Veneers? Can make you an artist.

Veneers are often glued onto the surfaces of doors, tops and panels for cabinets or parquet floors. This is to give the product a better finish, especially when plywood or inferior timbers are used to form its carcass. So, you can easily find veneers cutoffs in woodworking or carpentry shops, work sites or factories.

While you can make money with leftover wood product by creating mulch out of them, don't waste these veneers if you can get them.

Check out this book, "Decorative Straw Craft: Swiss Straw Work, Embroidery and Marquetry" by Barbara Fitch which I came across in the National Library.



When I look at the photos of marquetry creations, it reminded me of a handcrafted picture of a village scene that I bought when I visited St Paul's Hill in Malacca years ago. Marquetry is actually created out of cut strips of wood veneer, in different shades of colour, glued side by side to form a design.

And this is part of what Swiss Straw Work is about. I see a possibility of using drinking straws from packet drinks in this creation.



If you can find this book, you will read in one of its pages that the author allows photocopies to be made of her instructions if your intention is to use them to help others in some manner.

So, are you interested in making us of leftover veneers? If you cannot find the book, following are some websites you can go to:

Marquetry Organization on how it is done

Library at Leeds Marquetry

Art Marquetry

Techniques posted on Marquetry Society

American Marquetry Society Beginners Guide

So, are there people in the business of recycling wood to produce veneers? Onlyone Products Inc managed to patent and produce Tennâge, the thinnest flexible veneer sheet, out of remnants from wood processing. A handbag or briefcase made out of natural recycled wood veneer sheets; how does that sound to you? At Onlyone, you will be able to pick up more ideas on how veneers can be used.

And while we are still talking about wood waste, check out this hand crafted basket. It is made up of tree barks and strips of rattans.



This is made in China.