Larry,

Here's an update on my veneer project. Instead of using epoxy as I said I was going to use in my previous post, I used wood glue. This method gave me a lot of control. The veneer expands from the moisture in the glue. I was able to trim the wood with ease and make it conform to the chines in the Coho's chambered deck. It went like this.

1) Saturate the deck with epoxy. This was when I thought I was going the epoxy route. Since I changed to the waterproof grade wood glue, Titebond I think from Home Depot, I sanded thru a bit of the saturation coat to give the glue a good mechanical bonding surface.

2) Cut veneer to rough size and shape of the bow and stern decks.

3) Mask off the deck and put a coat of glue down then let it dry.

4) Spray the top side of the veneer with water to counter act the swelling you'll get when the veneer absorbs the moisture from the glue. Set the top side down on a sheet of mylar film of anything that the veneer will not stick to. The glue you're going to put on may get absorbed clear thru the veneer depending on the thickness and type of wood veneer you use. You don't want to be gluing down the veneer to your workbench. Or maybe that's another project.

5) Apply a coat or two, I did only one, of wood glue to the veneer and let it dry.

6) A minute or so before applying the veneer, spray it again with water on both sides to make it pliable. This will help you avoid cracking or damaging the piece. It also helps out in bending the veneer over curves and angle points.

7) Take your SO's clothes iron and cover the bottom with a piece of aluminum foil. If you skip this step you'll likely have to add another step to the project which involves buying your SO a brand new iron. Set the iron to Sapelle, Mahogany or in your case the Maple setting. If your iron does not have these settings, use the cotton setting. Set your piece down and start ironing away! The heat from the iron activates the dried wood glue. You can apply pressure to the iron or use a wallpaper roller to work out any bubbles that may form under the veneer. Be careful not to burn the wood. Keep the iron moving slowly. I had some glue saturated thru the piece so I had to keep the iron moving to keep the aluminum foil from sticking to the veneer.

8) Spay any excess with water again to get it pliable again and use a sharp razor blade to trim off the excess. Go slowly and gently here. Depending on the nots and grain of the wood, you could end up tearing the wood you just glued down instead of making a nice clean cut. Sand and round the edges carefully.

9) Apply epoxy and glass.

My first piece went perfectly! No bubbles at all. I had to go over the second piece a couple of times to eliminate a few bubbles. I just got done glassing an hour ago and so far things look good. This is the method that Rob Macks from Laughing Loon uses.

Let us know how you make out.

Gary B.