In the picture you will see the following items:
If you approach the start of your career in marquetry, you will
probable purchase a kit that is available from a local supplier
or hobby center, or by mail order from a number of veneer distributors.
(I have a list in the reference section). The kit will usually
include the pattern, the veneer selection, possibly the mounting
board and possible some glue.
The pattern will show you the outline of the picture, and the
photograph on the front of the package will show you the basic
color of the finished picture. The pattern will also indicate
which veneer to use and the direction to place the grain. The
pattern should have an index referring the veneers in the kit.
This is seem very much like painting by numbers, if you have
seen or experienced this form of painting before.
The carbon paper is used to transfer the outline of the piece
of veneer that you want to cut next, on to the veneer piece.
The carbon paper can also be used to transfer the whole of the
outline to the mounting board (if that is not already done), so
that you can place the pieces on the board as you cut them.
There are several different methods for cutting and placing the
pieces in to the piece. I won't go into too much detail here
as we discuss the tool requirements. However, it is important
to realize that the most common method requires that the individual
pieces of veneers be joined together with the clear adhesive tape.
The tape is also useful to put on the veneer before cutting so
it stop the veneer from cracking and breaking up as you try to
cut the shape.
Obviously the pencils are required for the drawing over the outline.
A H2 (hard) pencil is recommended so that you get a fine clear
line appearing on the veneer, plus you won't leave a pencil mark
that is likely to rub and smear the pattern too much. The straight
edge or steel ruler is required for drawing and cutting straight
lines. As you learn to use the knife more and more you will require
the ruler less and less. Use a steel edge though, a wooden ruler
will wear down too quickly as you slip and cut it with the knife.
With the kit, you will usually get the veneer piece to complete
the picture with a boarder (like the matting/frame of a picture
or photograph). You may have to use the ruler to cut these pieces
as they will be long and straight.
The knife I use nearly all the time is seen in the photograph.
It is sometimes referred to as an X-acto knife. It is the pencil
type with a knurled sleeve which tightens the chuck which holds
the blades. In time you may build up a set of knives that have
different sharpness and different uses depending on the shape
and the veneer being used. But to get started you only need the
one.
Blades there are a number of different shapes available, but
the one that I use nearly all the time is the #11. It is thin,
sharply pointed, and tapered. Again as you gain more experience
you may find yourself turning to other blades, however, when getting
started this is the one you will use all the time. Some marqueterians
suggest that you sharpen the blade as is used and becomes blunt.
There are small oil sharpening stones available for this purpose.
I must confess that in all the years I have been cutting veneers
for pictures, I have never sharpened my blade. I will buy my
blades in packets of 100 and replace the one I am using as soon
as I feel that it is dull, or when the point breaks so that the
point is no longer sharp.
Cutting board you have several choices; the first is that you
can cut the veneers on the face of the mounting board. After
all you are going to glue the veneers once they are all cut and
joined together. Plus the cuts in the mounting board actually
helps with the bonding process between the glue, the veneers and
the board. However, this choice does depend on the material supplied
with the kit. If it is the 'chip' or particle board, I would
not recommend using it as the cutting board. If the surface of
particle board has too many cuts and scratches in it, you will
see little piece of the particle board begin to flake of and this
can result in a hole that could make the final surface of the
picture appear uneven.
I have always used a piece of plywood both for cutting and for
mounting. The best kind of plywood I found for this is beach
plywood. It is very firm and semi-hard. Pine is too soft and
can be very uneven, even knotty. Oak is too hard and heavy.
Again as you become more experienced you will discover what you
like to work with best. There is a special material available
that is used as a cutting mat. It is mainly used for cutting
fabric with a similar type of knife. The property that this special
material has, is that knife marks disappear, the material seems
to 'heal' itself. It is possible to use this kind of mat, although
I have no experience with them at the moment. I recently bought
one to experiment with, however, I must admit that they are expensive,
depending on the size. I will report back sometime in the future
on how my experimentation goes.
For pictorial marquetry, until recently, marqueters were recommending
that you use particle board to mount the picture on. The main
reason for this being that eventually, after 5, 10, 20 years,
the veneer and the mounting board will begin to warp. To over
come this, it has always been recommended that the reverse side
of a picture also be veneered. This helps to counteract the stress
forces acting on the picture. As time has gone on and the wood
industry developed the particle board, marqueterians turned to
using this as a mounting board because of it's greater resistance
to warping. When making pictures 3/8" or ½" seemed
to be most suitable. Of course it was still recommended that
both sides be finished with veneers. You will notice in the kit
that you purchased that there maybe a large piece of not so good
looking veneer. This is usually for the back of your picture.
If the kit does not supply enough veneer to back your picture,
do not despair, it takes years for the warping to occur. If you
continue with marquetry, you will build up your own supply of
veneers including waste that can be used to back your first couple
of pictures.
