My name is Johnny and I’m a recovering solid-wood snob. I once considered veneered furniture to be innately inferior — lacking in density, durability and soul. But witnessing the fine craft of veneering firsthand has turned this snob into a true believer.
Veneer is typically defined as a sheet of wood less than 1/8’’ thick. Woodworkers either buy commercially cut veneer or “resaw” their own slices to desired thickness using a bandsaw. Since these thin veneers expand and contract significantly less than thicker boards, it’s best to glue them to an unmoving engineered wood like plywood or MDF (medium-density fiberboard). Were you to veneer atop solid wood, disparities in movement would eventually cause the veneer to loosen or even split apart.
Many woodworkers treat veneering as an artistic craft, reassembling the wood in stunning geometric patterns. My teacher, Adrian Ferrazzutti, whose brilliant box is pictured above, is one such pattern maker. Below are the most common ways to arrange, or "match" patterns from a stack of veneer:
• Book matching - veneer is presented like the open pages of a book
• Slip matching - veneer is presented as if fanned out like a deck of cards
• Diamond matching - veneer is assembled in a diamond shape
• Radial matching - veneer is assembled like slices of a pie
But to me, the most appealing aspect of veneer is its variety. Online dealers like Certainly Wood offer furniture makers a vast palette of exotic wood species generally hard to come by in board form. And with whimsical names like wenge, cocobolo and bubinga, you're bound to put that solid-wood snobbery behind you too.
(Images: 1 Johnny Williams, 2 Johnny Williams)
Johnny is currently blogging his experience as a student at Maine's Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. You can keep track of his projects on his blog, Woodlearner.
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SO interesting! thank you! How about a post on how to work with veneers?
Thank you for this post, although I wish that you'd gone into more detail about what's available. I've screenprinted onto veneer before and, from that bit of experience, I know that there are veneers that come with adhesive backing, for instance. I'm sure that there are applications for something like that that would appeal to the AT DIYers, even if they're not woodworkers like you.
There are practical reasons for veneered furniture as well: Veneered pieces don't check, warp or split as solid lumber can.
Veneer doesn't necessarily mean "low-end" either.
Consider dining room tables with bookmatched tops and inlaid edges, or marquetry cabinets - These would be impossible without using veneer. Even luxury automomakers such as Rolls Royce and Bentley use veneers rather than solid woods.
I still think a wood veneer dining table is gross. Any damage and that's it, garbage.
"I still think a wood veneer dining table is gross. Any damage and that's it, garbage." Well DUH...
I think a luxurious silk table cloth is gross... any damage and that's it, garbage. lol
Right tool for the right job, genius.
You didn't mention that veneering allows for the use of higher quality grains than would be practical with solid wood. I am really tired of people pointing at practically any piece of wood and trying to convince me that it is beautiful just because it is a piece of wood.
Interesting - I didn't know you shouldn't veneer solid wood.
I, too, have always thought veneered pieces to be inferior to solid pieces. Seems like I might have to change my way of thinking...
What are the advantages if comparing veneer vs. solid wood?
Is veneer a better way to create patterns?
Other than patterning, solid wood would still be more durable than veneer over engineered or MDF?
Important to know b/c we are looking into getting a media cabinet build out of solid walnut, but if solid does not necessarily mean better, than maybe the husband and I will have more options...
http://www.donkeehouse.com
very informative post that clears up some misunderstandings that i had. i know that veneer is considered craft by woodworkers, since a friend of mine collects such pieces (which are really stunning); however, i didn't know that you shouldn't veneer atop solid wood. it always bothered me that veneer is placed on top of mdf & now i know why this is the case. i recently purchased some mshelving (it's beautiful) from loadbearing (highly recommended!) & the wood veneer doors on particle board were much more expensive than the steel doors. this makes me feel better about particle board & mdf, which i think are associated with cheap & laminated furniture. maybe we also have to learn how to differentiate between high & low grades of mdf & particle board.
Thank you! Finally a conversation about veneer that doesn't immediately conjure up crappy Ikea furniture.
