I’m pleased to present my most recent book, The Fine Art of Marquetry; Creating Images in Wood Using Sawn Veneers by Schiffer Publishing. This is my 5th book with Schiffer and I'm very happy with the results. The book describes in great detail, the technique of double-bevel marquetry using a fret saw, a simple sawing table called a Donkey and hand-sawn wood veneers.
"…Craig Vandall Stevens takes you from novice to advanced woodworker with this illustrated guide to marquetry, a technique where different colors of wood veneers are carefully cut to fit precisely together, forming a single sheet of veneer."
I use the double-bevel marquetry technique in my own work. This method is ideal for creating a precisely fitting marquetry design. While there are other marquetry methods that can make multiples of the same image, those techniques don't lend themselves to the truly perfect fit that I'm aiming at in my own work.
In The Fine Art of Marquetry, I cover wood selection, resawing veneers on the bandsaw and the techniques and nuance of double-bevel marquetry, creating a simple, 3-piece practice image in wood. I then demonstrate how to make a small marquetry panel with a plywood core, veneered on both sides with solid edge banding.
Finally in the last section of the book, I show how to make a more challenging marquetry piece with sand shading, giving the image a 3-dimensional look. This marquetry panel becomes the lid for the jewelry box project in the final part of the book. I take the reader step-by-step through the process of making a small mitered box. This includes selecting wood and milling the box parts, accurate mitered joinery, making a floating bottom panel and gluing up, using decorative splines to strengthen the miters, applying a shellac finish and fitting the marquetry lid.
The book is a 160 page hardcover with over 800 color photos - $40. If you would like a signed copy, please follow the link below to go to my online store page.
