Jay Boutwell's Comments

Thanks jay ,for your input as it still under guarantee its going back too a triton repair centre in the uk.

Thanks jay for your follow up comments,computers have a mind of there own your right.Only the other day gary roofner said my finger jig photo disappeared before he could comment,do not know if it was my fault or what.All these little projects i hope too sell ,with the aid of my daughter .She does mosiacs,hand made cards ,and jewellery so were pooling our wares too sell.Can i just say your a great influence on the site and well respected have a good day jay, mick.

Thank you, Jay for the Smilebox of the Tenn. red cedar chest. What a beautiful piece of work you did on the chest. You are a Master Craftsman of your craft. I hope your teaching and showing me what to do to make a beautiful piece of a project, will inspire me to do good work and show the care and patience wish is needed in any project that we do as woodworkers. Thanks for being my friend and teacher.

 Jay, How's your project coming? Did you get any sleep? I wish I could see the chest you are working on. Send some pics I have never seen Tenn. oak before.

 Thanks, Jay.

 I wasn't to sure if using the filing cabinet. I am glad I asked you about it. It sure helped me in figuring out where to put my flamables. I now can put it in the right spot and build my counter for an extra work space and drink area. 

Jay I fixed  the delete thing forgot to click on the follow me thing, sorry.

Jay thank you for the comment on my bench  and table and the comment you left on my home page . It really makes me fell good to get a comment from a craftsman like you on my  projects !  And I am not sure about the delete  comment , I would never delete a comment from  a craftsman like you, as it means a lot  to  me. Thanks again and keep showing all of your great projects ! You might enjoy looking at  the photo that I posted on my light house this was also one of a kind, have a great day , jim

Jay, I have looked at many of your projects and I can see that you are a true craftsman and I like the way that you help other wood workers with their projects and share your projects! I also like to design and build my own projects, keep the photos comeing and thanks for shareing , JIM

 Thanks, Jay. I really need that cute line about the falling and the stopping. I really needed a good laugh. Thanks again for the chuckle and the explaining of your bead work on the chest. I will use that idea in one of my next projects in the months ahead. I like to learn different things from a seasoned craftsman like yourself. It makes me a better woodworker in my future projects. 

Jay, 

 I sure like your dresser. I am really impressed with the molding around the drawer face frame. One of these days you got to teach me or walk me through the way you get your drawers evenly spaced and level with the molding and such. I have been still nailing away on the shed. I took a day off because of a terrifing event on monday morning. It really tore me up. 

Jay thank you so very much for the very thorough & speedy response. The table is a cheap repop, but it will be good for my wifes coworker, a single dad. He will be able to get by for a few years with it.  So I think that I want to try the white vinegar trick.  After the veneer is removed how long does the vinegar thke to dry. Also really like the metal blind idea is golden. I have laid formica using cardboard strips, but they tend to tear if the contact cement is too damp.  My friend you are a regular encyclopedia of information, again thank you.  By the way what did you mean by I'm monitoring my responses& how can I turn it off?

Larry Is the table an antigue or an old reproduction type.  The old furiture was assembled using hide glue.  Hide glue is soften using heat and steam.  What I do if I wish to remove a piece held by hide glue is to take a towel soak it in water and lay it over the defect and apply a hot iron to drive some steam into the defect and surrounding wood.  If this does not work change to white vinegar allowing a little to soak under the venner.  Using a small thin metal spatula or putty knife gently lift the veneer as the glue softens.  You have to keep in mind that he moisture will swell the veneer fibers as well as th wood substrate below.  Once the glue is soften remove it from under the area you are wanting to repair.  The allow it to become completely dry before you proceed with the repair

Once it is soft and you can lift the damaged area inject some glue into the defect.  You might like to use a "j" roller ( used in laminate application) or a small roller used on wall paper seams to insure that the repair is flat and then weigh it down to hold the veneer down tight while the glue dries.

Be sure you remove any loose glue or foreign material from under the repair so it will be assured to lay flat.  If you use white vinegar you should attempt to remove any of the vinegar residue and insure that it is dry before you proceed with the repair.  Vineger will desolve most any glue so care should be used in it use and try to use it only enough to do the job.

Depending on the amount of the damage it may require a patch which can be done using a careful selected veneer and some careful grain matching and cutting.  the patch can be almost invisable if you are careful in sanding and applying the finish to the patched area.

If it is a table that is not of antique value you might wish to remove and replace the entire veneer surface. If so remove it the same way as described above using either water steam and heat or white vinegar and work the veneer loose.  Dry the surface and then sand and repair any voids or defects  in the substrate.  I use "bondo" which is an autobody dent filler and fill the defects.  Sand smooth and use contact adhesive to attach a new sheet of veneer.  Follow the directions on the contact adhesive container however I do not reccomend the water based type. ( it will swell the wood veneer) Use the chemical based adhessive.

The directions will tell you to apply a coat on both surfaces and wait until it skims over and dry to the light finger touch.  It looses it wet shine and becomes a haze look.  Be careful and not let it get to dry before you begin laminating the veneer or you will have loose veneer areas.  This is a one time attempt to lay so it has to be in correct alinement over the surface.

A trick I use in applying sheet goods such as counter top and or veener is to get an old metal window shutter. ( the blind type used indoors)   Remove a few of the thin metal slats  and cut them off to where they will lay across the table surface and extend out about 6 inches on each end.  Lay these on the surface of the table and just before you are ready to lay the veneer. ( don't use the plastic type as the adhessive will begin to desolve them) Once the slats are on the surface placing one about ever 6 to 8 inches gently lay the veneer on top of the slats.  The curve in the slats allows the bottom to only touch on it edges on the table top and only the middle section of the slat will touch the bottom of the veener.  Starting from the middle of the  veneer gently push down on an area that is not under a slat and allow it to firmly contact the table top and stick.  Then remove a slat that is near the middle and repeat the process.  Continue this working in each direction from the middle outwards until you have reached the ends.  Use a "J" roller to firmly attach the veneer and smooth out working  from the middle to the outside.    Check for any loose areas in the veneer by tapping

Thank you Dennis for the nice comment.  I do appreciate it very much.  The kitchen project is almost done now.  The contractor is supposed to do the back splash however I might end up doing it.  The windows need to be trimmed out yet not sure if I will be doing them or the contractor.  There is a custom 12 inch high crown to do  soon .  I'm currently working of some bath cabinets for the same house.  When it is done I will do a final photo take of the total job.  Thanks again.

WOW Jay, I just found your photos of the kitchen you did & all I can say is Wow that is Beautiful. You should be very proud of it. Larry D.

Jay, I have a small delema, I was given an older Mission style coffee table which has 3 small areas that the top veneer(hope that's spelled right) is split, they ere all split and hard. I can inject glue using a syringe. My question is, how do I get the veneer softened enough to reattach it to the table top?  You are my only hope.  I have tried to find help on line but my computer is kind of a dumb one.  Thanks for your time & have a wounderful day here in the great Willamette Valley.  Your friend, Larry D. (in Eugene)

 Hi, Jay.

 Wow, What a beautiful kitchen. The owner will be happy cooking in that kitchen.  I sure love seeing your work. That red oak really blends well with the granite countertops. You really do great work. I can't wait until the rest gets put up. You sure do great work, Jay.

Jay, I'll be watching for those photos.  I imagine that they will be worth the wait.  Thanks for returning my note.  Larry D.