A7 825 Cabinet help

[Monte Verdi]

Hello, I have to send my 416 A drivers back to Todd and company for servicing and here is my chance to refinish cabinets. I am a finisher by trade but not a veneer carpenter. I am considering veneering sides, top and inside curves and visible faces. Todd tells me that I have a early pair of Magnificent cabinets, unfortunately missing some of the later finer finish details. They have 3/4 ply with a fake Walnut Formica veneer that is ugly and must go. Here are a few questions.

1. Sides, top and front measure roughly 25 sq ft per cabinet, is this in the ballpark?

2. Thinking of a wood paper veneer with glue backing. What has been your veneering experience? Exotic Wood Veneer, Vacuum Press Systems, Vacuum Bags, Veneering Tools and Veneering Supplies Joe Woodworker - Woodworking, Vacuum Pressing and Veneering Information Website

3. Thinking of veneering all visible front surfaces including Bass Reflex curves near 416 driver:khan:. Any words of advice welcome. May leave front alone and simply use grill screens that need reworking as well, but I have seen finished fronts that look beautiful.

Any help would be greatly appreciated from you guys.

Thanks,

Ramon

[edharbur]

Ramon-

Those are big questions. You can feel free to give me a call at 203 438 8884 weekday afternoons and I can give you some advice.

Basically, veneering (other than hammer veneering - don't even ask...) involves a LOT of even pressure to hold the veneer down while the glue sets. Normally, we use a vacuum bag and a flat clamping surface (caul) to do this, but you can't put a speaker cabinet in a vacuum bag - there is too much pressure - think 14 PSI or approx 8,000 lbs on a 24" x 24" cabinet side. Makes a cool noise when it implodes.

This leaves mechanical clamping. You have to figure out a way to get a lot of even pressure on the caul squeezing the veneer to the cabinet, and for the reasons mentioned above, you can't clamp the whole box. If you can remove the back, and have access to some extremely deep throat clamps, this will work.

The final option is contact cement. Do not use water based contact cement. Sand everything carefully, and cut all your veneer oversize where you can. Apply the contact cement as per the directions on the can, and have at it. The only problems are that you only get one shot at placement, i.e. as soon as any part of the veneer touches the cabinet, you are committed. (there are tricks to help with this, call me) and that the contact cement generally fails after 10 or 15 years. You stick the veneer down with a small diameter rubber laminate roller ($20) and trim it with a small router (laminate trimmer - $80 or so with a bottom bearing bit ($20). This technique will work well with the curves as well, but obviously, some serious technique will be involved to get good joints, like with in 1/42 of an inch.

Good luck,

Ed

[Monte Verdi]

Wow, lots of info, thank you ED. I will contact you soon with a slew of questions no doubt.