1. WOOD
MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY
4th Edition

2. Chapter 26
Veneering and Inlay

3. Veneering
 Veneers are thin sheets of wood
 Advantages of veneering
– Rare and expensive woods are
used efficiently
– Large areas of wood are covered
without risk of splitting
– Veneers are used to make
decorative patterns

4. Groundwork
 Base onto which the veneer is bonded
 Plywood and MDF make good groundwork
 Counter veneering with a cheaper veneer helps to prevent warping in
the board
Groundwork

5. Cutting veneers
 Veneer is cut with a sharp
knife or scalpel
– Take care to cut away from
yourself and mind your
fingers
– Score the veneer a number
of times to cut through

6. Matching veneer
 When matching
the veneers, it is
important to line
up the grain
carefully to get the
best result

7. Applying veneer
• Ensure groundwork is
flat and clean
• Fill any defects and
sand smooth
• Seal the wood with a
thin film of adhesive
− Impact adhesive
− Contact adhesive

8. Borders
• Borders are used to frame a veneered pattern
− Using veneers to create a border

9. Creating a veneered border

10. Marquetry – window method
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Draw the design
Transfer the design on to the veneer
using carbon paper
Cut out the shape and remove
Place the space over another piece of
veneer lining up the grain
Cut through the gap or ‘window’ to
the veneer below. Tape the cut-out
piece into the gap
Build up the picture and add a frame

11. Marquetry – overlay method
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Fix the two veneers to a
cutting surface
Transfer the design to the
veneer using carbon paper
Cut through both veneer
layers at the same time
The veneers are then
interchanged and taped
together
Glue the veneers to the
background

12. Parquetry – geometric patterns

13. Parquetry – geometric patterns

14. Inlay
 Lines of contrasting wood
are inlaid to give decoration
 Veneer motifs are also
available

15. Scratch stock
• Scratch stock
• Using the scratch stock

16. Quiz

17.  What is the name of the line of wood at A in the diagram?
− Inlay

18.  Describe how you would apply the finished veneer
pattern onto the box shown.
− Seal with impact adhesive
− Apply adhesive and wait for it to
get tacky
− Position veneer over the piece and
line it up
− Bring the surfaces together
carefully
− Squeeze out the air pockets from
the centre with a veneer hammer
− Remove masking tape from top
surface
− When the veneer has set, trim off
excess veneer and sand down

19.  What tool would be used to create the groove for the
line of wood at A in the diagram?
− Scratch stock

20.  Explain rotary cutting of veneers
− Bark is removed from log
− Wood is softened with
steam
− Log is mounted on a big
lathe
− Veneer is peeled from the
log with a cutting knife