There is a common belief that furniture made with veneer is something to avoid, and that solid wood is always better. Veneer means a thin layer of wood glued down to other wooden boards. Cabinet makers will say that factors of thickness, workmanship and condition determine whether veneering is good or bad.
Veneer is not a modern invention. Thousands of years ago, fabulous veneer work in ebony and ivory was put into King Tut’s tomb in Egypt. Veneer techniques in the Renaissance became very sophisticated, using tiny pieces of exotic woods and burl grain to create intricate designs or lavish scenes, called marquetry or intarsia work. Much of the finest royal furniture for hundreds of years employed lavish veneer construction, using the finest species of wood and tiny pieces of burl or exotic grain.
Another reason for veneer is “matching,” or making the right and left grain mirror images of each other, like pages of a book. There is also quarter matching and pie-shaped or sunburst matching for dazzling special effects in wood.
Cabinetmakers have always sought boards with especially beautiful grain, like the fork of a mahogany tree for “flame” grain, or the curly “burl” found near the knots of walnut trees. Wide planks of especially beautiful wood are gorgeous, but tend to warp and curl over time. The technique of veneering allows this beautifully grained wood to be glued to more stable wood with less attractive grain for results that are beautiful and durable. Attractive appearance on curved surfaces is another use of veneer, for example, the curved case of a grand piano is always veneered.