American 'pad' method

I have noticed in the last couple of years that more people have taken up pad cutting. Mind you, I'm not talking about the piece by piece method, but the all-in-one pad which is a variation of the Boulle method. This is in contrast to the artsy bevel method that many still practice and who are obsessed with not having any gaps in their work. I think this is an attempt to make their marquetry comparable to fine art painting. In the real world this just isn't possible. Although I have seen a few pieces I consider art, I am always reminded that marquetry is a craft. Making and selling to collectors does not change a thing. Neither does price. Just ask any appraiser or customs agent. I will come back to this point in a minute, but lets continue with the subject at hand.


The all-in-one pad method is just what it says. All the veneers needed to produce the the design are assembled in one pad. Pieces of waste material are placed on the top and bottom with a pattern afixed to the latter. The whole is cut in one simultaneous operation. Saw capacity is not a factor as the pad can be cut in to smaller sections as needed providing the pattern allows for this. When all the pieces have been cut they are assembled with a perfect fit except for a gap around each piece the width of the sawblade. With a 2/0 blade it is hardly noticeable. I've heard tell that this was called the American 'pad' method due to its popular use in the 1970's. It is undoubtedly one of the easiest methods available. The result is very pleasing providing you can get over the above obsession.


I knew a fellow (who is no longer living) that employed this very same technique. He would crank these out on a scale that I find even today hard to believe. These were not sold, but given away just for the asking. I must say, that's one way to propagate your work. In addition to this, he would show how it was done to anyone who was interested. As it turned out I happened to be at an estate sale a few years ago and 2 of his marquetry pictures were on display and for sale. I don't remember what the price was or how they got there, but they were a bargain. They are displayed below.


That brings me to the point I made earlier. Marquetry is basically craft no matter who makes it, how its made and for who its made. Over the years I have queried everyone from antique dealers to interior decorators on how they would categorize standalone marquetry. The answer is always the same. . . craft!

Mishaps and Mistakes

This is the bane of any craft and the person who practices it. Undoubtedly it occurs without exception, but some are better at masking the results than others. Admitting that you would have done a particular act differently does not negate a person’s technical skill. In fact, it shows an incorrect choice in the face of unforeseen circumstances and nothing more. So when does a mishap become a mistake? The short answer is when it cannot be corrected. Even then it is best to remember that we should not be afraid of making mistakes. I believe it was Albert Einstein who said “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

I can remember one incident that happened to me in making a marquetry panel some time ago. The cutting was done using the piece by piece method where each part is cut independent of the others. Likewise, each one had its own separate pattern reproduced as a whole on my computer. I would print a batch of these as needed as the marquetry progressed. Regrettably, I had a loss of data on my hard drive before all the motifs could be rendered. This also affected my backup drive. My effort to reproduce the pattern was only partially successful. The XY coordinates did not match the original leaving the aspect ratio of each mismatched to the pieces I had already cut.

In order to salvage the marquetry, which was 75% complete, I turned to a technique used in the restoration of missing or damaged components of inlay. This is done by taking some light-weight paper, place it over the area to be replaced and rub a soft-lead pencil over the edges of the area to be replaced. The rubbing is then trimmed and glued to veneer specified in the design. Cutting can be done with a fretsaw or knife. Sometimes 2 or more adjacent pieces will be missing. Over-cutting these areas are necessary and then cutting back with a knife to their original location after assembly. All this is rather tedious, but essential in my case. I have seen whole marquetry created this way, but will save that for another post.

Obviously, I have no photos documenting this turnaround. I do have some images of what is involved in this procedure. Below is a piece of curved crossbanding which was inlayed using the same method. The total length of this was nearly 3 feet. Cutting 1 inch at a time (to enable concentric uniformity) and inlayed with hot hide glue the whole project was done in 2 hours. After practice you learn where to cut the tracing. In the end I was able to save the marquetry panel and proved, at least to myself, that a mishap and/or mistake can be corrected.