Best finish

Lbob131

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Jul 18, 2012
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The image below shows  the remains  of  the top  of  an old sideboard  which  woodworm  made a meal out off. The backing timber  is a cheap  plywood  my Dad purchased  and wants me to fit  this  as a replacement.
The small piece is sanded  in one corner with 400 grit. It seems to be a layer of  very thin veneer (0.5mm  maybe)  on top  and then seems to be stained.

Can anyone advise  me on the best  choice  of timber  as a replacement  and what finish  would be best  to make a match?
In other words what would you use? Many Thanks  for reading.
woodwormpiece.png
 
Hard to tell from your pic, but it looks like mahogany ply (Luan) stained and possibly shellaced.
 
I'll have a go at it...  I'm assuming that you mean to fit this in with other remaining pieces of the top.  Or do you plan to build a new top altogether?  

One issue will be matching the thickness of any existing pieces.  This can be done by planing down a piece of hardwood or by placing layers of something under plywood to get to the thickness of the existing pieces.  If the plywood your father bought is close to the thickness of the existing pieces its as good a place to start as any.

Unfortunately, I can't advise on specific products since I am not familiar with what is available in the UK, but you might start with a stain of medium darkness.  Your dealer may have small samples at a modest price.  You will need to add tints to the stain to closely match the existing pieces.  Use small scraps of the plywood to test various mixes, keeping good records of what is in each test mixture.  You might find red, green, black, and even purple useful.  Add the tints in very small amounts.  With patience and luck, you will hit on a mixture that closely replicates the existing wood.

If you can sand down the entire top or replace the entire top, you can get by with a less exact match to the carcass than is required for a patch to the top.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
You can find out if it's shellac by putting some alcohol on a cloth, rubbing it on the finish and seeing if the cloth picks it up. I also think it looks like mahogany veneer so you could reveneer the plywood with that.

 
That would be an exercise in gel stain and sanding sealer.
 
I've tried some methylated  spirits  and yes the cloth  has picked  it up.
The old  top was a one piece  ply 8mm  thick which doesn't  exist anymore  apart from that small  square in the image.
Thanks again.
 
The top was walnut. I took  the sample to  a hardwood flooring supplier  and  the best match  was walnut.
Thanks again.
I purchased an 8x4'  sheet of  walnut  veneered 6mm  ply  and it did the job superbly.
 
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