Veneer.

Veneer. Beautifully grained or figured woods are, owing to their cost, rarely used in the form of solid boards, but are cut into thin slices called veneers. These vary in thickness from that of ordinary writing-paper to $\backslash frac\{1\}\{16\}$th of an inch and upwards for special purposes. For furniture $\backslash frac\{1\}\{16\}$th is a good average thickness. There are 'saw cut' and 'knife cut' veneers, very thin kinds as well as those sliced off in circular fashion from round blocks being always knife cut. The process of veneering consists in simply glueing the veneer to thicker wood, and placing what is then virtually one solid board or panel with the veneer face downwards on a metal table heated with gas. By means of cross bars and screws, above and below the table top, the veneer is held tightly to its backing for two or three hours till the glue is dry and firm. It will be readily understood that veneering is best done on woods which hold glue well—plain mahogany, American yellow pine, &c.