Material. - Block of pine large enough to furnish a cube of 3".

Six pieces of veneers, preferably of different woods and as near the same thickness as possible. Work. - 1. To plane the cube.

2. Glue veneers on opposite surfaces.

3. Polish the veneers.

One of the most effective ways of finishing wood is to cover it with a thin layer of some fancy variety. Sometimes the fancy wood lacks strength, or can not be obtained sufficiently large, or possibly is too expensive to be used in solid form. Then, to obtain its effect, a common wood must be used as a base and the fancy wood as a veneer.

Veneers are of varying thickness, from 1/32" up to 1/4". Because of the greater tendency of hard wood to warp and shrink, structures like doors are made with an inside of pine and outer coats of veneers, 1/4" or more in thickness. For ordinary cabinet-work, veneers are about 1/16" thick.

Thick veneers, as a, in Fig. 1, are prepared for gluing, as directed in Exercise 19. The surface should always be scratched, unless the wood holds glue very well.

The cube, Fig. 2, is made true by carefully sawing and planing the ends first, and from them squaring the sides. The ends and sides must be perfectly flat, or the veneers will receive no support at the corners.

The ends are now sized - that is, coated with very thin glue, to cause better adhesion.

The veneers, g, Fig. 2, are cut at least 1/8" larger all around than the size of the block, roughened with the iron of the scratch-plane, taken out of the plane, and held in the hand; and the opposite side marked with a pencil to distinguish the surface.

Next, prepare two cauls (h, Fig. 2), 1/2" larger all around than a face of the cube, about 1" thick, and with one side very flat. These are kept hot when ready for use.

Cover the scratched surface of two veneers and the ends of the cube with glue; place the veneers on the ends, the hot cauls on the veneers, and apply the hand-screws with great care. The hot cauls remelt the glue, and therefore this operation need not be hastened as in the case of ordinary gluing. If the veneers are split or have small holes through which the glue may ooze, place a piece of thick paper between the cauls and veneers to prevent them from adhering.

Ex. 39.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

When thoroughly dry, the veneers are trimmed, and the next pair glued on.

The veneered surfaces are now planed with a block-plane or very true smoothing-plane, observing the directions in Exercise 24, then sand-papered, coated with a filling varnish, and set aside to harden.

If it is desired to put fancy designs in veneers on the cube, they should first be sawed, and if straight, edged with the plane, in the position shown in Fig. 7, Exercise 15, and glued to a piece of strong paper, as in Fig. 4. This is then scratched and glued on in place of the single piece.

The raised portion of panels is frequently veneered, as shown in Fig. 3. In this case the veneer should be of the same kind of wood, as a walnut-root veneer on a walnut panel. Strong contrasts should be avoided.

In cabinet-work, recesses are sometimes cut to receive veneers; these may be cut out with the chisel, or, better, with a router, shown in Fig. 5; a is the cutting-edge, projecting the proper depth below the smooth surface of the tool, adjusted and fastened by the pinch-screw, b; c, c, are projections against which the thumbs are applied in pushing the tool.

Wooden routers may be made of a thick piece of hard wood, with a throat for the insertion of a chisel and wedge to secure it.

A very small veneer may be set by gluing and holding a hot iron against it for a few moments. This is of service in repairing broken or loose veneers.

Bags of hot sand are sometimes used as cauls in veneering uneven surfaces.