Marquetry as a Hobby

It is generally agreed that there are 2 ways to cut marquetry with the fretsaw – the pad and the double-bevel method. This was not the case in the early part of the last century. In fact, the first book in English on marquetry did not appear until 1876. “Sorrento and Inlaid work” by Arthur Hope detailed both methods, but it appears that the pad method was preferred by many hobbyists. One reason for this disparity was the availability of ultra thin saw blades needed to bevel cut that many of us enjoy today. During the period in which we are talking thin blades were made from watch-spring material. The teeth were filed on by hand often with a wide set and required the labor of a skilled craftsman.

Marquetry as a hobby did not emerge until the 1930’s when various national woodworking magazines appeared. Periodicals such as Science and Mechanics Woodworkers Encyclopedia, Home Craftsman, Deltagram and Popular Homecraft provided the instruction for those wanting to learn a craft unknown to many. In a review of articles from the period 95 percent detail the pad method. Another advance for the home hobbyist was the convenience of buying small quantities of rare and fancy veneers from companies such as Craftsman Wood Service.

The glues and finishes used at that time have changed, but the way in which marquetry is cut has not. It is true that bevel cutting has surpassed the pad method in popularity among craftsmen. It has not replaced it nor will it. It is the best means to produce multiple copies of a pattern. As the French like to say – “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they remain the same).

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?

Straw Marquetry

The origins of straw marquetry have their roots in Asia where straw has many uses in everyday life. Rice straw was used to make mats and rope so it is not hard to imagine that left-over straw used in the manufacture of household items was seen as useful in decorating small boxes. For instance, in Japan it is called ’Mugiwarazaiku’ and has been around for nearly 300 years. In the West it has been practiced since the 17th century when it was considered an acceptable hobby for cloistered nuns. During the Napoleonic wars, French prisoners held in British jails created snuff boxes, tea caddies and cabinets decorated with straw marquetry. All that was needed was straw bedding, a knife and dyes made by boiling colored rags. A prerequisite for this craft seems to have been a lot of time to spare. Few examples survive today and those that have are well preserved or were little used. These include sewing boxes, tea caddies, snuff boxes, small cabinets and writing boxes.

Straw work is not very complicated and in some respects similar to the related craft of decoupage with straw being replaced by paper. Designs of a geometric pattern are favored along with intricate pictorial scenes. The pattern is drawn on the surface that is to be covered or onto a piece of paper which will serve as a backing. In either case, the preparation of the straw is the same. Uniform, cylindrical lengths of straw are selected according to the texture that is needed. These vary from species to species with barley, wheat, oat, rye and rice the most common. Additional colors can be had with food or aniline dyes. With a knife the straw is slit open along its length to form pieces about 5/16” wide and 12” long. With a damp sponge they are moistened and burnished with a blunt edged tool until they are flat. A hot iron set on low can also be used. The outside of the straw is the face as this provides the greatest degree of translucent texture. The action of the design is carried out by cutting needed lengths of straw and glueing these to the design. No visible gap should appear where 2 pieces come together. What is even more important is the glue used in securing the design. Standard white glue is acceptable, but an adhesive with a low water content is ideal. PVA bookbinders glue would be a good choice. In the case of geometric designs it is better to glue identical sections onto kraft paper and then trim to the desired shape.

Parquetry is another suitable means of decorating with straw marquetry. If the marquetry is to be applied to solid wood it is recommended to glue a backing of kraft paper to stabilized it. Where plywood or some similar type of wood is used it is not as necessary to have a backing. This precaution is needed because the delicate nature of the material will cause it to bubble up as the substrate contracts and swells to changes in humidity. When two surfaces meet at right angles the edges are burnished after the glue has dried. In most cases the marquetry is applied after the case piece or box has been assembled and a heavy weight is placed on it.

In finishing straw marquetry it is not an essential step since alot of these pieces are left unfinished. If a protective coating is needed it is usually applied by spraying a light coat of shellac or lacquer. Marquetry created in this way is of course not very durable, but the texture of honey-colored straw is dazzling when applied to geometric shapes like trompe-l’oeil designs.

The craft itself is not widely practiced in the United States and is called ‘straw work’ or ‘straw painting’.

Here is a link to a video (in French) about straw marquetry that will give some idea of how it is done.

Heiligenkreuz Abbey

The Monastery of Heiligenkreuz is the oldest continuously active Cistercian Abbey in the world. Founded in 1133, it has survived the damaging forces of nature and man. Within its walls are artifacts that transcend the epoch of man. One such object is the ‘Monk’s Cabinet’. It is said it took 2 men 40 years to complete. Constructed in the 16th Century with nothing more than a shoulder knife, chisel and a dozen regional woods. These are perspective views of imaginary buildings. It shows just how far we have advanced over the centuries with our modern technological tools such as lasers, vacuum presses and power scrollsaws. Despite being aided by such instruments, are there any craftsmen who can duplicate such endeavors?

