A veneer hammer is a

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

used in applying veneer. Martellina

Description

A veneer hammer is used in conjunction with hot

hide glue Animal glue is an adhesive that is created by prolonged boiling of animal connective tissue in a process called rendering. In addition to being used as an adhesive it is used for coating and sizing, in decorative composition ornaments, and a ...

in applying veneer to a substrate. The term "veneer hammer" is somewhat misleading, as the "hammer" is used more like a

squeegee A squeegee or squilgee is a tool with a flat, smooth rubber blade, used to remove or control the flow of liquid on a flat surface. It is used for cleaning and in printing. The earliest written references to squeegees date from the mid-19th cent ...

than a hammer. The hot hide glue is applied to the substrate, then the veneer is laid onto the glued surface. The hammer itself has a dull blade, approximately three inches wide, on one side of the head, and a square shaped face on the other side. This head is connected to a standard handle, much like a regular hammer. The small square face is designed to push down on, exerting force to the blade side of the head. Workers often make their own veneer hammer, often having a wider "blade" than the commercially available ones. The blade can be made from

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

. The important factor is that the shape of the blade be somewhat tapered, permitting the required force to be applied directly under the blade.

Method

The veneer is pushed into the glue with the wide blade, and the hammer is pushed or pulled, forcing out the excess hide glue. The sheer bulk of the metal head helps to cool the glue, causing it to grab and hold the veneer in place. The glue cures as it cools. The procedure is to work from the center, out towards the edges, forcing the hot excess glue out from under the veneer. Often workers will apply the glue to the face of the veneer as well, using it as a lubricant for the hammer. By applying glue, therefore moisture, on both side of the veneer, the worker also avoid the curling of the veneer. This surface glue can be easily removed, using a cabinet scraper or cold water. In areas where a good bond is not achieved, the glue can be reheated with a common household iron, and reactivated. The veneer can be forced into the reactivated glue using the veneer hammer, and the area where the bond was poor, will become properly adhered to the substrate.

History

The process is centuries old, possibly dating back to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

ian times, as examples of veneered work have survived from that era. The veneer hammer and the method of applying the veneering has been described in early European books on veneering, such as '' L'Art du Menuisier (1769–1775)'' by André Jacob Roubo.

External links

Pro Woodworking Tips.comVideo on hide glue, by Keith CruickshankWhy Not Period Glue? - Article by W. Patrick Edwards on hide glue

References

{{reflist * Lee Jesberger (2007). '' Pro Woodworking Tips.com''. Woodworking hand tools