cement, or wood glue, for veneer work again. I used to really dislike veneer work but this stuff makes it very easy.
Once the veneer and wood cooled I used my router and a bearing guided flush cut laminate bit to trim the edges. You'll want to orient the veneers edges best for your situation. I had the sides over hang the bottom as no-one will be looking at the bottom and they will be seeing the sides. Oh and don't tell my wife what I do with her iron..
23-JAN-2010
Before Finishing
This is the finished stereo enclosure. I still need to do a final sanding, acetone wipe then varnish it to match the interior of the boat. The veneer Tim gave me is beautiful, quarter sawn, and quite thick. It came from Boulter Plywood in Somerville, MA.
05-FEB-2010
Wiring
For my wiring I wanted it neat and clean. I used adhesive lined heat shrink crimp connectors and nickel plated brass terminal strips from Blue Sea Systems. The speakers are all on the longer t-strip and the power & ground on the other to make it simple & neat.
05-FEB-2010
The Finished Product
Ok not technically "finished", as I will put a few more coats of varnish on. I wanted to complete the wiring and fitting first then I will sand and add a couple more coats. I've learned over the years that a coat or two in the shop is not a bad thing as it prevents handling stains from greasy fingers or some errant grease on a work bench that can mess up a beautiful piece of teak.
Over all the whole thing took me about two hours to complete but certainly looks a lot better, IMHO, than the plastic stereo housings sold at West Marine etc.. This is an easy way to learn veneer work and a cheap enough project that you don't go broke on teak veneer if you mess up. A 2' X 4' sheet of quarter sawn teak veneer from Boulter runs about $33.00.
MAY-2006
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