Instructor: Dante DiIanni
Tuesdays starting February 4th 2025 till April 22nd, 6PM till 9PM (shop open 5pm -10pm)
A $100.00 deposit is required to confirm your reservation. Deposit is refundable until 30 days before the class. 8 students max.
Fundamentals I is a recommended prerequisite. If you haven’t taken that course, you may be limited to making the chessboard
About Veneer:
Veneer is an excellent medium sandwiched between two opposing reputations of being both cheap and incredibly difficult. It gets its bad name for being a cheap alternative to solid wood thanks to a plague of poorly crafted, assembly-line factory furniture from the 70s, while those who have dabbled in veneering often believe that good veneer work requires tremendous skill. The reality is that much of the finest furniture produced throughout history has been veneered, and that, like anything else, veneering requires a little knowledge, sharp tools, and practice.
In modern times, the very best trees are made into veneer. Burls, stumps, crotches, exotics, and highly figured woods are readily available that otherwise would be prohibitively expensive as solid wood . Learning to utilize veneer will open up a huge variety of options in design that would be difficult if not impossible to do in solid wood.
About the class:
The class starts with sharpening a veneer saw which is key to fine veneer work and an excellent way to begin hand saw sharpening. Each student will practice cutting and taping while assembling a variety of matching examples up to and including four way matches. Next we move on to the classic chess board with inlay banding and border. At this point we are ready for geometric shapes that create various parquetry patterns that can be set into a veneer background. Students will then move on to applying their new skills to small projects like trays and boxes. This class prepares you for our other veneering classes, Advanced Veneering, Marquetry and Working in a Vacuum.
Key lessons:
Sharpen veneer saw
Cutting and taping
Border work
Pressing
Tape removal
Edge banding
Students will need a few inexpensive tools and supplies to work veneer.
Everything you will need to practice at home will be available in our Veneering Student Starter Kit $120
Kit includes:
- 2 fences
- One 1/4inch x 3ft. x 5ft. MDF cutting board
- Veneer saw
- Veneer saw file
- Brass brush
- Masking tape
- Veneer tape
- Sponge and cup
- Hobby knife w/#11 blades
- Veneer packet