Marquetry and Turning

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Dave Peck pplying marquetry to turned the face of a clock. This is a straightfor- objects offers turners a way to ward application that will make you Redwood Coast, 2003, Madrone, persimmon, take turning to another level— realize, “I can do that!” A olive ash, bubinga, sapele, walnut, holly, an amazing range of subjects can be rosewood, myrtle, 4½" × 10" (11 cm × 25 cm) explored and represented. The amount General information The marquetry is an oval shape of marquetry applied to a turning can You can buy premade inlays from most inlaid into the side of the bowl. vary from the tiniest inlay to images woodworking stores or acquire custom- that become the focal point of a plate, made marquetry from specialty houses. bowl, or vessel. The selection is limited, however, so between 1⁄32" and 1⁄50". Woodworkers The equipment needed is inexpen- many woodworkers create individual- who prefer thicker veneers usually cut sive and making and adding marque- ized designs. their own. For flat work, veneer thick- try is easier than it looks. You will be Marquetry is commonly done with ness is a personal preference, but for able to use wood with high-quality either a knife or a saw (handheld fretsaw curved work, thin commercial veneer figure—burls, fiddleback, quilted, and or scrollsaw). In the United States, the saw is needed. crotch. To help you begin exploring, I is most popular because historically our discuss how to inlay a round marque- veneers have been cut thicker than those Making the marquetry try scene into a flat surface, such as the in other parts of the world, making them To make the marquetry for this article, bottom of a plate, the lid of a box, or difficult to cut with a knife. I drew a pattern (sometimes called a Sawing is done with very small cartoon) onto tracing paper. I looked jeweler’s blades on a table that has a over the pattern and picked a veneer for narrow ⅛"- (3 mm-) wide saw kerf cut the sky. I could have started with any of into it to provide close support on both the other large areas, but I like to start sides of the tiny saw blade. If the table near the top and add pieces below and is properly slanted, the resulting bevel coming forward. I cut the sky piece a little cut gives a tight fit between pieces. larger than what is shown on the pattern. However, most beginners start with the Making that piece larger than needed table level because when bevel cutting, strengthens the edges and prevents small if you cut in the wrong direction (clock- pieces from chipping off. I make registra- Antelope, 2010, wise/counterclockwise), that doubles tion marks on the tracing paper and Madrone, holly, the angle of the saw kerf rather than mahogany, myrtle, eliminates it. The level table lets you cut There are many sources of patterns: Dover Books publishes books of patterns on vari- birch, harewood, in either direction and the tiny jeweler ous subjects that are free of copyright. The 6½" × 3½" blade’s kerf is not objectionable, except American Marquetry Society has a catalog of (17 cm × 9 cm) to the trained eye of a professional. patterns available to their members for the This marquetry circles Veneer comes in many thicknesses. cost of printing and mailing. the neck of the vase. Commercial thicknesses are commonly

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53_MarquetryAndTurning.indd 53 9/11/12 10:47 AM transfer them to the veneer so I can come The thin, commercial veneer I used is back to the same spot as I add one piece at quite flexible so I laminated it to another a time to the picture (Photo 1). veneer (or you can use ⅛" [3 mm] The double-cut method I use is fool- plywood) before cutting it round. I like proof: Make a veneer sandwich of the PVA glue for small projects. On larger sky piece and the veneer you are about projects, or where I want a rigid glue to add. Cut through both pieces at the line, I use Unibond 800. same time and even if you miss the line, When you stop work, store your mar- the pieces still fit. For my first piece, I quetry under a flat, weighted board 1 add the shady part of the mountain until you are ready to insert into a Having the pattern on tracing paper allows you to see through it and pick the to the sky piece. I mark the new piece turned object. perfect spot on the veneer. Registration using the pattern’s registration marks marks (a minimum of two small x’s) make it possible to put the pattern back and transfer paper (carbon or wax- Prepare the in the same place as each piece is added. free) (Photo 2). Note that the new piece marquetry circle Place the x’s where they will not be cut off as you add to the picture. touches the sky but is larger than needed After the glue is cured on the marque- at the bottom. The excess at the bottom try, mark a circle to just over the final will be cut away as new pieces are added. size (Photo 5). Use a bandsaw to cut out Sometimes it is best to put the new piece the circle. behind rather than on top. By putting it Next, you will mount the rough-cut behind and marking on the face, you can marquetry circle onto the lathe to cut see exactly where the cut will meet previ- the circle perfectly round. Screw a piece ously made cuts. Photo 3 shows the second of plywood to a faceplate, then mark a piece being added to the picture. series of circles on it, just larger than the 2 Saw out the piece with a fretsaw and diameter of the rough-cut circle of mar- A new piece on top allows view of 5/0 jeweler’s blade (Photo 4). These are quetry. These circles allow exact place- figure and grain of the wood. tiny blades with 72-teeth per inch. The ment of the marquetry, centered onto small teeth create a smooth cut. Keep the plywood disk. Use double-sided your fingers in close to the saw blade to tape to attach the rough-cut marquetry. hold down the veneer. As you reverse To ensure that the double-sided directions while cutting a sharp corner, tape holds, put the assembly in a vise keep the saw moving—if you stop, the (or other clamping device) for a few blade will bind. As you finish cutting each piece, 3 throw away the waste that is cut away Slight radius Placing the new piece behind the from the outside of the new piece and previously cut section allows perfect from the empty space where the new alignment where the sky, already- piece will be placed. I insert the new installed mountain, and the new piece 89˚ come together: As an example, the piece into the space. Tape (or glue) it in mountain peak to the left. place. I use either painter’s blue tape or transparent tape. The transparent tape is nice when you need to see what is going on under it. Top view of side You are now back to one single layer cutting scraper of marquetry and you are ready to add another piece. Repeat the process adding one piece at a time until the marquetry is complete. When you 4 Figure 1. A scraper ground for side cutting The tiny jeweler’s blade cuts smoothly. finish cutting the marquetry, you have is my favorite. The curve on the end allows Keep your fingers close to the blade and a “jigsaw puzzle” that is one veneer movement to the right across the bottom keep the saw moving. of the recess without catching the thick, with all the pieces taped together right-hand corner. (or glued onto a backing).

