Exploring Traditional Marquetry Techniques

        One of the classic ways to elevate the intricacy and intrigue of a woodworking project is to incorporate marquetry. Marquetry is a decorative technique involving the cutting and re-assembling of thin pieces of wood to form various designs. My class spent around 1 month learning this and other traditional techniques, culminating in a personal project that applied what we learned.

Historical Influence
        
        Marquetry dates back to ancient Egypt, but really flourished in 17th & 18th century France. André-Charles Boulle & Jean-François Oeben, both Premier Ébéniste du Roi (First Cabinetmaker to the King), were two furniture makers who's level of technical skill and complexity is mind boggling to behold. 

(Left) Boulle Era Box Circa 1707
(Right) Rococo / Oeben Era Box Circa 1760

        Its no small wonder why the furniture they produced for the royal family and court popularized intricate, floral marquetry that influenced furniture makers for centuries afterwards. I decided to make a trinket box with marquetry and inlay banding loosely inspired by Oeben-era marquetry (also called Rococo), which is perhaps best known for creating natural, asymmetrical motifs.

From 'WoodArchivist

The French Marquetry Way
       
        The basic method of creating a marquetry picture is to stack multiple veneers (often of contrasting colors) on top of one another, cut out desired shapes, then re-assemble cutouts from different layers into the negative cutout space of a single background layer.

        French cabinetmakers would use materials like brass, pewter, and tortoiseshell (amongst wood veneers) to make their marquetry packets, whereas today we typically only use wood veneers, since they can be obtained in many exotic species, or pre-dyed in vibrant colors.

 

Making a Layout & Marquetry Packet

(Left) Layout
(Right) Finished Product

        Behind the contrasting wood veneers of the bird, I'm using a sycamore veneer I found in my school's shop. I chose it because of the natural gap in the wood's figure at the center, which I thought would act as a natural framing for the birds.

        After laying out the orientation of the birds using paper cutouts I then make a packet of multiple same-sized veneer layers, cutting them in varying grain orientation. I tried to orient the layers so that the grain on the wings would point in different directions (like feathers) based upon each wing's position.

Orienting the Veneers and Taping the Packet

Using the Fretsaw to Cut the Veneer Packet         
        
        Once the packet is made, I make a small hole that I can slip a blade through to begin the cut. Today, most marquetry is done using a scroll saw, which is a stationary tool with an electric saw that moves up and down very quickly to produce a thin cut. Historically, marquetry was done using a fretsaw (the manual version) which I also decided to use because of the better control over speed and position when cutting tight corners. The down side is that you can only hold your piece with one hand and that it takes much longer to cut.

         Because the birds overlap, I begin by cutting the bird that I want to be 'behind' the other in the picture. Once I place the cut-out components into the background I use veneer tape to hold them in place, then make a second packet for the bird in the foreground.

 
Sand Shading the Components

         An intermediate step between cutting out the picture components and taping into the background is to add a bit of sand shading. Sand Shading is a technique to add depth to marquetry pictures by slightly charring the wood veneers in hot sand. Here, I'm trying to give the impression of a feathery underbelly, as well as to make the bird less 2 dimensional (or flat) by shading the transition between the main body and wings.

Sand Shading Before & After

Assembling and Gluing Onto A Substrate

2nd Cutout Before & After Placement

        Once both birds are shaded and taped into place, all that's left is to apply some PVA glue to my mdf substrate, then place it and the marquetry picture in the hot press for 4 minutes to bond.

        Historically, cabinetmakers would use animal hide glues which had to be heated before use, allowing them to dry via a cooling and evaporating process. Hide glue never cures, meaning you can re-heat and re-hydrate it to take apart joinery later on, unlike PVA glue. The benefit of PVA glue, however, is that it's much quicker to use, and can be more easily used in vacuum presses and veneer presses, amongst other reasons.

(Left & Middle) Placing into Veneer Press with Dummies (For Equal Pressure)
(Right) Veneer Tape Removed and Sanded

        When making the box, I ran a groove into the side for the marquetry lid to sit in. I also made another veneered mdf panel for the bottom of the box. I finished the box with Danish Oil.

Completed Marquetry Lid & Box