Marquetry is the craft of creating decorative pictures or patterns by cutting and assembling thin veneers of wood, shell, or metal. The assembled pieces are glued to a solid substrate, typically a piece of furniture or a panel. Unlike traditional inlay, where a recess is carved into a solid base to receive the pieces, marquetry involves assembling the entire surface layer as a single sheet before applying it. This technique requires extreme precision with a fret saw or veneer saw to ensure tight joints between the contrasting materials.
I spent three hours cutting the floral marquetry for this cabinet door, so be careful when you sand the clear coat.
When cutting marquetry patterns by hand, taping the veneer stack tightly prevents the delicate pieces from shifting and ruining the alignment.