Arron
25th August 2014, 08:10 PM
This is the first of 3 (hopefully) posts I am going to do on quick and simple marquetry. The idea being that not many people are interested in learning marquetry in full, but there are always times when we would like add some embellishment or personalisation to something we have made. This one is about doing a veneer star.
In this case its a simple design. I generally like simple design - my wife and I think that we may be modern-day shakers who were somehow switched at birth. This star has only 32 elements in 8 groups, but if you dont follow my less-is-more aesthetic then you could make it as complicated as you like, or use the same technique for anything geometric - maybe a clock face. It could embellish a box, drawer fronts or even a table top. Its basically easy to do because there are no curves and no freehand cutting.
For this project you will need just simple tools - knife, masking tape, straightedge, PVA glue. Of course you will also need a press to firmly fix the finished marquetry to whatever substrate you use. You can use clamps and cauls, or spend a bit of time making a veneer press. I have several quick-operating presses made from scrap iron, cauls made from kitchen benchtop offcuts, and automotive scissor jacks which I buy at the local markets. I also note that some members of this forum are getting good results using manually operated vacuum bag presses.
You will also need veneer. In this case either typical 0.6mm commercial veneers, or make your own but keep them to under 1mm thick as it will be knife-cut. I wanted maximum contrast so chose sycamore for its extreme whiteness, and lauro preto because its the only black timber I know of which is not hard and splitty. Sourcing veneers which are easy to cut but not inclined to split is what makes marquetry easy.
First, plan out the star on paper. Google will give you lots of ideas to swipe. Take the measurements, in this case the 16 pieces in the inner circle are 23mm long, and the outer circle are 27, 39 and 59mm giving me a star 180mm wide. Each piece is 8mm wide at the wides, being two strips of veneer 4mm wide.
Choose a background piece and transfer your layout lines to it. I have chosen blackwood. Where possible I work so that the rear surface (the one that will be lying against the substrate) is facing upwards. This allows me to keep the pencil lines, accidental knife slips, glue smears etc to the back where they wont be seen and minimizes the sanding or scraping I need to do to the finished piece (always good with 0.6mm veneer). Generally, its face side down for hand-cut marquetry and face side up for machine cut.
If you see some part of the background where splitting is likely, then pre-emptively reinforce the area with masking tape or veneer tape. If you prefer veneer tape but cant source any then make your own by applying Uhu gum (gum, not glue) to a sheet of Reflex paper and letting it dry. Cut into usable shapes. Wet it when you want to use it and the gum will reactivate. It will work just as well as the bought stuff - or maybe better.
Next cut out the veneer for the stars. Always think through the project and seek ways that allow you to cut out veneer in the large, rather then in the small. Small pieces are difficult and time consuming to handle so try to keep the pieces large for as long as possible. In this case I've figured that if I make 3 or 4 lengths of black and white veneer glued back to back then I have everything I need. I have a guillotine (an old school paper cutting guillo) and a home made jig which allows me to cut strips easily, but I realise most people will be knife cutting so I will include a subsequent post on knives and how to cut veneer. I then glue them up by smearing quickset pva glue down one edge of one piece, pressing them together and taping in place while the glue sets.
323476
323477
After they are dry - just a few minutes - I cut them to length, and glue the inner pieces to the outer pieces with the colours reversed. After a few minutes drying, I do the 4 tapers for each piece. Depending on the veneer you have chosen, you should be able to do this with scissors. If you need to use a knife, a jig simply constructed from mdf will make this easy. This gives me my 8 pieces, we'll call them 'spikes'. Dont be too concerned if your cutting is not particularly accurate - nothing says 'this was done by hand not machine-made' better then a slight variation in the size and shape of the pieces. I used to try and work like a machine and make everything perfect - now I'm comfortable enough with the concept of craftsmanship to accept, in fact to value, the endless variation that is inherant in anything produced by the human hand.
