Winter Project 2016-17 - Chess Set Part 2

The Dragon Shed Winter Project - Part2

Diving, once more, into Veneer Mountain... or How NOT to do Marquetry!

This is my original design, reproduce for personal use not personal gain.

STAGE 2 - Video Part 2
Materials:
Pre-Made (Or re-purposed) Box*
Selection of Wood Veneers (I'm using Cherry, Avodere, Ash, Oak, Mahogany and Walnut)
Sandpaper
Masking Tape
Strong Wood Glue
Protected Board and weight
Black Acrylic Paint
Wood Filler
White Spirit
Paste Wax

What I Did:

1. Rip out the original lining from the box and sand the painted sides to remove the finish.
2. Measure the top and work out the board pattern - draw out 1/4 - then cut veneers to appropriate size/shape.
3. Lay out strips of masking tape, sticky-side up, over the pattern and arrange the veneers on top. Make 2 1/4's of the board, then glue to the box, cover with a board and weigh down to keep things flat.
4. Fill in the rest of the board using tape to hold things in place as you go before gluing each 1/4 down.
5. Design a pattern for the sides of the lid and box, then cut and stick in place.
6. Fill all the cracks and allow to dry.
7. Sand back the filler to a level surface, wipe with white spirit to remove any dust. Paint the inside of the lid with black acrylic.*
8. Cover the veneer with a coat of wax, then store until needed.

*I showed the beginnings of the Backgammon board in the video, but in the end I decided that my skills were not sufficient to get the accurate angles and shapes in veneer. I will decide what to do in Part 3.

I am not including the pattern here, basically because the size of the board depends on the box you have and your veneer colour combinations. I decided to cut the grid pieces on a diagonal, which created a nice sunburst pattern, but also caused chaos with the weak, short grain on the corners cracking off all over... good idea design wise, but probably not one an experienced Marquetry worker would choose... Well, live and learn - but veneer splinters are nasty creatures!