Hi,
I’m building a cradle from cherry wood for some close friends which are about to have a baby. The cradle is built from four solid wood sides and a plywood bottom. The sides will be attached to each other using angled dovetails. As part of the design I want to add my own marquetry work on one of the cradle’s sides. Seeing I am using dovetails and shaping the sides in a irregular shape on the top I was planning on building the cradle from solid wood. The maquetry manual I own suggests always attaching veneers to plywood or MDF. What would be the right way to glue the veneer to a solid wood panel? Will the movement of the wood panel pose a problem? Should I veneer the other side of the panel for balance as is done with plywood?
Another question I have has to do with design. I want the maquetry to be an integral part of the piece meaning I would have to cut it out of the full size veneer which will be glued to the side of the cradle. However that size a veneer is much to big to work with my fret saw. Is it possible to cut out a smaller part from the full veneer do the marquetry work on it and then reattach it to the piece it was cut out of, without the cut being visible? Is there any other way of getting around this problem (other then doing the marquetry using a knife which I really do no want to do as I am much more skilled with the fret saw)?
Thanks allot,
much appreciate it,
Hallel.
Edited 1/31/2009 5:32 pm ET by hallels
Replies
Hallels,
Thank you for your question. I am forwarding it to John White.
Sincerely,
Gerald La Starza
Fine Woodworking
Hallel,
The reason that mdf or plywood is recommended is that wood movement is likely to cause problems with a solid core. In marquetry, the veneers will usually have the grain running in every direction. So, some of them are glued cross grain with the core. These are likely to crack due to seasonal wood movement. You also asked about a balancing veneer. I would recommend it, because the veneer is still going to pull as it dries after pressing. Do you feel lucky? One possibility would be to apply the marquetry to an mdf core and then inlay that core into the side of the cradle, staying away from the edges where you plan to cut joinery. (Yes, you will still need a balancing veneer it that case)
Are you familiar with the process of bookmatching veneers? You create joint lines in that case which are tight, but still visible due to the changing grain patterns. You can use the same process with marquetry. Create your background veneer using however many segments you need to stay within your fret saw size limitations. Tape it together with blue tape on the glue side. Apply your artwork to the show surface, cut along the veneer joint, and then cut the portion of your marquetry on each panel. You can then join them back together with blue tape on the glue side. When you are satisfied with the alignment, apply veneer tape on the show side and remove the blue tape. You are ready for pressing.
I hope this is helpful. I will be glad to handle any follow up questions.
Good luck, Tom.
very helpful indeed. thanks allot,
Hallel.
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