Veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm (1/8 inch), that
are typically glued onto core panels (typically, wood, particle board or medium
density fiberboard) to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for cabinets,
parquet floors and parts of furniture. They are also used in marquetry. Plywood
consists of three or more layers of veneer, each glued with its grain at right angles
to adjacent layers for strength. Veneer beading is a thin layer of decorative edging
placed around objects, such as jewelry boxes.
Veneer is obtained either by "peeling" the trunk of a tree or by slicing large rectangular
blocks of wood known as flitches. The appearance of the grain and figure in wood
comes from slicing through the growth rings of a tree and depends upon the angle
at which the wood is sliced.
Each slicing processes gives a very distinctive type of grain, depending upon the
tree species. In any of the veneer slicing methods, when the veneer is sliced, a
distortion of the grain occurs. As it hits the wood, the knife blade creates a "loose"
side where the cells have been opened up by the blade, and a "tight" side.
Traditionally, veneers were also sawn, but this is more wasteful of wood. Veneering
is an ancient art, dating back to the ancient Egyptians who used veneers on their
furniture and sarcophagi.