More recently another kind of board has become available for mounting
pictures, the MDF board. This is medium dense fiber board.
I show a picture of MDF along side a piece of birch plywood to help
you see the difference. This is real heavy 'wood' and very resistant
to warping and therefore is the recommended choice today. You
will still have to veneer all around, but you will be assured
that you picture will remain 'flat' for many, many years to come.
I would have to think the only negative about MDF is it's weight.
If you ever make a picture that is extra large then you may have
to use ¾" or even 1", you will have a hard time
lifting the finished piece. When you compare this to an oil paining
on canvas, it becomes a big negative; transportation, handing,
and mounting in place on a wall!!
There is a debate about what kind of framing a piece of marquetry
should be finished with. Some people argue that the picture should
be framed only with veneers as mentioned above (they too are usually
supplied with a kit). This results in a flat frame finish, similar
to block mounting a picture. Notice that this means the edges
of the mounting board are veneered as well. Others argue that
if the subject matter of the picture is complimented or enhanced
by a molded frame, then a molded frame can be used. The one advantage
when using a molded frame is that you don't have to veneer the
sides or even the back. The frame will add to the rigidity and
help reduce the amount of warping. However, it is still advisable
from a perfectionist's point of view that the sides and back be
veneered!
You can now get started on a picture. Cut each piece and join
the pieces together with the clear adhesive tape. Once you have
the whole picture cut out then you will start to worry about how
to glue it to the mounting board and how to finish it off.
The basic tools I use to finish a picture are shown in the photograph.
The thing that you will probably notice first are the tins of
contact gel and Varathane, but I will discuss these in a moment.
In the picture you will see the following items:
By the time you reach this stage you are probably quite anxious
to see the finished picture, please have (more) patience. It
has taken you a long time to reach this stage, but you don't want
to spoil the picture by rushing the finish. The finishing of the picture
is as important as the cutting of the veneers. A badly finished
piece of marquetry is not worth looking at. It takes time to
develop the necessary skills to finish a piece properly, but it
is what is seen first. It is only after the viewer has
been attracted by the impact of the image which is felt through
the quality of the finish, and after experiencing an appreciation for the
natural, exotic, rare and expensive look of all the different
veneers, that the viewer questions how it was done.
It is only then that the viewer begins to
appreciate how much time went in to the selection, cutting, and
the piecing together of all the different veneers.
You have the veneer picture all stuck together with clear tape.
The mounting board is to hand. There are many different ways
in which they can be bonded together. I will tell you about the
tools that I use to perform this. There is another section and
many reference books that describe the other methods. I use
contact gel. Gel, because it is
most easy to use and to spread. If you
have ever used the liquid version before, you will just love the
way the gel handles. I apply it to both surfaces and repeat it
if necessary. It takes a number of pictures before you know how
much to apply. If you don't apply enough, then all the veneers
won't bond, so later you will have to try and fix it by working
more glue under the surface after the rest of the veneers have
stuck. Mind you I think this is preferable to putting to much
glue on the surfaces. If you put too much glue on, then you will
fined that the excess glue will work its way between the joints
and out the edges. You will have quite a mess to clean up and
it can cause the joints in you work to show more than necessary.
I like this kind of glue for a number of reasons; the first is
that once contact is made the veneers are stuck, so there is no
need for clamping. Having enough clamps, or a big enough clamp
can be an added expense. The second reason is that if you can
gauge it so that the right amount of glue is used, then the join
lines become almost invisible. And the third reason as I mentioned
before is because it is a gel. I use a normal putty/filler scraper
to apply the gel to both surfaces. It usually gives me a good
even spread of glue all over the surfaces.
I then place the veneer on the mounting board. This is where
you have to be very careful because once the veneer is laid down
you can not move it, so you have to get it in the right place
the first time. This can prove difficult and although I have
not used it myself, you can use a slipsheet between the two surfaces,
which you then pull out, when in place. Wax paper can be used
for this as the contact cement does not bond with it.
Once the veneer is stuck to the mounting board the roller is then
used to ensure that all parts of the veneer has made contact with
the board. It also helps in spreading the glue evenly and forcing
the excess glue between the joins and the outer edges. Now most
of the joints will be sealed with the clear tape which will hold
the excess glue in. This is one of the reasons why you want to
develop the skill of putting the right amount of glue on the first
time.
When you are satisfied that the veneer has bonded with the mounting
board you can begin the process of removing the clear tape from
the surface of the veneer. Some people scrape it all off. I
use the point of my knife to pick it all off. Sometimes, particularly
if you start this too soon, the glue has not completely set and
some of the small pieces of veneer may lift up. But you don't
want to leave the tape on the surface too long as you don't know
what is happening underneath it. One thing you want to do is
remove any excess glue. Another is that a small piece may not
be glue properly at all. I usually start removing the tape about
2 hours after gluing the veneers.
