I call upon y'alls woodworking knowledge

[WTL]

I'm doing a casual resto of my grandfather's 69 Fleetwood, so perfect authenticity is unessesary, but relative closeness is good. 

I have good intelligence on the ground, so I believe I may be getting veneer for Christmas to redo the doors.  Not the original wood, but rather, cherry, which I think will look pretty good. 

Probably 90% of the existing 69s have had the wood ring encircling the steering wheel split, crack, pull off ect.

Does anyone know how Cadillac got their veneer to bend circularly like that?  Steam?  Soak? 

Was the original finish lacquer?  Would poly work well?

[David King (kz78hy)]

Since something close is the goal, how about using a wood grained film.  That would be fairly easy to cut a circle out of.  Maybe a apply first to a suitable substrate....heavy cardboard, or thin plywood.  Cost should not be to bad so if multiple attempts are required to get a a good one, it won't break the bank.

David

[WTL]

I previously used a vinyl sticker, actually cut in a straight line but pulled and applied as a circle.  It does work, but is probably not as durable. I have a piece of straight veneer soaking now. I will report back if I can get it to bend correctly.

[Skwerly62]

Your veneer will not be durable enough to bend without breaking. I would use the film and then coat with a thick layer of bar top epoxy. The epoxy can then be smoothed and polished if need be. It will protect the film from damage and give it depth.
Just my 2cents and experience working with veneer.

[WTL]

Yes, I think I've come to the conclusion that it's a bend that I can't make.  I might try and cut a circle out of one piece, but that's gonna be hard too. 

If that doesn't work, I will get the best film I can. 

[Lexi]

I had two '69 SDVs but cannot even picture this piece, so forgive me if I missed the point. Anyhow, when I read "wood ring", I thought that it sounds like a job for a woodworker with a wood lathe. In the absence of that, perhaps try a circle cutter that mounts in a drill press. They work well and come in various sizes that enable you to cut circles in wood (or metal) of varying diameters. There are also circle cutters designed for routers. Not sure the diameter you need, but even a pair of hole saws, one larger than the other, will cut you a 'ring'. Have used all of the above with good results to cut wooden rings, with occasional hand tooling to finish. If any of these methods are used, you can use real wood for your project and avoid veneer. Clay/Lexi

[WTL]

It's the diameter of the steering wheel, so I doubt I can find it premade.  It was the first piece of trim to deteriorate on all these cars, mine was cracked and uncomfortable, but many are just covered. 

I'm being a little unreasonable in trying to redo this one piece in wood, when my car is just a driver...but it's literally front and center so a sticker bothers me. 

This is also the year they had the horn button embedded in the rim.  That doesn't work either, and I think by 70 that feature was gone.

[Lexi]

Right... Now I see... Hole saws and drill press circle cutters are off the list as this is a large diameter project. I guess no buddies with a wood lathe either, (my first choice). A circle cutter for a router would do it. You have to make sure you take many small passes with the router when used this way. Also, if the circle cutter attachment does not have long enough threaded arms, then buy threaded stock and make your own to the length you need. Even more important to keep each pass restrictive & controlled, because the longer your circle cutter guide arms are, the more there is a tendency for the router to "mush out", or wander slightly. A pilot panel cutter bit would do the job. You would need a "waste cut" board beneath.

Once you know what thickness you need, probably best to "resaw" wood to such with a bandsaw, OR run it through a thickness planer-though 1/4" thickness may be the limit with many machine operated planers. If stock required is super thin, check a hobby shop or go the re-saw route. Prior to cutting with the router circle cutter assembly,  put glue on one of the planed (or re-sawn) sides. Lay down a sheet of paper to cover-then glue this to your waste cut board, (with the paper sandwiched in-between). You may be able to to also use double sided tape (fabric kind). Clamp for best results. After circle cutting you should have an easier time separating your cut circle from the waste board as the paper will yield. Hide glue and brown kraft paper should prevent bleed through of glue (hence separation problems). In wood turning, this is called a paper joint, and is used to facilitate the separation of two halves without cutting. Clay/Lexi

[Bobby B]

I'm doing a casual resto of my grandfather's 69 Fleetwood, so perfect authenticity is unessesary, but relative closeness is good. 

I have good intelligence on the ground, so I believe I may be getting veneer for Christmas to redo the doors.  Not the original wood, but rather, cherry, which I think will look pretty good. 

Probably 90% of the existing 69s have had the wood ring encircling the steering wheel split, crack, pull off ect.

Does anyone know how Cadillac got their veneer to bend circularly like that?  Steam?  Soak? 

Was the original finish lacquer?  Would poly work well?

I've seen some faux painters that were artists. You couldn't tell if it were real wood or painted on. Ditto for Vinyl wrap. Once the clear is on, it would be impossible to tell. Maybe this is one step that would be better left to a person who refinishes wheels. In the long run, it might be better to focus your energies on something more productive rather than wasting time and material on a tricky job better left to someone who's done it before. Sometimes the learning curve is not worth the aggravation for something you'll only do once in a lifetime. Just a thought....
                                                                                                                   Bobby
                                                                                                                         

[Lexi]

While I applaud your willingness to at least consider this as a DIY job, I am inclined to agree with Bobby's comments. Clay/Lexi

[wrench]

I am facing this dilemma myself. I have a 69 with rim blow and a 70. Both with deteriorated inlay...

One suggestion would be to select a veneer that has a contrast and piece the wood around using the lighter/darker grains as the butt ends. Sort of a mosaic out of wood.

That way you would have small pieces thy can be worked and fitted instead of one large round piece with the attendant headaches.

You may even be able to find someone who does 'marquetry' as a hobby to do this for you.

As I am typing this, I remember a friend, a Brit. Who does phenomenal work.

To me, all marquetry work is phenomenal...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquetry

[wrench]

I am facing this dilemma myself. I have a 69 with rim blow and a 70. Both with deteriorated inlay...

One suggestion would be to select a veneer that has a contrast and piece the wood around using the lighter/darker grains as the butt ends. Sort of a mosaic out of wood.

That way you would have small pieces thy can be worked and fitted instead of one large round piece with the attendant headaches.

You may even be able to find someone who does 'marquetry' as a hobby to do this for you.

As I am typing this, I remember a friend, a Brit. Who does phenomenal work.

To me, all marquetry work is phenomenal...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquetry

As a matter of fact, if you could digitize the dimensions of the inlay of the wheel, you could fabricate small individual pieces out of wood or plastic and sell them as kits.

A sort of cottage industry and either sell them or donthe inlays yourself as a subcontractor.

[WTL]

I'm still building up to doing this, I have filled the gap created by the delaminated wood with Bondo and sanded. 

I havent quite decided yet, but I will definitely do it myself.  I have some background in art so even painting wouldn't scare me, but I think there might be other options. 

One idea is get a square piece of veneer, probably about 24" square, and measure and get the exact size of the circle I need, then just cut it out with a razor in one big circle.  The grain wont go around, but maybe I could do burl anyway.  Its wood, its getting pretty close. 

The other is, as mentioned, the ever present vinyl stickers.  I do get that some are really good, and if hidden under thicker poly, it would be really hard to tell the difference. 

There is one other aspect I havent considered, and that is, in addition to the original wood ring, it seemed to be encircled by a gold or bronze type effect.  I think that would look good, maybe if I gold leafed that, then placed the wood ring on top of that.  All together, if I can get that all really close without making a mess, I think I would be satisfied.