The incredible array of exceptionally fine furniture that has been produced over the years would not have been possible were it not for the woodworking technique of veneering. Ironically, veneering has also been employed in the making of mass produced furniture of very low quality. This vast difference in quality exists because the outcome of any technique depends upon how well that technique is executed. Veneer on fine furniture consists of high grade materials, artistically and skillfully applied. On inexpensive veneered furniture, large sheets of low grade veneer are laid on at high speed by huge machines.
Veneer is a decorative element that is applied to a structural element of a piece of furniture. A piece of wood veneer is basically a very thin board. Because it is so thin (seldom more than 1/8 inch thick; usually much thinner), it is called a sheet. It is glued to the surface of another piece of wood that is much thicker. Thicker wood provides strength and veneers provide all kinds of possibilities in making furniture appealing.
Veneering is a time honored process. Archaeologists have found veneered objects in ancient Egyptian tombs. The practice of veneering seems to have been lost or abandoned after the fall of the Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, makers of luxury furniture relied on carving and painted scenes or patterns to make their work stand out. In the 16th century, the rebirth of the arts, sciences, and literature also included the rebirth of veneering. It has remained a mainstay of fine furniture making ever since.
There are, of course, many examples of fine furniture that were made without using veneer. However, the majority of the truly fine pieces made in the past 500 years are either partially or fully veneered. This is because veneering provides a way to produce design elements that would be impractical or impossible to achieve by any other means. Consider, for example, marquetry. In marquetry, a motif or a picture is created by painstakingly cutting many tiny pieces from a variety of veneer sheets so that they all fit together exactly. Veneer is what makes marquetry possible.
Veneering has other applications (no pun intended) and benefits as well. Cutting attractive materials into thin pieces allows the maker to get more use out of scarce and expensive resources. Some materials are not strong or stable enough for basic construction, but their weaknesses are not a factor when they are properly glued to a strong substrate. Veneer can be bent, making it ideal for many curved surfaces. Wood veneer in combination with other materials like brass, pewter, mother-of-pearl, and ivory (today obtained from unearthed mammoth tusks, walrus, and hippos) can create striking visual effects. Speaking of visual effects, combining the natural variations in wood grain and color to create book matching, cross banding, parquetry, sunburst patterns, etc. is possible because of veneer.
The great designers of luxury furniture – whose creations are admired as much today as when they first appeared – became famous due in large part to their artistry in the use of veneers. For example, the pieces designed by Boulle (1642 – 1732), Roentgen (1743 – 1807), and Ruhlman (1879 – 1933) comprise three completely different styles of exquisite furniture. What they have in common is masterful veneer work.
The French word for cabinet maker is ébéniste and the Italian word is ebanista. This dates back to the 17th century when French and Italian craftsmen were making prestigious furniture that was richly veneered in ebony. Ebony is one of the most beautiful and most expensive woods in the world. It is also one of the hardest woods and is therefore difficult to work. Those who had the skill required to make furniture with finely crafted ebony veneers were highly accomplished cabinet makers – that is, ebonists.
