http://www.woodreview.com.au 55TECHNIQUEI commonly use two layers of bending
ply covered by 3mm MDF (photo 7).
Choosing hingeware
Another consideration is the type
and placement of hinges. It will be
necessary to add solid wood edging to
the doors to provide purchase for the
hinge screws. For regular barrel hinges
the solid wood edge needs to be along
the long sides of the door, while for
knife hinges the solid wood edge needs
to be at the top and bottom of the door.
Layer by layer
The process that I use is to glue up the
two bending ply layers first, then glue
on the two layers of MDF. I now glue
on the solid wood edging, making it
oversize so I can shape it to the curve
of the door after the glue has cured
(photo 8).
The inner and then outer veneers are
next glued on. To hold the veneer in
place during glue-up, I make a hinge
from wide blue painters tape running
along the long edge of the door
(photos 9, 10). This allows me to
spread the glue on the door core and
then quickly get the veneer into place
and into the vacuum bag.
The final step is to add a 3mm strip
of solid wood, the same species as the
veneer, on all four edges of the door,
to protect the veneer from damage.
There is quite an investment in time
and effort when using the laminating
technique for doors or other curved
components, but the result is a stable
door, with a curve which exactly
matches the other curved components
of the cabinet.
Experimenting with the techniques for
curved work covered in these stories
can give you the means to be much
freer with your furniture design work.
Photos: Peter Young, Linda Nathan
9Peter Young is a studio furniture
designer and maker who lives
in Brisbane. Email Peter at
[email protected]^10