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Clamping Caul: Zinc Plate with a Pine Backing Board (Adamson, 1889)
A caul spreads clamping pressure evenly over glued work. D. Adamson (1889) prefers zinc for veneering cauls because it lasts longer than wood: a plate 1/8 to 1/4 in. thick (1/8 in. is enough), with a loose backing board of sound pine about 1 in. thick that keeps it flat and holds its heat.
Only the zinc is warmed; the pine backing goes on cold.
Source: D. Adamson, "Practical Veneering", Work, 5 October 1889, pp. 453-455.
Beginner
Unknown
Instructions
1
1
Read Adamson
Read Adamson
"Perhaps as a general thing the zinc is usually preferred of from 1/8 in. to 1/4 in. in thickness, the former being quite sufficient for ordinary purposes. ... Even with a zinc caul a backing of wood is necessary to keep it flat down to the work, and to prevent the heat from dispersing too rapidly."
2
2
Cut the zinc
Cut the zinc
Cut a zinc plate 1/8 in. thick (1/8 to 1/4 in. is usual; too thin does not hold the heat, thicker is only waste), large enough to cover the surface to be pressed and lying flat. Length and width are set by the work (not given). How it is cut is not given (ours: tin snips).
Materials for this step:
Zinc Sheet1 1/8 in.Tools needed:
Tin Snips
Unknown Dimensions3
3
Make the backing board
Make the backing board
Cut a backing board of good sound pine about 1 in. thick, the size of the zinc, and plane it flat so it keeps the zinc flat down to the work (ours: plane and straightedge).
Materials for this step:
Pine Board1 about 1 in. thickTools needed:
Woodworking Saw
Hand Plane
Straightedge4
4
Use it
Use it
Warm the zinc only (not so hot that it cannot be comfortably handled), lay it over the veneer with a sheet of slightly greased paper between, put the cold pine board on top, and screw down the hand-screws evenly until the glue oozes out at the edges. Leave it until the zinc is cold, an hour or two.
Tools needed:
ClampsMaterials
2- 1 1/8 in.Placeholder
- 1 about 1 in. thickPlaceholder
Tools Required
6- Placeholder
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