Cherry veneer tabletop

This is my first post. I’m a total amateur, but I managed to make a beautiful tabletop using cherry veneer. My daughter collects protection symbols and chose the “helm of awe” along with some Celtic knots to decorate the top of a dining room table. I purchased a dark wood table on amazon that has a leaf that collapses into the middle for storage. I’m quite pleased with the result, though there are some seams and imperfections where I measured incorrectly, though I don’t think they are too obvious.
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I’m trying to figure out whether I can seal it in some way to protect the edges and the engraved parts (which are all but cut through to show the dark wood underneath). Any thoughts? I tested using table top epoxy but it doesn’t adhere well to the veneer.

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How lovely and unique! :slightly_smiling_face:

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Thank you! I’m so amazed by what the Glowforge can do!

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If you have any other color veneer, you could try inlaying between the seams so they aren’t as pronounced. Even if you used the same color and cut out designs to inlay in-between the seams, that would be neat, too.

Really cool project, and jealous of the amount of veneer you have!

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Wow, amazing project! You must have used the passthrough. It came out great!

I’m thinking you are going to have to do some experimenting to get the finish you want (and I really do think it needs to be sealed). I wonder if a spray sealer of some type between the veneer and the table epoxy would help? It might be a surface tension thing that would be solved by having something different to cling to.

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Welcome. Great job on this project.

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@cynd11 I think you’re exactly right that it’s a surface tension thing with the epoxy! I also did a veneer panel for a side table and even using a silicone squeegee to spread it smoothly it didn’t adhere to some spots.



I’ll look around on the forum for ideas of what to spray on. The finish on the veneer without sealant is lovely but I know it will chip around the edges with use. Thanks so much for the suggestion. I spent twice as much on the veneer as I did on the table (!) because I want this to be a special heirloom that my daughter can keep for a long time.
I didn’t use the passthrough, I just have a basic GF. Each panel is about 15x11 and I just worked slowly and carefully to line up the symbols, and then the seams. @raymondking32 The really visible seams you see have to remain, unfortunately, so the leaf in the middle can fold in on itself and store in an opening beneath. Where my seams didn’t line up perfectly on the rest of it, I found I could push a sliver of veneer into the small gap—the 3M adhesive is really good—but all the more reason it needs a good seal.
Thanks so much, everyone, for your comments! It’s a thrill to be a semi-legit part of the GF Community!

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A really awesome project! Hope you’re able to work out the finish to protect your hard work.

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I’m going to test Dupli-Color Adhesion Promoter spray, and see if it dries clear and helps the epoxy hold uniformly. A reviewer on Amazon said they use it on IKEA laminate furniture to paint without sanding and it works great for that. I’ll update here when I’ve tried it.

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might try stonecoatcountertops.com they have an awesome clear epoxy resin.

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Thank you, @ca_worth, I’ll have a look!

Just gorgeous!

Have you considered wood oils like danish oil or other brands that penetrate instead of adhering?

Nice personal touch!

I’m not familiar with Danish oils. I’ve read up on them and see that they soak in and provide some hardening. I wonder if it would soak into the finished veneer and be enough to protect the edges from chipping. Thanks for the suggestion @joe12, I’ll do some more research!

Cool. You could get glass cut the same size as the table and use the small clear rubber feet between the glass and the table. That’s what we have done to protect dining room table, bevelled edge and corners taken off the toughened glass

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What it would do is basically harden and protect the lasered portions, it should just wipe off the finish of the PG. Then if you still want to go a step further, let it sit for a few days then lightly sand with fine sandpaper and spray an oil based poly on it. I did that with a walnut natural edged table and it is used in my office every day as a conference table.

That’s very helpful, thank you. I am most worried about the lasered portions chipping—as well as the veneer peeling and chipping at the edges of the table.

The glass top would look great @Dougie. I would have to get three separate pieces if I want to maintain the ability to shorten and lengthen the table using the integrated leaf.

All excellent food for thought, and I’m grateful for it.

Update on the project. I found that the epoxy I put on the finished veneer without any prep peeled right off. I tried using the Dupli-Color spray adhesion promoter with much better results, but not good enough to trust pouring the epoxy on the whole table. I contacted stonecoatcountertops to see if their bonding primer was clear (it’s not), but they very kindly suggested I try XIM Peel Bond. I’ve ordered that and I’m waiting for it to arrive and give it a try. I’m so wary of taking a sander to the beautiful veneer. I priced out getting glass to cover the table and it’s just more than I want to spend on the project, and cumbersome if a separate, removable piece is needed for the leaf part. I’m going to try the peel bond when it arrives and try to do a better job removing bubbles with a butane torch than I did the last time. Fingers crossed I can get this to work. Thank you again for all of the advice–it’s been invaluable in helping me move forward.

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