With your 8 spikes done, lay the first one down on the background piece in its final position. Fix it down with masking tape across approximately half the spike, leaving the other half free.
323478
continued in next post
In this case its a simple design. I generally like simple design - my wife and I think that we may be modern-day shakers who were somehow switched at birth. This star has only 32 elements in 8 groups, but if you dont follow my less-is-more aesthetic then you could make it as complicated as you like, or use the same technique for anything geometric - maybe a clock face. It could embellish a box, drawer fronts or even a table top. Its basically easy to do because there are no curves and no freehand cutting.
For this project you will need just simple tools - knife, masking tape, straightedge, PVA glue. Of course you will also need a press to firmly fix the finished marquetry to whatever substrate you use. You can use clamps and cauls, or spend a bit of time making a veneer press. I have several quick-operating presses made from scrap iron, cauls made from kitchen benchtop offcuts, and automotive scissor jacks which I buy at the local markets. I also note that some members of this forum are getting good results using manually operated vacuum bag presses.
You will also need veneer. In this case either typical 0.6mm commercial veneers, or make your own but keep them to under 1mm thick as it will be knife-cut. I wanted maximum contrast so chose sycamore for its extreme whiteness, and lauro preto because its the only black timber I know of which is not hard and splitty. Sourcing veneers which are easy to cut but not inclined to split is what makes marquetry easy.
First, plan out the star on paper. Google will give you lots of ideas to swipe. Take the measurements, in this case the 16 pieces in the inner circle are 23mm long, and the outer circle are 27, 39 and 59mm giving me a star 180mm wide. Each piece is 8mm wide at the wides, being two strips of veneer 4mm wide.
Choose a background piece and transfer your layout lines to it. I have chosen blackwood. Where possible I work so that the rear surface (the one that will be lying against the substrate) is facing upwards. This allows me to keep the pencil lines, accidental knife slips, glue smears etc to the back where they wont be seen and minimizes the sanding or scraping I need to do to the finished piece (always good with 0.6mm veneer). Generally, its face side down for hand-cut marquetry and face side up for machine cut.
If you see some part of the background where splitting is likely, then pre-emptively reinforce the area with masking tape or veneer tape. If you prefer veneer tape but cant source any then make your own by applying Uhu gum (gum, not glue) to a sheet of Reflex paper and letting it dry. Cut into usable shapes. Wet it when you want to use it and the gum will reactivate. It will work just as well as the bought stuff - or maybe better.
Next cut out the veneer for the stars. Always think through the project and seek ways that allow you to cut out veneer in the large, rather then in the small. Small pieces are difficult and time consuming to handle so try to keep the pieces large for as long as possible. In this case I've figured that if I make 3 or 4 lengths of black and white veneer glued back to back then I have everything I need. I have a guillotine (an old school paper cutting guillo) and a home made jig which allows me to cut strips easily, but I realise most people will be knife cutting so I will include a subsequent post on knives and how to cut veneer. I then glue them up by smearing quickset pva glue down one edge of one piece, pressing them together and taping in place while the glue sets.
323476
323477
After they are dry - just a few minutes - I cut them to length, and glue the inner pieces to the outer pieces with the colours reversed. After a few minutes drying, I do the 4 tapers for each piece. Depending on the veneer you have chosen, you should be able to do this with scissors. If you need to use a knife, a jig simply constructed from mdf will make this easy. This gives me my 8 pieces, we'll call them 'spikes'. Dont be too concerned if your cutting is not particularly accurate - nothing says 'this was done by hand not machine-made' better then a slight variation in the size and shape of the pieces. I used to try and work like a machine and make everything perfect - now I'm comfortable enough with the concept of craftsmanship to accept, in fact to value, the endless variation that is inherant in anything produced by the human hand.
With your 8 spikes done, lay the first one down on the background piece in its final position. Fix it down with masking tape across approximately half the spike, leaving the other half free.
323478
continued in next post