Marquetry in America

Marquetry in the United States has not reached the popularity nor the fervor that it has attained in Europe, particularly in England and France. One reason is that Americans are preoccupied with two things: technology and making money. Sometimes these go hand in hand. The handcrafts that were brought over from the old world are beginning to fade from the repertoire of a new generation of craftsmen. It is possible to learn marquetry, but at a price. Those that teach marquetry do so as a living or to supplement their income and that is the only reason they do it. Advancing marquetry might be in the back of their mind, but it is not their forte and they are less concerned with elevating the craft than making their free time profitable. You can not serve two masters. This begs the question – are we advancing marquetry by charging double and triple digit fees to learn this craft or is this exclusively an exercise in free enterprise. In England there are lots of marquetry clubs while in America only a handful exist. British marquetry clubs gather as a group and assemble in halls filled with tables. Men and women practice their marquetry during these meetings with the more experienced members helping those in need of instruction and all this without a fee. It is a beautiful sight. This is the way to advance marquetry, but it is not the American way. I will be teaching a free class this Fall on the “Basics of Marquetry” prior to the October meeting of the Lakeland Marquetry Club. It is my goal to make marquetry accessible to anyone with a desire and no expensive tools or special skills are needed. At a recent Woodworking Show our club signed up over seventy people who had an interest in learning marquetry. This was a class given by one of our members at a cost of over $100.00. In the end only a handful actually took the class. Talk about missed opportunities. What we need in America are instructors of marquetry truely interested in preserving and advancing the craft.

Marquetry Patterns

For those that came here by a link on my website, this blog is replacing my News page. Others can find my home page by the link on the left. I hope to provide more content by moving that page here which I can update more easily and more often.

It is hard, if not impossible, to find marquetry patterns on the internet. There are a few available at a cost. This can be a hinderance to those just starting out. It seems most people are reluctant to share their patterns with others, I suspect, because they feel it is an infringement on their artistic license. To those that need a little help in getting started I have four pattern that can be downloaded for free. They do not contain a veneer-key so a little imagination is useful. All four are in one pdf file with a link on the left. Also, I've had some marquetarians inquire about veneer keys for some of the old marquetry patterns that are still circulating. These are used to decode the numbers on the pattern that correspond to the specie of wood used. Marquetry suppliers such as Art-Veneers Co. Ltd. and H. G. Wild Co. used this system to promote their veneers. Included with this is a list of common veneers used in marquetry and the effects acheived with their use. In all a very handy reference for those old patterns.

Preserving Marquetry

In recent years there has been an attempt to pass works of mixed media off as marquetry. First, let me define mixed media as an object that combines several mediums to produce a whole. It can be said that it's counterpart in the last century was that of tramp art. That is not to say it is art, but more of a curosity for collectors. Just because something is displayed in a gallery or someone collects it hardly qualifies it as art. Originality is an idea, not an object. Many art galleries display mixed media next to collectibles and this helps blur any distinctiveness which in turn increases the bottom line. I've heard people say that "if it looks like art it must be art". They are wrong and all they need is an education in real art!

Marquetry is marquetry and mixed media is just that. The following hypothesis will illustrate the point. If an object is crafted using ink, fabric, paint, gems and inlaid wood is this then marquetry, a painting, applique or what? None of the above and most likely mixed media. If a bottle of wine has 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 70% Merlot is it the former or the latter? Neither, as it is a Varietal wine which is classified on its own merits. It must be remembered that Andre Jacob Roubo in his L'art du Menuisier in 1774 said marquetry was "painting in wood" not painting on wood or any other such technique. Marquetry has been defined by the ancients who have gone before us and the desire to broaden its scope is not possible.

Marquetry as a craft needs to be elevated to the status of art. True connoisseurs of art already recognize this to some degree. The real detriment to the advancement of marquetry as an art are the purveyors of mixed media. Those that adulterate marquetry to suit their own needs are misguided into believing they are creating something new, even avant-garde, in the hopes of becoming the next Andy Warhol or Georgia O'Keeffe. I have nothing against becoming famous, but not by debasing marquetry. Only God can create something from nothing. Man must destroy in order to make anything. I know a few people who work in various mediums other than marquetry and very few if any create works-of-art. Most can be categorized as Objets de curiosité. Mixed media makes for a good conversation vehicle, but it's called mixed-media for a reason. Lets not litter our museums with articles devoid of any taste, character or style.