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Understanding Wood Veneer Ordering


Book matching is the most common technique and is often used with plain, quarter or rift sliced veneers. This occurs when consecutive leaves of veneer are

flipped open facing each other like pages in a book. This creates a mirror image of the previous leaf. The symmetrical pattern accentuates the grain, figure, and decorative characteristics of the log. Book matching can create color variation and can produce alternating “tight” and “loose” faces that reflect light and accept stain differently – often producing a “barber pole” effect.

 

Consecutive leaves of veneer are slid or “slipped” across each other and joined side by side, like sliding a deck of cards and creates a repeating grain pattern

across the panel. Slip matching is a common technique that is often used with quarter and rift cut veneer to provide a clean straight grain look. In veneers with a straighter grained the joints won’t be prominent, but some rotary cut veneers, especially

those that include both heart and sap wood, can highlight the flitch joints.

 

Two consecutive leaves of veneer are book matched and the next two are flipped, creating a four-piece end match (also called a book-and-butt match). End matching creates beautiful patterns and

accentuates swirly grains and the irregular

characteristics of veneer. This method makes good use of shorter veneer leaves and is often used with burls and crotches.

 

Random Matching assembles veneer flitches without regard to grain pattern or color. Visual continuity is not guaranteed, though some species are naturally more uniform than others.





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