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Fir Cone Becomes House, 2005, Oak, maple, bay laurel 5 burl, ebony, makore, walnut, imbuya, rosewood, Scribe a circle on the marquetry in Cathedral Peak, Yosemite, 2012, Poplar preparation for inlaying. The circle spruce, gum, harewood, 15½" (40 cm) dia. The should be slightly larger than the final marquetry face is inlaid into a segmented ring. with marquetry, 2" × 12" (5 cm × 30 cm) diameter of the intended design.

seconds. Usually this means clamping The final step is to widen the diam- briefly several times around the cir- eter of the recess until the inlay just cumference (the faceplate will be in the fits. I get better results by putting the way of a clamp). Remember that clamps scraper into the recess and cutting with small contact surfaces may cause sideways to increase the diameter of dents, so use a thin piece of wood to the recess rather than cutting inward protect the marquetry. from the face. Test often! Do not try to The toe of a skew chisel is my favorite force the inlay into the recess—if you 6 Leaving islands at full height tool for trimming the marquetry per- do, it may stick part of the way in and provides measuring points across a fectly round. Make the cut square to the not want to come out. wide area. face or at the most 1° of relief toward the At this point I use yellow glue, press- back of the marquetry circle. After you ing the inlay into place on the lathe remove the marquetry from the plywood, (Photo 7) or with clamps. When the glue sand off any tear-out on the back. is dry, it is time to sand. Don’t be too aggressive. I start with 100 grit on the Apply to a turning picture and move up to 320 grit before Turn a shallow bowl with a flat bottom the first coat of finish. The last thing to and leave it mounted onto a faceplate or do is to reverse the plate in a jam chuck in a chuck. It is now time to cut the recess or jumbo jaws and remove evidence of 7 for the marquetry circle to fit into. I deter- how you held it on the lathe. Marquetry The tailstock and a plywood disk, mine the depth of the recess by measuring places no limitations on finish, so use just smaller than the inlay, serve as a handy press. Note a sheet of plastic, the inlay with a dial or digital caliper and your favorite product. Let your next any thickness, protects the inlay and use the depth probe to measure the cut. To turned object be picture perfect! keeps it from sticking to the plywood make the recess, I prefer a side-scraping, if glue squeezes out. square-ended scraper for making the cut (Figure 1). The slight curve on the end Dave Peck, a marquetarian for many allows a sideways cut across the bottom of years, now combines his two passions: Sources the recess toward the center without any marquetry and woodturning. He is retired danger of catching the right-hand corner. and lives in Redwood Valley, California, Tools: Major woodworking stores such as Leave islands (slightly raised rings) to where he is a member of the Redwood Woodcraft, Rockler measure against. At this point, leave the Empire Woodturners. He is active Veneers: B & B Rare Woods, wood-veneers.com diameter of the recess slightly smaller with the American Marquetry Society Jeweler’s Blades: Otto Frei, ottofrei.com (americanmarquetrysociety.com), serving as Books: The Marquetry Course by Metcalfe & Apps than the marquetry circle (Photo 6). When their membership officer. See more of Dave’s Commercial Inlay: Inlay Product World, the same depth is achieved across the work at wood-veneers.com/gallery21.htm. inlays.com recess area, cut away the islands. Send questions to [email protected].

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