[Willin]

Am pretty sure Mr Dering is, but how many of you are prepared with equipment and the specialty tools to do these on a regular basis.

The specification for the face elements, doors, drawerfronts, finished ends and other panels, is to match Crystal Cabinet Works "Staten Island" assembly, which is for 19mm MDF cores, 3mm solid wood edges, and 22mil veneer faces. Carcase part edges are to be edge-taped in matching species, and do not require the 3mm edges.

Carcase parts all of melamine faced industrial particleboard, pattern "Hard Rock Maple" on both sides, all 19mm thickness.

The desired look on faces of runs is for grain to be continuous. No runs to exceed 11 feet in length. See the attached pics for the appearance.

D'boxes are nothing out of your universe. Sides all 5/8 hardwood, half-blind dovetail corners on the boxes.

There are component makers such as Northern Contours that will make all those fronts for you, precisely to your size list, all prepped for hinges if you like, but I am asking what it takes for you to do this all in-house. And yeah, NC will get that continuous grain thing right for you.

 

[Texas Wax]

Only "specialty" tool is an edge banding equipment.

We are set up to eruo cabs

 

[Roger Manning]

Piece of cake, these are fast and easy and a BIG money maker.

Here is one we start next week.

 

[Willin]

Method and equipment for veneering?

How much labor is added by the requirement to edge panels in 3mm solid species before veneering, vs edgebanding after?

And what does the requirement for grain continuity across panel runs add?

 

[Roger Manning]

Method and equipment for veneering?

How much labor is added by the requirement to edge panels in 3mm solid species before veneering, vs edgebanding after?

And what does the requirement for grain continuity across panel runs add?

I just call and order veneered panels. I then cut the panels and edge tape them, I would not edgeband and then veneer that would make grain matching a pain.

Price for grain match depends on what type of wood and how long and how many runs there are.

 

[tccoggs]

Good edgbander can do 1/8 strip no problem.

Have done ones where we laid the veneer ourselves on a hot press and have done ones where the plywood supply did it for us. If the veneer is very expensive, I recommend the press method, less handling generally means less damage. If your CNC/NBM then you handle to material less but you have to typically manually nest the part layout if you want grain match.

The constuction of these cabinet tend to be easier, but if they want that super gloss thick finish, that can take some time for sure.

 

[Willin]

I know it is an expensive detail, but Crystal must do the 3mm band BEFORE skinning panels, as the veneer runs edge to edge, and thus covers joints between edging and MDF core.

Would a shop be bag-pressing these, or is some other method preferable for jobs running from 40 to 200 face parts.

 

[tccoggs]

Bag presses are kinda slow. I only used them for curved parts. We had a 4x8 hot press that could layer up whole sheets. Its expensive but only way to go if you need mass production.

If its a smaller job how about paper back veneer?? Installs with contact cement like hpl.

 

[Gus Dering]

I really don't know how you would use 3mm banding then lay up the veneers. That would make your grain matching incredibly difficult if not impossible. If Crystal is doing it on a production level, they have equipment that I am not familiar with.

I'm not sure what you mean with the "28 mil" thick veneer.

11ft run without an end match would be impossible for us. We can get 10ft sheets only. I have not ever inquired about 11 or 12s though. That would be spendy.

The only way we can, and do, produce the look in that photo is to buy the sheets already laid up. Then slice and dice, send them through the edge bander. The nominal thickness of our wood tape is .020". Once they are detailed they look just like your photo.