I agree with most everything said so far. I would only add this cautionary tale from my own experience - you say you're a competent woodworker, but have you ever veneered before? I had not. I have built many projects from scratch (dressers, end tables, benches, plinths, etc.) but had never veneered and decided to try my hand at it on my home-built plinth for my TD124. I was less than pleased with the results, and after a few months of looking at the monstrosity, I ended up planing the veneer off and refinishing. Apparently proper veneering requires a significant investment in the proper tools (who knew?
). The veneering supply places I found on the 'net give you the option of using some short-cuts such as heat-activated glue, etc. Don't buy in to the temptation to save a few bucks. Go big or don't go at all.
I had never done veneering until about a year ago when I decided to restore some JBL's that were trashed. I went to a local hardwood supplier and they gave me 3 options
1) traditional veneering which requires elaborate clamping or hydraulic press
2) paper backed veneer that is applied with contact cement
3) heat applied veneer
Since I had some experience with plastic laminates (Formica), I decided to try option 2. So I bought a sheet of walnut (which came in a roll) and a gallon of water-based contact cement by Wilsonart.
As with plastic laminate, the pieces are cut 1/2" larger than the substrate they will be adhered to, that leaves 1/4" extra on all sides to be trimmed. The nice thing about the paper backed veneer is it can be cut with a utility knife unlike plastic laminate which needs either a handsaw or circular saw.
Tools required:
paint brush or small roller
tape measure
utility knife
straight edge (preferably metal)
sanding block
The next step is to plan which sides get veneered first. For a turntable, I would do the following:
1) back
2) sides
3) front
4) top, this will be the hardest because the corners will need to be mitered
The contact cement can be applied with a brush or roller, just make sure it's applied evenly. Both the substrate (plinth) and the veneer get a coat of cement and must dry completely before they are adhered to each other. Once applied, there is no turning back. If you screwed up and have to remove it, the only thing that will remove water based contact cement is lacquer thinner.
Do one side at a time, do not apply cement to the entire plinth. You don't want finger prints, dust , etc sticking to the cement before the next piece is applied.
Once the piece of veneer is applied to the plinth, burnish it in with the palm of your hand to ensure proper adhesion. Pay special attention to the edges, use a block of wood or small roller to make sure the edges are completely adhered. On large surfaces like a speaker cabinet, use a rubber roller.
After it is burnished in, trim the veneer with a utility knife, flush with the edges. Then use a sanding block (not power sander) with 100 grit sandpaper to make sure that the edges are perfectly flat.
Proceed to the next side.
Try it on some wood scraps first, doing adjoining sides so that you can see how it will come together. This can be done by anyone who is meticulous and detail oriented, you don't have to be a woodworker to master it. Most carpenters, especially the ham-fisted ones will have a hard time with the intricacies of the process...
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