Hi Howard et al,
You have gotten some good practical responses, to which I have nothing meaningful to add. I've hammered very small areas of sawn veneers in doing repair work, but that hardly constitutes enough experience to give advice.
But, regarding your specific question, " ... Was 18th century sawn veneer 'hammered" or did they use some sort of press? ...", I thought it might be of some interest to quote a few sentences from Peter Nicholson's _Practical Carpentry, Joinery, and Cabinet-Making_, c. 1826. At that time, sawn veneer was clearly in use, as evidenced by a part of the text, itself:
*************
"... Veneering is the art of laying down with glue a very thin piece of wood, of a fine quality, called a veneer, upon common wood. Veneers are laid either by means of a tool called a veneering-hammer, or by cauls.
" In veneering with the hammer, the ground should be warmed at the fire, and the outside of the veneer being wetted with warm water, or thin glue, with a sponge, and the side to be laid covered with a coat of thin glue, and warmed at a fire, the veneer is to be quickly laid on the ground and worked by the hammer, and commencing at one end, work from the middle to each side till neither air nor glue will come out.
"The object of veneering is cheapness, by saving beautiful wood; otherwise it would have no advantage, for the ground, glue, and extra time, are fully equivalent to the expense of plain solid wood. Veneering with the hammer answers very well, when veneers are tolerably straight and even; but this is rarely the case with finely-figured woods, hence it is necessary to employ another method called veneering with a caul.
" ... A Caul is made out of solid wood, shaped to the surface to be veneered, and being well heated, and afterwards oiled and greased, it is screwed down upon the veneer, and by the pressure and its heat sends out the glue, causing the veneer to bed close to the ground. For curved surfaces, sometimes thin wainscot is used for cauls, and, by heat, made to bend to the crooked surface. In general, cauls of one-inch deal, keyed across to keep them straight with wainscot, are used for card-table tops.
"Various opinions are held regarding the use of cauls, but where the veneer is of a nature to admit of being laid by the hammer, we would prefer it.
"If a caul be employed, the veneer must necessarily be rendered of a very uniform thickness; or, wherever there is a thin place the glue will collect, and, consequently, the veneer be imperfectly laid, and liable to blister. In order to heat the cauls regularly and sufficiently, a large hot-plate is employed by some cabinet-makers. A hot-plate consists of a thick plate of cast-iron, with a furnace-fire below it. One heated by steam is more safe, and not liable to over-heat ... .
...
"Whether veneers be laid with the hammer, or by cauls, the superfluous glue and the air must be driven out, and the veneer prevented from rising in parts, where it had warped in seasoning; much, however, of the trouble which crooked veneers occasion might be avoided by having them kepth straight from the time of cutting till they be wanted. Veneered work should never be suffered to dry very quickly."
*******************
I'm tempted to undertake a little commentary, but have decided to let people to read it as it stands. Hope this has been of some interest. Historically, at least.
Don McConnell
Eureka Springs, AR