Some slight things left out of the article:
1. Veneer has been used for thousands of years - since the time of the Egyptians.
2. Bookmatching solid wood is virtually impossible - which allows veneer to make for some GOREOUS patterning.
3. A chip to veneer doesn't spell the end of the piece. (any more than a scratch on a solid wood table would) My dining room table is over 100 years old (early Victoria) and is veneered in quartersawn oak. There are some minor chips, but they have been stabilised with a little bit of wood glue, and the table functions quite normally.
Bitdot - to answer your questions.
Veneer vs. solid: Veneer IS solid wood - it is just thinner. If you scratch a solid wood piece you can sand the scratch out. To some extent you can do that with veneer as well. Solid wood, of course, is more structurally sturdy, but in most furniture applications MDF or plywood makes an adequate undersurface - for table-tops, door fronts, etc. You probably wouldn't use MDF for high-stress/load bearing applications, like sofa frames, bed slats etc.
Generally speaking solid wood is very sturdy and stable, with plywood being second (or first depending on applications) and MDF being last. MDF is still very sturdy and strong for cabinetry. Using a substrate will allow the outsides of the cabinets to be more elgantly patterned.
Patterns - Bookmatching - the art of mirroring grain on veneer and creating beautiful patterns - is very difficult with solid wood. Because veneer is thin you can cut two almost identical pieces. The only way to bookmatch solid wood is to have two planks cut from the same area of the log - and those planks are going to be fairly thin anyway. There are also lots of other ways veneer can be used for patterning.
Such a fascinating post. As someone who knows next to nothing about this stuff, I have a new found appreciation. Thanks!
www.treefrogveneer.com - enjoy!
I want that box. Amazing.
There is also a heavy difference between true veneer and photo-realistic laminate....
Any advice on how to get veneer off a piece of furniture. It's chipped and I want to replace it. I have a tutorial for how to put the new piece on, but the instructions I've found for getting the old veneer off aren't working. I've been using a hot Iron to soften the glue and a putty knife. Better ideas?
Veneer vs. "real solid wood": neither term describes quality.
The finest and the most expensive furniture from the last several centuries is veneered. Your beloved Eames is veneered.
Don't be fooled by sleazy salespeople pushing "real, solid wood." They're trying take advantage of a customer's ignorance. Sadly, it often works.
I, too, had the typical response about veneers many years ago. That was before I entered the luxury yacht interior building trade over a dozen years ago. Working with real wood veneers became my specialty and thus I have worked with a multitude of exotic and domestic species of wood, creating some of the most amazing designs you could imagine. Works that could never have been created out of solid wood.
Reading this thread has been very satisfying to see that so many folks are realizing the benefits over solid wood.
One benefit that hasn't been dealt with enough is the ecological benefit of veneers. Seattle has a P.A.C. called Benaroya Hall - home of the Seattle Symphony. It is a world class music venue. The entire interior of the main auditorium is veneered from just one tree, anigre. You could never get that kind of yield from solid wood. With veneers we can appreciate the world of wood without needing to deforest it.
As an added benefit many of the typical substrates used under veneers are sourced from sustainably managed forests and produces in sustainable manners (i.e. no added formaldehyde!). And also realize that today's MDF is far from the material manufactured just 10 years ago. Most brands are made from 100% recycled content with denser, harder surfaces and no formaldehyde.
To Michael Dominic, wrong, many boo boos to a veneered surface are fixable, just as they would be with a solid wood table. If you had a dent in a solid wood table you can't just sand it out - unless it's an un-finished table. Remember you must deal with the finish as well. And it is usually much more finiky that the wood! Sure you could sand the whole table - but really, for a small dent or scratch.
Veneered furniture isn't necessarily less expensive.
Oh and yes, you can veneer over solid wood. Sometimes (rarely) it's necessary. When you do it is best to use a 2ply face (bi-directional grain direction) and always, always, always veneer both sides of the core.
BTW I still LOVE working with solid wood.
www.maderawoodworking.com
Very informative post. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and for all the reader comments!