When all the tape is remove, I will roll the surface again just
to make sure that complete contact is made and any excess glue
is removed. I will then leave the picture over night to complete
the bonding process.
The following day I begin sanding the surface to remove all the
excess dried glue and to smooth the surface down. This is when
you would use the different grades of sand paper until you reach
the stage when you will require the steel wool. One thing that
I do is get a lint free type of material as a cleaning rag. I
wet it lightly. Then use it to wipe the surface of the veneers.
This does a number of things for me; first it bring out the colors
of the woods and shows up any marks or dried sections of glue.
The second thing it does is it picks up any dust from between
the joints. And thirdly, it will raise any lose fibers on the
veneers so they can be sanded off next time. I tend to do this
several times in between sanding.
Once the sanding operation is complete the first coats of varnish
can be applied. I have used many different type of finishing
over the years from a plan wax to French polish. I currently
use the water based varnish (one brand that is know in North America
goes by the name of Varathane) I use either a gloss or satin
finish depending on the picture. I start with a number of very
light coats. I let it dry and then sand lightly with the steel
wool. I do this a number of times over a number of days. Eventually,
when there are sufficient coats of varnish, I will be rubbing
the surface with my now dry cloth just before applying the next
coats of varnish. You can put on as many coats of this water
based varnish as you want. I usually look for the stage when
all the joints are filled and all the grains on the surface of
the veneers are filled, so that there is a perfectly smooth surface.
Recently I have turned to using the foam brushes
At this point you have now finished you marquetry picture and
it can be hung on the wall. You will need to attach the type
of hanging hardware that you will be using which can be the same
as for a normal picture.
The more pictures you make the more you will develop you skills at doing
Marquetry. At this stage you may want to consider purchasing
some or all of the following items. If you have them available
before starting with Marquetry there is nothing to stop you from
using them. It is just if you don't have them you won't want
to spend the money until you know if you are committed to doing
Marquetry or not.
The photograph shows some of the more advances tools that can
be utilized in the making of a Marquetry picture.
The knife set will give you more versatility when it comes
cutting various pieces of veneers and cleaning up before polishing.
The set will also include a pair of tweezers for holding the
veneer pieces as they are being sand shaded. Remember the possibility
of purchasing the blades by the hundreds.
The green board is the special cutting mat that 'heals'
itself. It can be used in conjunction with the roller cutting
knife which is used to cut fabric. This can be useful when
cutting 'stringers' or long straight piece of veneer such as the
frame boarders.
After cutting and before taping the pieces of veneers it may be
necessary to sand shade the piece. I won't go in to details here
but sufficient to say that the fine white sand and flat
pan can be used to perform the sanding operation. There are
different ways of sanding veneers but I have found that by heating
the thin layer of sand in the bottom of a flat pan that most shading
effects can be achieved.
The photo shows a special hand roller for pressing the
veneers down after gluing with contact cement. This is a specialty
tool, although it performs the same function as the original roller.
It does have a better roller and it is easier to apply pressure
more evenly over all the picture.
More recently I have started to use the rotary palm sander
for cleaning and smoothing the surface of the picture. It has
many advantages apart from the fact that it does a good job of
sanding smooth and flat. It has a dust extractor which real works
well. It sucks the dust of the surface of the veneer as it is
created. This real helps in avoiding the dust from the different
veneers contaminating other veneers particularly dust from dark
ones discoloring the light ones. It too requires some experience,
veneers are thin to start with 1/16" to 1/20", with
the electric sander there is a tendency to over sand and end up
going through the veneer exposing the mounting board underneath.
Although this is not desirable and it takes experience to avoid
it happening, it is not necessary the end of the project, it is
possible to 'restore' the picture by removing and replacing the
over sanded pieces.
Buffing Pad attachment for electric drill
helps in the final stages of finishing a picture. It is used to produce
a highly polished finish to the picture.
Finally as you progress further with marquetry you may wish to
invest in a wide selection of veneers. See the photographs of
the different veneers. Several veneer suppliers offer identified
veneer sets. These sets contain sample of some of the different
veneers that are available. They are label with their identifying
names. You can use these to identify veneers or to select veneers
for a special project.
As I mentioned there are many different ways in which marquetry
can be performed. I have mentioned just some of the tools required.
If you have access to them you will find that you will be able
to complete most marquetry projects. The other methods and tools
will be discussed in other section of these page and referenced
in books that are readily available.
The Basic Tools required to start a Marquetry Piece
The basic tools I use are shown in the photograph beside. You
will notice that I don't include a saw as I started out using
only the knife method. There are a number of reasons for using
a straight saw and a fret saw, but that we will talk about some
other day.
The Basic Tools required to finish a Piece of Marquetry
Advanced Tools for making a Marquetry Picture