Bake-ins...

Strange title I agree.. Also known as solid wood edging for substrates. The name probably originates from the fact that the solid wood is baked or veneered in with the rest of the substrate. Provides a solid wood surface to attach another layer of hardwood edging to the edges of the substrates. This step is in preparation for the veneering to follow. I normally use a softer, inexpensive hardwood such as poplar but in this case have gone ahead and use some of the remaining wood strips from the ambrosia maple. Once the veneer sheets are applied to these baked in substrates I will cap the horizontal edges with narrow strips of ambrosia maple.

All this to provide a strong, flat seamless surface with the illusion that the panel is a solid board of hardwood. As I mentioned earlier, since one side of these panels is ambrosia maple and the other side soft maple, the only real way to accomplish this is through veneering. The bake-ins are thicker than the substrate once I glue them to the sides, but a sharp, standard angle block plane makes quick work of bringing the surfaces to an even level. I tend to use smaller planes for these scenarios as I have much better control and can see where I am going. Planing the substrate is a no-no at this point, so I perform the planing very carefully. I might have forgotten to mention that the substrate I use is approximately 1/2 inch baltic birch... fairly stable, flat material. Sandwiching two layers of veneer around this substrate essentially creates a very flat surface. More about this later...