Manual of buhl work and marquetry

As a sequel to the two works, "Manual of Wood Carving" and "Fret-cutting," which have been so well received as to call for several editions, the writer has been induced to add another Manual, for the Sister Arts of Buhl-work and Marquetry.

Neither of these arts have been practised to any great extent by amateurs, the class for whose instruction in particular the present volume is issued. Excellence is obtainable in Buhl-work and Marquetry in no less degree than in Wood-carving and Fret-cutting, and not only are they arts which are rapidly reviving as contributing to the elegance and adornment of home, but they present openings for remunerative employment which are so much needed for many who have cultivated taste and leisure. It has been the aim of the writer to give the instructions in clear and simple language - free from trade technicalities and lectures on art matters - accompanied by a series of progressive designs, which will guide the Student to the attainment of considerable excellence in the art, and place him in a position to carry out larger works, whether copies of well known examples from the museums or private collections, or from special designs.

Derived from the French marqueter, to checker, inlay ; from marque, mark, sign, is the term used to describe work inlaid with different pieces of divers coloured woods, shells, ivory, &c. The ground-work is often dark in colour, and the design, which mostly partakes of the character of scrolls, or geometric designs, is of one or more lighter shades of wood, or other material. At other times this order is reversed. Marquetry, unlike ordinary "fret-cutting," throws nothing away ; for in cutting a table top, for instance, two tops are obtained, the one the reverse of the other, or to speak photographically, the result is a negative and a positive., In the one instance the ground-work would be dark, and the design in lighter colours; the other would have a light ground and the design in darker colours. The examples below will best illustrate the subject, as it will be at once seen that the second design is really what was cut away in forming the first.

Marquetry may be likened to a coat which a man puts on to clothe his body, for marquetry is always put on to a body or foundation, be it a table, cabinet, or other object. The body is mostly made of a cheaper wood, and the marquetry is glued on to this foundation, the joints being cunningly put together, thus giving a solid appearance to the work when completed.

Veneers vary in substance, and can be obtained from the thickness of a sheet of paper upwards, of the width of the tree, and of considerable length. Many woods are suitable for marquetry, and are always obtainable in veneers, such as walnut, mahogany, sycamore, ebony, lime, oak, rosewood, and many other natural coloured woods. The various fancy coloured woods are dyed, and are principally used to represent groups of flowers, &c., these are also to be met with in veneer thickness.

There are ordinarily two thicknesses of veener kept by most dealers, the one called "knife-cut," which are thinner than those which are "saw-cut." The latter give more substance to work upon, but are necessarily dearer in price. Veneers being of a fragile nature are apt to split; a good plan to prevent this is to glue a narrow strip of calico, and place it across each end of the veneer, turning it over to the back. Paper will do, but not so well as calico. The amateur must not think that the veneer is ruined if it is cracked, or in some woods a small hole or two, as in the former case the crack disappears when properly put down, and in the latter case the holes are neatly stopped with a proper coloured cement, or a piece of veneer is let in.

It is well to glue a strip of paper on a crack as it prevents the crack extending whilst the wood is being cut. If the veneer rolls up and seems likely to crack in trying to lay it flat, place it on a damp floor for several hours, it will then lie flat without splitting. Veneers should be kept between two pieces of wood, or inside a large book.

In choosing woods a good contrast is wanted, suitable to the subject of the design. The veneers should be all of the same thickness, so that when cut, and the design fitted into the ground-work, the surface will be level, so as to facilitate its being laid down.

He modus operandi of marquetry is very similar to that of Buhl-work. Instead of metal and wood, we have now to deal with other materials than metal.

Four or five veneers are often cut at one time, indeed it is well to have a few pieces of common wood, to put with the work, when there are only two veneers, as it helps to strengthen the work whilst being cut, and for a beginner it steadies the saw by not allowing it to cut too quickly.

Marquetry, like Buhl-work, should be cut on a bevel to ensure its fitting without any gapes or misfits. We will suppose four veneers are cut at one time, it is evident from the illustration that No. i will fit into No. 2, and No. 3 into No. 4, without a "gape," whereas if cut without a bevel there would be a "gape" the width of the "saw-gate." So that it is at once apparent that, whether the hand-saw or machine is used^ it is necessary to cut the work on a bevel to obtain perfect results.

Having decided upon a design, obtain pieces of wood of the required colours and size, "tooth" these over on both sides with tool No. 7, place them one upon another, pasting or glueing the design on to the top one. Insert at each corner a pin, and bend it down at each end 5 some prefer to file off the ends level with the veneer. These pins can be made by filing the heads off some ordinary pins.

If the design is very elaborate, it will be best to fasten all the veneers together, by pieces of soft newspaper, glued or pasted on both sides, laying the veneers one on the other, and the design on the top one, the whole will then feel like a thick veneer; then place under a weight until quite dry, otherwise the damp glue will prevent the saw working properly; the delicate parts of the design will not be so liable to break as they would be if they were in single veneers. When disunion is desired, insert between the veneers the edge of a thin bladed knife, gently pressing it forward; the paper will be found to split, and the pieces separate with ease.

Now drill one or more holes as required, or if there are only two or three veneers, with the point of a penknife make a small nick or cut on the line of the design, always cutting across the grain, or the veneers might split; this latter method is superior to the round hole made by the drill, as the nick made by the penknife is about the width of the saw blade, and is almost imperceptible when the work is made up. Place the veneers upon the "horse" or machine, insert the saw blade, and having tightened it proceed to cut out the design. As each part is cut and falls out, lay it on one side until the whole design is cut. Then separate the various colours by the insertion of a penknife between the veneers, laying each colour by itself. Then lay the ground-work on a flat surface, and fit into it the various pieces according to the colour of the design. Now glue a piece of soft paper and lay it on the completed work, rubbing it down and put under a weight until dry, placing a greased board between it and the weight. We will suppose that four different coloured woods have been used, namely, black, green, white, and red. At present only the black ground-work and portions of each of the other colours have been used. We had a ground-work and a complete design of eack colour to start with, so that we can now use for the second, the white ground and black design. The third can be green ground and red design. The fourth, the red ground and green design, except where some of the pieces were used in the first design, these can be changed about so as to form four complete designs In some instances it will not be advisable to attempt to make four complete designs; much depends upon the colours used and the nature of the design.

If the design is a floral one in natural colours, or any design composed of several colours, providing the paper designs are exactly alike, i.e., either printed designs or the requisite number of designs have been drawn at one operation, so as to ensure their being facsimilies one of the other, the groundwork is cut by itself. Then the various different colours are cut separately, using another or two of the designs as required to cut up for fastening on to the different colours, taking care to cut the groundwork on the line of the design, and the inlaid parts just inside the line, so that the latter will fit into the former. If this method is adopted, the saw should not cut on a bevel because the design is cut so as to fit exactly into the groundwork. In cutting the parts that are to be inlaid, no holes need be drilled, as the saw can be run up to the part of the design required from the edge of the material.

The Marquetry, when laid down, sometimes requires again toothing over, this occurs when all the veneers have not been of the same thickness. Marquetry is laid down in a similar manner to Buhl-work (see page 17), with the exception that no file is required, the toothing plane and scraper removing any inequalities of the surface, (see page 18). The scraper. No. 8, must now be used after the work is laid down on the foundation; then apply No. 2 glass cloth, and finish off with the finest, placing the cloth round a piece of cork as before described. Pumice stone is often used for this purpose. It should be rubbed to a flat surface on a piece of sandstone, in the same direction as the fibre. The marquetry is then ready for polishing. See chapter on Polishing.