I am pondering a headboard for a bed for my grandson. I am thinking a starburst of QSWO.
My first thought was to diagonally cut some pieces into wedges and glue them up until I get quarter circle.
My second thought was to cut the wedges and resaw them into veneer and then glue them to plywood or MDF core.
I can imagine some difficulty with the solid wood version changing shape with changes in humidity. I also have No experience with segmented veneer. Wonder if this is a good time to learn a new skill?
Never did this with quartersawn wood, but I have done similar things with solid wood, and I repaired an old door that had a diamond match in solid QSWO. Here's what happened in both instances; there is a difference in the amount of movement in the pie-shaped pieces between the wide end and the pointy end, enough to eventually blow it apart. In the door I replaced the solid wood panel with a veneered one, and for new work I would do it in veneer.
Use bought veneers, and cut a stack of veneers on a long tablesaw sled, with a 3/4” thick MDF, weighted down to hold them tight and flat.
I then tape the wedges together then lay the glued substrate down on top of the veneers. The veneered face is hard to handle once you apply glue to it, so it should be already laying on the plastic sheet on to of the platen.
Repeat to get the other side, then slip into a vacuum bag. With a helper, it’ll be easy as pi.
I’m not so sure QS W Oak would be a good choice as the finished product. If you have two mirrors, you can tape them together on one end to make a hinge. Then when you set the long V on top of the veneers, you can see exactly what the face will look like, and take the guess work out of how it will look.
I would go with veneer. It doesn't take much movement to make a big problem.
Four suggestions:
1. Take the time to make an mdf template of the wedges and get the angle spot on, unless you are planing random wedges. Use this template to cut the veneer.
2. The spot in the middle where everything comes together can be a PITA. If your's doesn't come together neatly, just let the glue cure nicely, then use a forstner bit to make a half circle in the center, removing the messy part. Then use a compass with a blade or other tool to cut a piece of contrasting veneer to fill the hole.
3. The glue up works better with a helper. Put glue on two pieces and hold them together snugly while your helper puts blue tape across the joint at 90 degrees.
Repeat till done.
4. Glue up with hide glue (liquid hide glue if you don't have a heated glue pot). Its easy to use a hair drier to soften the glue so you can take another stab at it if there's a problem. With real hide glue, you can do this up to four times, don't know what that number is for liquid hide glue.
once you decide on the number of rays and their length, cut them to approximate size and shape (but over long) and then arrange them in the star pattern.
next number the matching edges 1 (a free edge), 2 to 2, 3 to 3, etc.
now stack the veneers so that as you work through the stack, edge 2 is face to face, edge 3 is back to back, edge 4 is face to face, etc.
clamp the stack between two MDF boards.
shoot ONE long edge -- you do have a very sharp hand plane?
lay out the wedges and check the arrangement -- note how much needs to come off the edges you haven't shot.
reassemble the stack, alternating face to face, back to back as before -- and shoot the untouched edge. check the fit again.
repeat till the "rays" fit together to your satisfaction.
the above process works a treat because if your star burst has 18 rays, taking as little as 1/32" off the "fat end" of each ray will adjust the overall fit by over 1/2".
once the rays fit to your satisfaction, stick them together as a single sheet using blue tape and then use a trammel or MDF template to trim them to length.
If use veneer, what would I use as a substrate? I was thinking 1/2" Baltic Birch plywood. Or maybe thinner to cut out some weight. Also considered MDF but think of it as heavy and not as tough.
These are excellent questions and they are tossed around by veneerers with a great deal of heat and fury. I will give my opinions, based on my experience, but lots of other answers are right as well.
If use veneer, what would I use as a substrate? I was thinking 1/2" Baltic Birch plywood. Or maybe thinner to cut out some weight. Also considered MDF but think of it as heavy and not as tough.
How tough does it need to be? I would guess you plan to put some sort of wood frame around it to protect the edges. Either mdf or ply should work on that issue.
MDF is heavier and the edges are vulnerable to water, but it is much flatter than ply, and has no voids or fills. An irregularity from ply, said a football shaped patch poorly done, can "telegraph" through the veneer. I use mdf.
What glue?
A glue with a longer working time is helpful, but I usually just use titebond III. Hide glue is good. Titebond also makes a "cold press" glue specifically for veneer. Most of the high tech glues such as Unibond are pretty toxic, especially in their powder stage before you mix with water. I wear a respirator in the rare times I use them for very long open times.
Glue is the reason you need to veneer both sides at the same time, especially if you have a thin substrate. Enough glue to fix a panel will put a lot of moisture into the substrate, which may bow if you don't apply the moisture to both sides. The veneers don't have to be the same. Use a cheaper veneer for the backside unless it will be visible.
Will he be using the head board for basketball or hockey practice?
If NO, then you don't really need tough.
Depending on the size of the headboard, I might be happy with 1/4" material as the substrate.
Being flat, MDF is my preference, but Baltic Birch ply should also work. but perhaps check it for flatness first
Glue.
I've had success with slow setting PVA. Epoxy is another option.
In either case you need a paint roller to achieve a uniform thin layer of glue.
if possible use a helper to position the veneer sheet.
hold the veneer sheet in position with blue tape.
Recommend a vacuum bag.
when describing how to trim the veneers above, I should have advised that when arranging the slices to confirm they fit and form the sunburst, you should hold the pieces in place using dress maker's pins into a sheet of 3/4 furniture grade ply.
My grandson has not been born yet. He should be here in a the next couple of weeks. I am gong to meet him next month.
I am planing a big boy bed for him. I built on for his sister and another for his cousin. I think I have plenty of time, but at 68, I want to move this along.