My first Attempt at Marquetry, Or.......

[Gene Howe]

.........A Ford guy takes a Chevalet for a test drive.

Paul Miller (Shipwright) invited me to his home in Green Valley, AZ to see his shop built Shopsmith/lathe based thickness sander. A really neat, useful and precise tool. His build blog on the lumberjocks web site starts here Sander It’s so simple to build….and inexpensive….that anyone with the need for a thickness sander should seriously consider building one like Paul’s.
But, after taking a gander at the sander and viewing it in operation, Paul sprung a surprise. He had drawn out a desert scene on a 4 piece packet of veneer, which he handed me and said he wanted me to cut it on the Chevalet de Marquetrie. I think he mentioned it might take a half hour or so to cut. WRONG! Well, maybe total cutting time for him might have been a half hour or less. For me, closer to one and a half hours…With breaks to steady the nerves, I spent at least 2 hours at it.
Here’s a picture of what passes for total concentration for an old man.
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To correctly operate the Chevalet, one must coordinate a foot (to clamp and release the work) while continuously cutting with the right hand on the saw and the left hand guiding the work. Heck, I can’t even walk and chew gum! It took some getting used to, for sure.
After getting all the pieces cut, Paul took the hide glued packet apart and reassembled the pieces to form four differently colored scenes.
Later, after the wife and I had left, he sand shaded some of the pieces, reassembled and glued them. Finally, he veneered them onto a box he had constructed.
Here is the result. I just received it yesterday.

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I want to thank Paul for his hospitality and for pulling an old man out of his comfort zone. And many thanks for taking the time to put this piece together and send it to me. Phyllis and I will treasure it forever.

[bffulgham]

WOW!
Congratulations on a great first project!

[shipwright]

It truly is great to make new friendships and exchange ideas online but the real payoff for me is the friends I am able to meet in person and get to know better. I first met Gene here on the ShopSmith forum a couple of years back and since then we have met a few times and always enjoyed each other's company.

On the topic of his marquetry, I have to say that his cuts were excellent (never mind for a beginner) and I don’t think it took him as long as he says.

Another bit he left out of the story is the gift he gave me when my wife and I met him and his family for dinner the night before.

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Thanks for the box and the friendship Gene, and enjoy your first piece of marquetry.

Paul M

[cincinnati]

I spend hours a day reading about woodworking. Never knew of a saw like the one above. Know what I will be researching tomorrow.

Thanks.