Laser Marquetry. . . . . Art?

Laser marquetry has been around about ten years, mostly confined to commercial businesses, but is beginning to find its way into the hands of the hobbyist. There are two reasons why they are investing in such an expensive machine. (1) They are tired of creating marquetry the traditional way or (2) want to make a lot of it quick and on the cheap. Most involved in marquetry detest it while a few that have bought these machines think it is the best thing since canned soup. It is human nature to resist admitting you made a mistake in buying a machine that cost thousands of dollars just to make objects of mediocrity.

Lets look at the bigger picture here though. The laser cuts veneer at a fixed distance aided by a computer using CAD or vector graphics. Each piece is cut separately including the background using an intense beam creating a double-sided bevel. Much instruction and practice is needed to get the pieces to fit snugly and even then, what looks acceptable from the front will have a gap on the back side. Sanding or scraping on the front will reveal the kerf. Burnt edges are not uncommon and settings have to constantly be adjusted for wood density. And materials such as brass and pearl pose additional problems. This is a production machine that cannot match single, one of a kind marquetry done by traditional methods. Only top-of-the-line lasers can cut pieces smaller than 1/8”. Detail is just not possible.

I have seen laser marquetry in action and I have not been impressed. I like to compare it to a CNC drilling or milling machine which I have experience with. It will make items economical and fast with no distinction for exceptional quality. There are numerous testimonials on the web that lend validity to this argument. One well respected furniture company I know whose trademark is marquetry calls it “cheap” and “mass produced”. Laser marquetry is easily detected by those involved in the craft with the lay person being easily duped. I wonder how much of this laser work is being passed off as hand-made?

The answer to our original question is that laser marquetry is not art! Machines cannot create art because there is no individual and direct involvement of the hands in transferring the creative idea to an object. If the laser was used so that interaction was maintained in a freehand style then that would be a start. This, of course, is impossible due to the limitations of the machine. Someday this may be possible, but at that point we will have come full circle and will find ourselves asking-what’s the point?