Part 1
Introduction
Welcome
Veneering Basics
14 Good Reasons
Vacuum Press Uses
Vacuum Press Options
Questions & Answers ___________________
Part 2
DIY Vacuum Press Plans
Vacuum Press Chart
Project: EVS™
Project: EVS-2™
Project: V4™
Project: CRS™
Excel 1™
Excel 3™
Excel 5™
___________________
Part 3
Vacuum Bagging
Vacuum Bag Basics
Polyurethane vs. Vinyl
DIY Vacuum Bags
Connect the Bag
Bag Closures
Bag Platens
Breather Mesh 
Maintenance
DIY Frame Press
___________________
Part 4
Veneering Information
About Veneer
Veneering Glossary
Veneering Myths
Balancing a Panel
Veneer Glues
Veneering Tips
Substrate Materials
Flattening Veneers
A Sharp Veneer Saw
Jointing Veneers
Taping Veneers
Dealing with Defects
Curing Glued Panels
Veneering w/o Vacuum
Hammer Veneering
Iron-On Veneering
Veneer Storage
Amazing Bookmatches
Edgebanding Guide
Paper-Backed Veneer
   Guide
___________________
Part 5
Miscellaneous Info
Vacuum Press FAQ
Veneering FAQ 
Veneer Glue FAQ
Vacuum Forming
Vacuum Clamping Pedal
Vacuum Clamping Jigs
Vacuum Clamp Matrix
DIY Vacuum Manifold
Vacuum Press Gallery 1
Vacuum Press Gallery 2

Even the best veneers can have mild to moderate rippling. This is typically caused by areas where there is a high density of wood cells which expand and contract at a different rate than areas where the density of wood cells is less. This is especially true of crotch and burl veneers.

There's an old trick that I learned from a craftsman in Jarrettsville, Maryland for determining whether you need to flatten a veneer before you work with it in a vacuum press. Consider it a quarter's worth of free advice. You'll only need to do this trick once to learn when flattening is needed. After the first time, seeing and feeling the veneer will be enough to know if flattening is needed. Be aware that this technique does not apply to veneers that will be adhered with Heat Lock™ adhesive. For that type of glue and bonding technique, it is always best to completely flatten the veneer with Super-Soft 2™.

Get a quarter ($.25) and place it on the veneer. Move it around the veneer and look for gaps between the veneer and the coin. If any place on the veneer shows more than 1/8" of gap under it, you'll probably need to flatten the veneer. Of course, this is just a rule of thumb. You will find that exceptionally brittle veneers need to be treated with a veneer softener and flattened regardless of the gap.

Additionally, veneers that are being seamed together (using a veneer saw and veneer tape) are much easy to cut and join when they are very flat.

Veneer Softener 101
I've tried several types of softening solutions. Here's what I've found:

Fabric softener - I know there will be a large handful of readers who will say that they have used fabric softener to make veneer pliable. I won't argue this because these folks are right. It will make veneer pliable but it will also leave a residue that can catastrophically affect the bonding of the material to the substrate. It can also impact the absorbtion of some wood stains and finishes.

Water - Indeed water will have a small and short-lived effect on a veneer's flexibility. It will not condition the wood cells which is critical to getting the veneer flat without splitting. Additionally, if the water dries too fast, the veneer sheet can crack severely.

Homemade Softener - There's an old veneer softener recipe of consisting of 3 parts water, 2 parts yellow glue, 1 part vegetable glycerin (which can be found at most pharmacies), and 1 part denatured alcohol. This combination will soften veneer but it's sticky, messy, and hard to dry. It will also seal the wood cells which can have an effect on the wood's ability to accept a stain and finish. If you opt to use homemade veneer softener, you will find that glue content causes the veneer to stick to the absorbent paper. You can avoid this issue by placing a piece of fiberglass cloth between the veneer and the paper. Fiber glass cloth can be found at your local hardware store near the adhesives aisle.

Super Soft 2™ Veneer Softener - Despite its cheesy name, SS2 is by far, the most effective and user friendly veneer softener available. By temporarily plasticizing wood cells, veneers treated with Super-Soft 2 become easy to flatten and surprisingly flexible. Once dry this softener does not affect the gluing, staining, or clear-coating properties of the veneer. I've become such a fan of this veneer softener that I sell it on the VeneerSupplies.com website.

Apply by dipping, spraying, or brushing. No mixing required.

I took the picture shown on the right to give you an idea of how well Super-Soft 2 works. This image shows a madrone burl veneer that has been sprayed with veneer softener and then rolled around a pencil. There are no cracks or splits. You can probably imagine the many possibilities with complex veneering projects when it can be made this flexible.

Here is an interesting bit of information. If you get a drop of softener on your work bench and leave it there, the chemicals in SS2 will retain the water content and it won't evaporate for several days!