Hi –
I’m trying my hand at marquetry, and have run into a problem. The commercially purchased veneers I have are very thin and have relatively coarse grain. They have a tendency to split when I’m cutting them. I’m thinking about attaching some kind of backing to them to help them hold together when cutting.
I can think of two options:
1) Glue another piece of veneer to the back side of my stock, with the grain running crosswise to the “face” veneer. Basically creating a two-layer piece of plywood.
2) Glue a layer of craft paper or rosin paper to the back, much like commercially produced paper-backed veneers.
Does anyone have experience with or recommendations regarding either of these two methods?
Is there some other option I haven’t considered?
Would using a veneer softener solve the problem? These are dyed veneers, and I’m concerned that a veneer softener might affect the color.
I have a big bottle of Titebond Cold Press Veneer glue. Would this be the appropriate glue to attach a backing layer, or is there a better option.
Thanks!
Replies
If I have trouble cutting veneer it's either because my x-acto blade is too dull or I'm trying to take too deep a cut in one pass. This is especially noticeable when going with the grain as the knife edge will have a tendency to follow grain lines.
There are some manmade, reconstituted veneers that are just trash compared to those that have come from solid wood. Even with those, I've found that a sharp blade and several light passes will typically result in a nice cut.
Not sure if this could be what's ailing you, but best of luck!