Marquetry Tutorial

Tools, Veneer selection & Storage
 

Tools of the trade
The basic tools needed, other than the cutters, are the following: 

* A good metal rule
* A small container of water
* A cap lid for glue
* A small craft brush
* Masking tape
* A cutting mat
* Carpenter's wood glue

...and a lot of patience.

Ordering a sample pack of various species of veneer is a good way to start. Cut larger pieces to Letter size so that you can put them in a folder with plastic sheaths, categorizing them according to color. As I mainly do small, intricate work, I usually cut a Letter size or smaller piece of the larger sheets of veneer I order to put in my folder, so that I always have them close at hand. This is a good way of keeping the sheets flat and preventing them from splitting or getting damaged.  Place larger sheets between cardboard and lay them flat.

A scraps tray is also a very handy thing to have. As I do several small projects I often find scraps that will work for the piece I am making rather than cutting little bits off my larger pieces of veneer.

As for storing large sheets of veneer, I find it best to leave them in the original packaging in which they were delivered to me. If they were rolled and not sent flat then I unroll them and place them flat between two sheets of cardboard.  Store the veneer in your house, not in a damp, cold or hot workshop or garage.

The glue I use to stick the bits of veneer together with is Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Glue.  You could use any Carpenter's yellow glue. I dilute the glue with a few drops of water so that I can spread it out thinner, not depositing as much glue on the joint at a time as with full strength.

Copyright Reserved - Created April 2000 - Greentree Creations - e-mail Jane