On this put up, I’m going to point out the method of constructing marquetry by going by the steps I made to create this e book. The mission is particular in that it pushes the boundaries of woodworking by making a detour on the realm of bookbinding and utilizing a wood mosaic of wildflowers for the wood cowl. This gave me some challenges that I’ll cowl later on this article. First, I’ll describe how the unique thought formulated by the primary ideas, choosing and making ready veneers and drawing the outlines of the ornament. Then I’ll present how I reduce the veneers and constructed up the marquetry, presenting two helpful strategies (particularly, shading veneers and high-quality lining) and the way I apply them. I’ll proceed with the ending of the duvet by refitting the tape, urgent the duvet, and making use of oil and wax on it. Lastly comes the meeting of the e book itself.
Planning and veneer choice
The primary obscure thought of the mission portrayed a sublime e book with a extremely textured wood cowl paying homage to traditional leather-bound books. At a more in-depth look, it will reveal fascinating grain patterns displaying the true fantastic thing about the wooden. For the ornament of the e book, I depicted a circle of wildflowers with a monogram within the heart, which I deliberate to chop as a wood mosaic—or to make use of one other identify, marquetry. Marquetry is constructed from wooden veneers which can be skinny slices of wooden reduce from wooden blanks or peeled from tree trunks. They arrive in numerous thickness as much as 3 mm/0.12 in.; nonetheless, for this detailed work, thinner sheets are simpler to work with. (Right here all veneers are simply 0.6 mm/0.023 in. thick.)
For the bottom, I chosen consecutive walnut root veneers which can be reduce from the identical block and have virtually an identical grain patterns. That created a uniform look on each facet of the duvet, indicating that the duvet was constructed from stable wooden boards. For this mission, a reasonably darkish walnut-veneer set was chosen, with a dominant grain route on one in all its sides. This facet went subsequent to the backbone of the e book to point the page-turn route of the e book.
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For the flowers, I searched principally for burly, knotted, wavy, and fowl’s-eye veneer sheets. These veneers present sufficient texture for making a extra lifelike impact, since in nature plain texture is pretty uncommon. Ultimately, I chosen wavy sapelli mahogany, poplar and elm root, vavona burl, padouk, and many others. I reduce the leaves from the inexperienced elements of rainbow poplar wooden veneer sheets, however yellow, purple, and even brown colours are additionally good for this if a purpose is to have autumn colours for the circle.
Fixing veneers
It’s a good behavior to tape the again of the veneer earlier than beginning any work on it. That is very true within the case of root veneers, since it’s extra possible that small particles can fall out throughout chopping these tangled grains. For fixing, veneer tape serves effectively; it’s a skinny paper lined with adhesive. The tape can also be helpful on the subject of refilling lacking elements of the sheet, supporting the filling until it units, After ending up chopping, this tape may be scraped or sanded off.
Drawing the flower circle
Concerning drawing the image earlier than chopping, there are two fundamental approaches to select from. You’ll be able to draw detailed drafts that point out the chopping traces, marking the enclosed panels with colours and veneer varieties. This preparation quickens the chopping itself, and—mixed with any visualization kind, like graphics software program—the tip end result may be illustrated prematurely. Making use of the opposite technique, we are able to let the wooden grains and colours direct the knife, shaping the unique footage in accordance the pure types of the veneer. As a normal rule, chopping alongside the wooden patterns makes the image extra pure wanting and emphasizes the distinctive wooden patterns extra. This step-by-step constructing course of can also be useful on the subject of “mixing” the borders of various wooden veneers with combining colours and grain patterns.
Normally, the popular method is a mixture of the 2, as within the case of this cowl, the place just a few fundamental traces and leaves had been marked. Through the chopping course of, the extra parts had been added to maintain the stability of the colour and mass.
Chopping
One of the primary chopping strategies of constructing marquetry is the window technique. After drawing the sample, step one is chopping out the panel from the bottom veneer. This may be performed utilizing a knife or a scrollsaw. Typically, the knife is healthier for straight traces, whereas the noticed is useful for chopping curved traces. Working with the noticed, alter in that the inlay is reduce together with the bottom, offering an ideal match (in case of double-bevel method). On the identical time, chopping with a knife has an extra step—that’s, marking the veneer used for inlay with the knife (not chopping by first). After chopping the inlay, it may be match into the bottom and stuck with veneer tape on the again of the bottom veneer. This course of repeats itself until the final panel finds its place on the image.
Chopping the flower stems—the strategy of high-quality lining
Increase the marquetry image began with chopping the stems that set the circle and served because the background for leaves and flowers. For this, the scrollsaw’s smallest spiral blade simply offered the proper width. The process then was easy: making a small gap with an axe, passing by the blade, and chopping alongside the road. If you wish to keep away from small particles falling out, you should utilize clear tape on the highest of the veneer (on the facet the place the drawings are).
