Real Veneers

One of the best uses of a piece of rare and beautiful wood is to cut it into veneers, for a high yield of precious materials. These thinly sliced cross-sections of a log give a woodworker the ability to have consistant color and graining in figured and flat grained woods.


Commercial veneers are as thin as paper. Without the proper substrate prep, color and texture can telegraph through to a finished surface. These Claro Walnut veneers I recently purchased from Goby Walnut and are a beefy 1/16"+ thick. They are much easier to work with than their commercial counterparts because they handle more like solid stock. They can be edge glued before you lay them up which helps layout and vacuum bagging.


But more importantly, these high quality thick veneers are more durable and easier to repair. If I have to use a commercial veneer I buy what's known as a Tech 3 or 3 ply veneer. Like a very thin plywood (approximately 1/16") the three layers are very strong and durable.