Marquetry as an income?

This is a question that gets asked all the time and one that is not easy to answer. There are a lot of things to consider before jumping into this realm. If getting into marquetry for the financial considerations then you are doing it for the wrong reasons and will be greatly disappointed. First of all it requires long hours of tedious, repetitious work. Then there is the design, promotion and selling of the product which is ongoing. Commission work is a good alternative, but acquiring a steady source of jobs can be challenging.

Another subject that must be dealt with is how the marquetry will be actually made. One-off pieces are generally expensive to make if they have any detail in them. Selling them requires a niche market that supports the labor involved in producing them. Simple items that are quickly made with little detail are more affordable by the general public, but quality is now replaced by quantity which is needed to earn an income.

The above can be surmounted by making more than one copy at a time. How elaborate the design is becomes a mute factor. Some will mirror their marquetry on separate pieces to give the illusion they are different. This has long been the acceptable method of making marquetry for profit and one that companies in the business of doing so rely on. In the majority of cases the design is cut using the pad, piece by piece, method or all-in-one pad. This gives the greatest amount of freedom. Marquetry of any size can be created making this a plus in the marketing department.

As an example, I've included a photo of 3 like pieces fabricated in the above manner. Each measures 24" by 24" and are identical in every aspect except the frames which are subcontracted. I usually only produce those I intend to sell minus any for myself or friends. These will go for several hundred dollars apiece and a label on the back displays all essential information. I never got into marquetry to make money, but then again I was never timid about turning my leisure time into an asset. For some that is the question they have to ask themselves.

Veneer Stripping Saw

What is a veneer stripping saw? In short, it is a mechanical saw that cuts strips of veneer of a fixed width for use as stringers or borders. The advantage of this saw is that it repeatedly cuts the veneer square to the surface in seconds as opposed to slicing at an angle using a knife which splits the wood fibers. A definite plus when cutting veneer with wild grain. The prototype for this saw was made by marquetarian Ken Kollar about 25 years ago as shown in the first photo.




The fence is made of hard aluminum which was cast from a mold. It features a sliding table to adjust for the width of cut and the drive mechanism was machined from steel. About 25 of these were made and the mold destroyed. Needless to say that access to a machine shop was essential to making one of these.
Since that time others have wanted to build similar machines, but lacked the resources to construct it. I have, however, duplicated it using parts available over- the-counter at any hardware and woodworking store. No machining is required and can be constructed in a couple of hours. The second photo shows this saw with the blade guard up for better view. It can cut strips of veneer from 1/8" to 3". Parquetry can also be cut if the strips are assembled together to form a whole. Overall it performs identical to the original saw.



The message in this post is that nothing is impossible if you only condition yourself to think outside the box. Ideas can become a reality if you persevere with imagination and foresight. In marquetry there is more than one way to complete a task and sometimes the alternative is more rewarding than the first.