Reid,
The answer to your why question is that plywood (especially marine
grade) is much more apt to retain its shape when exposed to the great
outdoors, as Spitfire dashboards are prone to be. The layers are laid
in opposing directions and thus keep the warpage at a minimum because
each ply tends to counter the stress of the adjacent ones. On solid
wood, the grain plays an important roll in how the wood will adapt to
moisture and the sun. Woods that have a tight grain (like mahogany)
won't tend to warp as bad, but others such as maple, walnut, etc. have
distinct grain patterns and warpage and contraction will follow those
lines leading to the wood checking or cracking over time.
So, If you intend to use a solid piece, select the pieces very carefully
to have as straight and tight of a grain as possible. And finish it on
both sides to keep moisture from attacking the wood from the back.
Good Luck!
Joe
"Simmons, Reid W" wrote:
>
> Question: Why use veneer at all? I plan to use a single piece of solid
> hardwood. The existing dash panels can be used as templates to lay out the
> three piece pattern, and then careful, patient use of a jig saw and drill
> should produce excellent results. Add to that some hand rubbing and a
> quality finish, and you'll make the Rolls Royce and Jag owners jealous. The
> only "hard" part I suppose is deciding which hardwood to use... Teak, Burl,
> Walnut, ...
>
> Reid
> '79 Spitfire
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ray Bryant [mailto:photoray@flash.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 1999 9:14 PM
> To: Eric A. Yates; spitfires@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: Wooden dash refinishing
>
> Eric,
> I just finished redoing my dash and it looks great. The veneer was bad on
> my dash so I couldn't just strip and redo. Here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth
> area I was able to find a lumber yard which had a good selection of veneers.
> I chose Birdseye Maple. If you have to re-veneer be sure to scrape the old
> veneer off first and fill any holes that the DPO may have drilled. Gluing
> the veneer on is easy, but trimming the edges is a little harder. I used a
> Dremal tool with a router table. Take your time, don't get in a hurry.
> After the holes and edges are cut out you should sand out all of the dents
> in the surface. You can use any stain. Just take some scrap veneer to Home
> Depot and test some colors until you find what you like. After you stain
> the wood, don't forget to label the lights, flashers, brakes etc. I went to
> an art supply store and bought a sheet of rub on lettering. I'm not very
> good with a brush, so I chose to use a spray on Polyurethane.
> Good luck,
> Ray
>
> >
> >
> >Hello all,
> >
> >I began what I had hoped would be the simple task of replacing my
> >Spitfire's wooden dash with better-looking (but not perfect) pieces from a
> >parts car, and now that I realize what a tremendously large pain in the
> >butt it is to remove the three dash panels, I think it might be best to
> >take my old wood panels and refinish them so I'll have a perfect dash when
> >I'm done. My question is:
> >
> >What finish should I use to get the right color and texture for my dash? Is
> >there a product out there that will be a perfect color match? I have no
> >experience with staining or finishing wood, so this is something totally
> >new to me. What steps should I take to strip/prep the wood? How do I do it?
> >Thanks in advance.
> >
> >Eric.
> >
> >
> >-----
> >Eric Yates
> >eyates@enteract.com
> >1978 Spitfire 1500 FM 71614 U
> >Chicago, IL USA
> >
--
"If you can't excel with talent, triumph with effort."
-- Dave Weinbaum in National Enquirer
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