A Cheap A** Clamping and Veneer Press System

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Mon May 23, 2011 3:15 pm

Consider glueing a shim block to the back of the 'nut' so it just clears the hardboard 'bottom'. It would then slide in/out more easily than the 'spring'.

Neat idear!

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Mon May 23, 2011 5:26 pm

I could do that Dave. Though, I'd have to drill a hole in the wooden shim for the bolt to pass through. 1/4" BB would work, I think.
Thanks for the suggestion.

wannabewoodworker · Post by **wannabewoodworker** » Mon May 23, 2011 10:50 pm

Gene,
That is some serious Yankee ingenuity and i like it. I think you could get around the whole captive nut issue if you just bought some threaded rod and put that straight through both pieces of uni-strut and just used nuts on both ends. You can buy threaded rod at almost any length which certainly would make your clamps thickness independent.

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Tue May 24, 2011 9:43 am

wannabewoodworker wrote:Gene,
That is some serious Yankee ingenuity and i like it. I think you could get around the whole captive nut issue if you just bought some threaded rod and put that straight through both pieces of uni-strut and just used nuts on both ends. You can buy threaded rod at almost any length which certainly would make your clamps thickness independent.

The original intention was to weld nuts at selected perforations to accept veneer screws for laminations. Then I got a job to glue up several 8" thick 18X18 blocks for some carved(?) capitals and bases (I think) for a colonial style house.
Anyway, as contractors often do, he hadn't sourced them earlier and he wanted them quick. Not having the time to have the nuts all welded, I used all thread, as you described, for the laminated glue up. That was after using the system I pictured for the individual 18X18 panels. It all worked out so well, I never did get the nuts welded on.
I never thought about using shorter pieces of all thread for the panel clamps.
Thanks, Wannabe!

michaeltoc · Post by **michaeltoc** » Tue May 24, 2011 1:31 pm

Great idea, Gene - but one observation. Should you use the unistrut upside down? It would seem that the narrow lips may dent the workpiece if too much pressure is applied. Putting the struts upside down would give a wide flat bearing surface, less likely to damage the work.

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Tue May 24, 2011 6:24 pm

michaeltoc wrote:Great idea, Gene - but one observation. Should you use the unistrut upside down? It would seem that the narrow lips may dent the workpiece if too much pressure is applied. Putting the struts upside down would give a wide flat bearing surface, less likely to damage the work.

I like to use the struts right side up because I think it's stronger. Likely, the strut up side down would be plenty strong, though. I use a piece of plywood, the width of the glue up, when gluing softer woods. Oak doesn't seem to dent at all.

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Thu May 26, 2011 1:41 pm

This has inspired me to do one of the veneer--MDF glueups I've been putting off forever. I'm treating it as disposable on account of the recycled MDF already having one layer of furniture-veneer and finish. Decided to go really risky and use up an old half-bottle of polyurethane glue also

. After adding enough water to activate the glue, upon later removing my clamps and wax-paper, saw that my new veneer was regularly wrinkled, probably from excess moisture.

Now -- if it dries out and goes flat, I'll be happy enough. If it doesn't go flat, that MDF might go back to the trash-bin where I found it in the first place.