The insert was reduce by a knife fastidiously matching the width of the blade dimension.
The high-quality traces are pressed into the incision and stuck with wooden glue and tape.
Shading
Particulars are essential for rising the pure look of the image. One technique of detailing in marquetry is shading that brings lights and three-dimensional shapes into consideration. In marquetry making, there are three choices for shading: exploiting the colour variations of the given veneer panel; utilizing one other, darker veneer for shades (or lighter ones for indicating lights); or making use of the “sanding” method, which is burning the wooden for darkening.
Typically, the primary choice offers essentially the most pure look, since we use the darker elements of the exact same veneer for shading. On the identical time, it’s restricted to the grain’s coloration variations, which are sometimes inadequate for the specified impact. Utilizing one other, darker veneer from a unique sheet generally is a resolution, however generally it’s difficult to discover a good match that’s shut sufficient to the unique one when it comes to coloration and texture. On the highest of that, the transition from lighter to darker areas is often too harsh in that case, creating obvious borders between the panels. If the primary two options usually are not passable, then you possibly can nonetheless attempt to warmth the veneer for darkening the colour. You should utilize scorching sand or a soldering torch for heating. Normally, lighter-color veneers react higher to this technique, providing a bigger scale of darkish colours relying on the heating time and temperature.
Since burning reduces the scale of the inlay, you possibly can dampen the affected space a bit so as to add some moisture again to the wooden earlier than becoming it into its place.
Reapplying the veneer tape
Earlier than urgent the marquetry image, take into account that even urgent energy on the entire floor is crucial. Since veneer tape may be constructed up through the chopping course of after becoming items near or “on the highest of” one another, it’s a good behavior to rub off the tape and to reapply just one layer of tape.
For fixing and holding the panels collectively throughout rubbing the veneer tape, I take advantage of masking tape on the opposite facet of the image:
After this, I can safely rub off the a number of layers of the veneer tape with the backbone of my knife or scraper. Dampening the tape helps quite a bit on this.
Lastly, I can reapply the veneer tape and punctiliously pull of the masking tape from the opposite facet.
The completed image
In spite of everything this preparation, we arrive on the end. On this step, I fastidiously examine the image, trying to find small gaps between panels. If I discover one, I fill it with the suitable veneer. These gaps may be simply discovered when holding the image towards any gentle: the gaps will gleam as the sunshine comes by them. In case you are happy with the outcomes, you might be prepared for urgent the image.
Urgent
For rising their sturdiness, marquetry footage have to be pressed to a wood board. On this case, I pressed the image onto a board of home made plywood containing one 1.5-mm-thick mahogany and two 0.6-mm-thick American walnut veneer sheets. I made a decision to make use of this plywood to reduce the deflation of the duvet that comes with veneering. Plywood is constructed from sheets with rotated grain route that extinguish the wooden motion of the particles very effectively.
For gluing the marquetry image onto the board, I take advantage of PVA wooden glue. There are a lot of completely different glues to select from primarily based on private desire. The one factor that you simply want to bear in mind is to cut back the glue’s moisture content material by letting it set a bit on the board earlier than urgent the veneers. Each glue has an indicated open time until you must bond the items collectively. Until that point, you possibly can let the glue set to reduce the moisture that the veneer absorbs in order that there isn’t a blistering.
After the glue set for some time, you possibly can press the marquetry on the glued board. (All the time glue the board, not the veneer.) For small items, clamps are passable for urgent the veneer onto the bottom. You need to begin with rising the urgent energy from the center of the image in order that pointless glue is pressed to the edges. Then you possibly can apply urgent energy transferring from the center to the edges.
For passable outcomes, let the items be pressed at the very least until the time indicated on the glue bottle. After you can scrape off the tape and sand the image.
Scraping off veneer tape and sanding
This is likely one of the most awaited moments of constructing marquetry: when the image reveals itself if you are eradicating the veneer tape and sanding the floor. Eradicating the veneer tape follows the identical process mentioned earlier. You should utilize a scraper and a few water for moistening the tape and peeling it off from the board. Sanding often begins with 80- or 100-grit paper and continues to 320- or 400-grit paper. Of paramount significance is to keep away from sending off the very skinny layer of marquetry. This may occur with softwood or on uneven surfaces much more often, so ending up sanding by hand would possibly assist forestall eradicating an excessive amount of wooden from the highest veneer.
Making use of oil and wax end
As a closing step of ending the duvet, I utilized three coats of oil and one layer wax end on the highest.
Meeting of the e book
I certain collectively some paper sheets to construct up the principle block of the e book. In case you are keen on the best way to sew the sheets collectively, you could find many references on-line.
The subsequent step was so as to add the linen and endpaper to the block, whereas a canvas used initially for portray was used to carry collectively the covers and backbone. PVA glue was used to connect the elements collectively.
Lastly, I had the completed e book at my hand.
