Dear learned Seals, especially woodworking seals. Can you guide me towards which wood I should be using to block in a little of the side shelf on our P275 so I can add a second switch panel?

I’ve a feeling the panels are veneered plywood. Searching online I find veneered plywood for sale but am struggling to know which veneer to use.

Here’s a photo of what I have already. The orange colour comes from the varnish. Thanks for your advice.

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Hi Ken,
I think the plywood used was veneered with Teak, shame we are not able to contact Bruce Parker to ask him! However when I made a new Instrument panel I used a fairly light coloured plywood and stained it with a water based teak stain (Liberon Palette Wood Dye). I then gave it a coat of water based quick drying varnish to seal the surface before a coat of proper varnish. I find if you apply the proper varnish direct it tends to darken the finish, whereas the quick drying varnish doesn't and seals the surface. The result matches the original woodwork perfectly. If you are going to Fareham in a couple of weeks I will show you!

Peter (Zephyr P235)

Hi Peter. Many thanks for your advice. I going to follow it to the letter and forget about veneer. I do plan to be at the Fareham rally and may be able to show you the results by then. Cheers and thanks!

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Hi Ken, what size is the piece you wish to veneer? I have some rolls of teak veneer and may be able to help you out if it is not too large a piece. To stick it down, I use aliphatic resin glue, a water-based glue that is water impervious once set but more importantly is heat activated, so you cover both surfaces that are going to be stuck to each other, let the film of glue dry and then iron the surfaces together. It's what is used I believe, on iron-on teak trim edging. Putting a film on both surfaces makes for a much stronger bond.

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Hi Martin. Many thanks for your generous offer and good advice. I’m looking to make a panel a bit less than 300 x 300 mm. Following Peter’s suggestion, I’m just about to try the teak stain he recommended as I already have the materials. If that doesn’t work well I will switch tracks and have a go at a veneer approach. Thanks again - Ken

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Hi Folks. I thought I should follow up with the outcome. I chose to use plywood and the teak Liberon Palette Wood Dye suggested by Peter of Zephyr. While the shade is subtlety different, it is more than close enough to make me very happy. It’s really easy to use and I have enough dye left to treat about another thousand panels.

With the additional wood panel and instruments alongside the main panel, the new setup is highly functional and takes up less space than the lash up I had before.

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