Splicing veneers

[VTer]

You guys got any secrets on how you splice veneers? I’ve  got my first set at .030. They’re at 3’ long but I’d like to splice them together so they don’t give me fits during glue up. Any secrets?

[Longcruise]

I struggled with that until kennym explained his method.  Put them back to back and feed them into your sander at an angle that will give you at least a 1/2" long bevel to  a feather edge.  Then flip them and feed the other lam to match.  The beauty here is that if your feed guide is a bit off 90 degrees by going back to back they still match.  Super glue under pressure.

[Kirkll]

There are a number of ways to do it. Just don't ever mix wet super glue and wet epoxy together.... you may need a fire extinguisher.....Don't ask how i know this....

I've had good luck lust taking the two pieces i want to glue together and cutting them at 45 degrees on my chop saw, then use super glue, wax paper, and a lead weight.... Let it dry for 10 minutes then sand smooth with a long sanding block with 150 grit.   Once its dry, no worries laying them up with epoxy.   Kirk

[BigJim]

I just overlap them in the middle a 1/4" and glue down with thick CA glue. I hit that with an excellerant and go to the next set.
Once I have a few sets, I take them over to the edge sander and sand the joints flat from each side. Use a block of wood to back while sanding to support the veneer.

These joints are going in the center of the riser and as long as they are ground thinner than the veneer, it won't matter.

I doubt I spend more than 30 seconds total per pair.
BigJim

[Stagmitis]

Dang that’s smart Jim!

[Kirkll]

Yup…. Using an edge sander like Big Jim does his could eat those veneers in less than 30 seconds too….   

I just did a double splice on a one piece using .022 black walnut veneers and just used but joints while laying up the bow. I wasn’t worried about a perfect joint because I always do overlays on the back that covers it. You would need a magnifying glass to see those butt joints on the edge of the riser…

On a one piece bow I never saw the need to splice veneers. The chop saw method I use works on .100 lams perfectly though. But I typically mill 6’ long bamboo for those lams and taper both ends.

Lots of different ways to skin a cat I suppose….  Kirk

Kirk

[Walt Francis]

I made a sled that tapers both veneers/cores about 3/4” at the same time. It will do two sets at the same time. Super glue them together, spray with Insta-set, and then touch up with 120 grit sanding block.  I overlay all my bows, but you are unable to see the joints before putting the overlays on or when the bow is finished.