repairing 40 yr old marquetry coffee table

[rigile4972]

newbie here, though with some experience in woodworking. But that’s a topic for another day.

I’m repairing one of Grandpa’s coffee tables which he created winter 1973-75.
These tables all have a variety of wood “veneers” in general about 1/8 thick.
The pattern for this table is labeled “church window” though that may be his label.
Some of the Amaranth and some birdseye maple veneer / inlaid wood pieces have warped, pulling away from the 5/8 plywood substrate. He apparently used double stick tape to affix the veneer. See attached photo.
I’ve succeeded in removing the veneer pieces that make the center design. The edges of the pattern (about 2” wide) seem to still be firmly attached. I might be able to remove them … haven’t tried yet.

My questions:
1. The birdseye maple veneer (slightly warped) seems somewhat flexible enough; that is I can gently press it flat on the workbench. So, do I need to put it in a press for a while to flatten it before re-attaching it? What about the pieces of Amaranth that have the same problem of warping?

2. What are your recommendations for glue? I’ll stay away from contact cement; would also like to stay away from white glue because it’s rather wet. Is Titebond recommended? Hide glue? (never used it before); Rockler’s veneer glue; something else?

3. The plywood substrate appears flat. But, when regluing all the veneer pieces to the top, should I also put a thin layer of glue on the underside of the substrate, to seal it, thus to try to equalise any tension that might result when the top is repaired?

4. Note that I don’t have a vacuum bag press, so will have to find a way to clamp the pieces. Should I glue and clamp each piece? Or, tape it all together and then glue it all back down (approximately 2 ft x 4 ft).

4. When all the veneer pieces are back in place, should I use a scraper or else use very fine sandpaper to remove the old finish. I do not know what it is. It does not appear to be discolored, but is uneven.

5. What are your recommendations for a finish? Shellac? Varnish? Wax? Other? How long should I wait (after gluing down the veneer pieces again) before applying a finish?

Well, that’s about all the questions I can think of.

[Hobbyman2]

some times pictures can help with advise , as far as glue ya may need to clean both of the the glued surface before anything will stick ,acetone may clean the old glue , start in a very small area and test it first , as to flattening the pieces ya may be able to dampen them a little ,not a lot , and then set something heavy on them to flatten them for a day or so ? refinishing is a controversial subject , personally it sounds like it might need a complete restore however that is your call .at this point you will be adding to the history of the piece no mater what you do Good luck . JM .O2

[BuckeyeDennis]

*** SPAM ALERT ***

This is an exact copy of a thread starter at LumberJocks.com.

https://www.lumberjocks.com/topics/298561

The OP there completed the repair quite successfully, with a lot of help from our good friend Shipwright.