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Hello all! XC newbie here. I just put my machine together and have had a few very successful carves. I must have gotten lucky because my machine has been performing flawlessly so far. I have had a few minor issues due to user error but overall it have been a very painless experience thus far (knock on wood) I look forward to making lots more wonderful stuff.
My question is about cutting veneers. I have to cut 3 layers of veneers the exact same pattern that then have to be independent of one another after they are cut, therefore, I cannot glue them together first. But I was planning on cutting them at the same time to save time. I was wondering if I could get some suggestions about securing them to the board as one unit. I have already figured out that it would be advantageous to have one of those new fangled down cut bits but I welcome any other help you can offer about how I could secure the 3 thin pieces as one unit. Thanks in advance and its great to be here.
My experience with veneer is that it would probably be better to do them one at a time. Anything you do that would stick them together will run the risk of breaking the veneer when you pull it apart. If they are not stuck together and you have chatter between the different sheets again they will break or give you a bad cut. Also if something should happen during the run (lost step or slipped belt or electronic hiccup) you lose all three pieces instead of just one.
My two cents worth, which today is running at about one and three quarters.
Lewis
I recently came across a technique that I’ve been itching to try but would suit you perfectly.
Cover the veneers in masking tape (I would do both top and bottom to help prevent tear out)
Superglue the bottom of one masking taped veneer to the bottom of the other, repeat as necessary, do the same for the wasteboard
Congratulations! You’ve effectively created double-sided masking tape. There’s enough adhesive over a wide enough surface area that it will hold up to being carved quite easily, but it will also peel off easily and cleanly, and won’t gum up your bits.
I heard about this trick from a luthier (guitar maker) who uses it for sticking guitar neck templates to blanks for routing. So if it can stand up to that, it should stand up to an X-Carve with no problem.
