Veneering

After doing a bunch of seaming I went to eBay to look at tape dispensers and found this Big Inch No.4 dispenser. Its big and heavy but its ability to dispense cut pieces of tape in varying lengths is very handy for veneering, e.g. cross taping veneer seams. For most tasks I prefer 1/2" wide tape so I added a wood block with a utility knife blade mounted to it that splits 1" tape before dispensing it.

I haven't seen any more for sale and don't know if the cheap electric alternatives (e.g. Royal TD100 @ < $25) are any good.
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I've tired a number of ways to moisten veneer tape and this setup works the best. The image is just a starting point, the tape holder was originally built around a ceramic wheel stamp moistener. I thought the wheel moistener was a great idea but the wiping action of the sponge moistener works much better (no blotching). The water reservoir and capillary action in the sponge keeps the top of the sponge wet.

Using the envelope moistener (Premier LM3, I got mine from Joe) with the top off allows more contact area/pressure against the sponge and moistens the tape enough to get a good consistent bond (not so with the top on). Having a tape guide below the top of the sponge provides consistent pressure and allows for long seams. Straight wood dowels (closer together) would probably be fine, I needed the stepped guides for the custom aluminum wheel I tried.

I did a related YouTube video on veneer tape removal.
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I'm a perfectionist and a notched spreader is the only way I know of to get a consistent thickness of glue. My spreader is made from a bent piece of scrap stainless (20ga) notched with a triangular file (the closeup includes a ruler for scale). Filing down a fine toothed vinyl flooring spreader is another possibility.

To test coverage do a test layup using a glue color that contrasts with the wood color. Press the layup for a couple of minutes and then peel off the veneer. In the closeup you can see that I didn't quite get 100% coverage with my VG Fir coverage test (tiny pockets of uncolored fir).

Use a porous quartersawn wood to see if you're using too much glue. There's a very fine line between bleed through on porous wood and 100% coverage. Using raw MDF cauls will help to minimize bleed through. I'm happy when there is no obvious bleed through and the MDF comes away with tiny pips of glue stuck to it (felt, not seen).

See also:
YouTube video of spreader in use
Article: Gluing with a Notched Spreader

I've made a batch of these with milled notches and am offering them for $19.99 shipped. I know that sounds like a lot, but I'm charging less than I should (and its a _lot_ cheaper than a Phol). They measure 5-3/4" wide and 3" tall when flat. I will custom cut these to width (3mm increments, no charge) if you want a narrower spreader.

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