Veneer from Constantines, has anyone used it?

cacu · 12-09-2003, 05:25 PM

I'm looking at getting veneer from constantines but the website doesn't say whether it is 10mil paper back or 2ply or NBL. But I assume it's 10mil due to the low price. Is this correct?

Another question: Has anyone use this type of veneer before? => Padauk Veneer
Does it look close to what the picture shows? How easy/hard is it to work with (for beginers)?

Thanks

Hank Frankenberg · 12-09-2003, 07:31 PM

Hi Cacu, Constantines has been around forever and I imagine they're reliable. It probably is 10-mil, but call to check. I remember looking at Dad's Constantines catalog when I was a kid and being absolutely mesmerized by the beauty of Rosewood. They sold Rosewood faced plywood back then that you could panel a room with! When I got into doing speaker cabinets, I finally used Rosewood veneer. You can see my 3-year-old towers on my crude website:
http://www.geocities.com/hankbond1/index
Padauk - yes I used it when I built Danny Richie's personal pair of his Alpha LS towers. They're on the second page of my website. The Padauk I used had a strong orange tint, which is more typical of fresh cut Padauk. That Constantines photo is a lot darker than most Padauk. I recommend that you get a sample to look at before deciding on your veneer. BTW, heres a shot of a pair of A/V-3's I just finished in - you guessed it, Rosewood:
http://www.geocities.com/hankbond1/AV-3
My main source for veneer now is Tape-Ease:
http://www.tapeease.com/10_mil_%20veneer.htm

cacu · 12-10-2003, 09:39 AM

How do I go about getting a sample of the veneer? I do like the look of the Padauk on that set of speaker. It looks very nice. I like rosewood but that cost 3 times as much and I don't know if I want to spend that much money on veneer and on my firt attempt of veneering. Make that my first attemp of building speaker cabinets other than the Tempest Subwoofer cabinet.

What's your opinion on Padauk compared to Rosewood as far as darkness and looks? From the pictures it looks almost as dark but with a stronger red hint.

I like the rosewood look but don't want to pay the rosewood price. Tapeease prices seem much higher than Constantines. Santos Rosewood: Rosewood only $1.80/sf = $58/per 4'X 8' while Tapeease cost $157 for 4'X 8' 10mil.

Some of the other veneer I'm considering that cost around $1.50/sf ~ $50/4'x 8'are:
Mahogany , Purpleheart , Sapele

Any comments or suggestions on the selections?

Dan Wesnor · 12-10-2003, 10:10 AM

The stuff Constantines sells by the square foot is raw veneer. No backing, and sold in narrow strips, 36"x4", I think. You'll have to splice it into sheets yourself. Their veneer prices are actually pretty high for what they sell. Most other shops sell raw veneer this size off as scraps for under $1/sq. ft.

Kyle Richardson · 12-10-2003, 11:21 AM

I remember looking at Dad's Constantines catalog when I was a kid and being absolutely mesmerized by the beauty of Rosewood.

Ahhh, we can now see where Hanks fasination with rosewood began...
Most kids steal dirty magazines or Sears catalogs and are mesmerized by the women, but it sounds like Hank was a bit "different"

**HTF Ads**

Hank Frankenberg · 12-10-2003, 01:28 PM

Kyle, they kept the Sears catalogs out of my reach, so it was Dad's Popular Science, Popular Mechanics and his catalogs. I was deprived.

Cacu: There's something wrong with that Constantines Rosewood price. Dan is probably correct. Did the 4' x 8' dimension come from Constantines, or did you use that to multiply by $1.80 to come up with a price to compare with Tape-Eze? As Dan implied, un-backed veneer does not come in 4' x 8' sheets. I haven't found better pricing that Tape-Eze lately.
Regarding the Padauk, it is lighter than Rosewood when both are finished. The big difference is in color. Padauk has that orangish tint to it that some people may not like.
How do you get samples? Call 'em and ask. And ask if they sell 10-mil paper-backed veneer. They may not. Get samples from Tape-eze and then make your decision.
Mahogony is nice if you buy ribbon striped in my opinion.
Sapele, Anegre and Block Mottled Makore are gorgeous woods with an amazing 3-D chatoyance-like figure. I'm going to use one of them first chance I get. Purpleheart would be good for a small area for nice contrast against a light wood, but I haven't seen it in backed veneer form.
Get samples and apply finish to them to see what the final product will look like.

Anybody have a spare Sears catalog?

Kyle Richardson · 12-10-2003, 01:54 PM

Sorry Hank, I couldnt resist



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