"Figured" wood is the new platinum? Dash repair.

[Richard48Y]

Looking for a project I may do inside the house I returned to the dashboard.
I have some Wavy Birdseye Maple veneer I would like to use but it may have an incompatible backing for dash use.
In any case I will have to match it in the middle to use it.

I am going to cut new plywood as my original is failing between layers.
This does give me a chance to add a glove box door and to cut the radio opening specifically for my vintage Blaupunkt Berlin.

A single piece of veneer is easier to work with.
On looking most of what is offered comes 4'x8' sheets and the truly figured woods are around a thousand dollars a sheet!
Since a Europa dash is only 1'x4' they are just a wee bit expensive.
I did find 2'x4'  at around a hundred dollars but the selection is a bit thin.
This would let me do two dashes, or make two attempts.

I've already invested in the tools and adhesive.
Anyone have an otherwise sound dash that just needs a new face layer?
I may be able to offer a heck of a deal.

[BDA]

Since there are those who are waiting for me to say this, and I don't want to disappoint, remember to finish/seal all the edges and the back so moisture cannot attach the plywood or the attachment of the veneer.

I know nothing about woodworking except what I was told and the guy who used to operate under the name of Prestige Autowood (unfortunately he's retired now because I think he makes the finest wood dashes) told me that's what he did. My dash is about 25 years old and it looks like the day I got it about twenty five years ago.

[Richard48Y]

One more item where the quality today has been reduced. 
My old dash was Eight layers plus the face veneer.
Marine grade today is only four layers.
Even the 3/8" "Aircraft grade" is only five.

[Pfreen]

I bought mine for my tiger from https://www.veneersupplies.com/.  It was a large enough ton veneer the whole dashboard in one piece.

For my Europa, I think I bought it from ebay.  It was veneer mounted on cloth backing and matched in the middle.  The match in the middle is not too noticeable.  I made a new piece of plywood out of marine plywood.  I painted the back and edges to keep the moisture out.  I used the old crumbly dash as a pattern.  I did add a glovebox door.  It's not that simple to make so that it doesn't stick.  I used I think a Triumph TR4 lock and hinges.

I used two-part marine varnish to finish.  Regular spar vanish takes forever to dry and shrinks before you can finish sand and polish.

Good luck..  It's a very rewarding project.

BTW, I did it 7 years ago, and it still looks brand new.

It's a fun project.

[Bryan Boyle]

One more item where the quality today has been reduced. 
My old dash was Eight layers plus the face veneer.
Marine grade today is only four layers.
Even the 3/8" "Aircraft grade" is only five.

Your old dash was made from baltic birch plywood, which uses thinner layers and a stronger glue to fuse the panels and is frequently used for furniture rather than sheeting for building walls due to its stability and strength (more layers for a given thickness).  If you look at a fine piece of furniture, (not from Bob's Discount or Ashley...but Ethan Allen or Thomasville) you'll see that where they may use ply, the layers are less than a mm thick and there are a lot more of them.

Using just plain plywood from the orange store may work for a while...but, if you use what was originally used in the car, it will last longer (as well as seal the back and openings to block moisture ingress, which is what caused the panel to fail in the first place.  That and leaving it out in the sun, leaky windows, etc.).

Here's more:
https://www.woodworkerssource.com/blog/woodworking-101/tips-tricks/your-ultimate-guide-to-baltic-birch-plywood-why-its-better-when-to-use-it/

[GavinT]

In the old days, good quality marine ply was made from layers 1/16' thick if I recall. I think Baltic Birch is the same but with slightly thinner face plies. Both of these are made using waterproof glue and that's the part that matters. But more plies equals more expensive and Birch from Russia is now understandably scarce and prices have shot through the roof . . pardon the pun.
I can't remember how thick the Europa dash is (?).

My dash was cracked as happens to many but the underlying ply seemed OK so I just applied some new veneer with epoxy and finished it with two-pack polyurethane marine spar varnish. It still looks as good as the day it was done.

I went for a veneer more or less like the original. The burl walnut etc. suits the more upmarket TCS better IMHO. I know my place . . 

[BDA]

Don’t sell you or your baby short, GavinT!

[gideon]

I got some 1/2-inch mahogany faced decorative marine ply shipped from Boulter Plywood in Medford, Massachusetts.  It has 9 plies, same as the original, but is slightly thicker.  The face plies are the same thickness as the rest, while the original has thinner face plies.

https://www.boulterplywood.com/

[Richard48Y]

Knock me down with a feather!
My local lumber supply has 3/8" Baltic Birch in stock, no shipping.
I'm guessing only because we are so rural that it is left over from a couple of years ago.
Most of the on-line stores are out of it.
5'x5' so I will certainly have enough to do four dashes.

[jbcollier]

Baltic birch is commonly used in kitchen cabinetry.  Should be modestly readily available pretty much any where.

[Richard48Y]

I wound up with two pre-finished (Clear lacquer) "Drawer sides" at $22.00 each.
A little longer than needed but no hassle cutting up a large sheet.
I will sand the side I intend to veneer.
Now waiting on a base for my router and working on setting up an inside work space.
No need for a spare bedroom, so draping some cover over the carpet until I have time to replace it with a better floor.

[MAK]

What thickness of veneer did everyone use? 

[Richard48Y]

If I get to use it what I have in hand is paper-thin Birdseye Maple with a Wavy grain.
I finished a small sample and only fear that the 3D effect may be lost in the dimness of the closed Europa cabin.
If I do have to buy something else I will get it a little thicker since the Europa dash is so flat there are no worries over contouring.

[GavinT]

What thickness of veneer did everyone use?

Good question.

Once upon a time, veneer thickness (or thinness) was more or less constrained by the machinery of the time. These days, veneers are also offered in very thin forms and some are paper backed. Worth noting that much of todays production is aimed at markets consuming large quantities of veneer for the manufacture of panels using the very uniform 'engineered boards' as the substrate (like MDF).

For the home gamer doing a dashboard, there won't be much room for sanding if using 1/64" paper backed veneers. This is a worthwhile question for the veneer supplier as there's likely very few people using traditional hide glue. Remember too that the interior of a Europa on a hot day is very different from the environment envisaged for Aunt Edna's chiffonier.

But I reckon, with some forethought, one could get away with a paper backed veneer provided you planed the ply flat and I recall Richard is proposing to vacuum bag the dash, so that all reduces the risk factors.

Pic of Aunt Edna attached for reference.

[Fotog]

Just a couple of additions here:
1.  I can't imagine that the original plywood was 'marine plywood', given that the glues were water soluble.
2.  I veneered mine in 1989, and the veneer was paper backed.  I'd say the thickness was 'normal' :-)  It's still pretty good, but sat in the garage for almost all of those 34 years.  I did it with Weldwood contact cement, but I'm not sure what I'd use today.  I wish I had thought more about the condition of the plywood at the time though.  I didn't seal the back, and I don't know to what extent the plies are falling apart.  They are indeed coming apart in the bottom area where the dash extends to the tunnel.  I've re-glued some of that back together.  Epoxy is a wonderful thing.  I use 5-minute stuff often.  After a day when it's fully cured it's almost as strong as long-cure epoxy.  And for most applications super high-strength isn't needed.