private collection
I wondered if I could do marquetry on a tambour and make the tambour slats relatively inconspicuous. The picture would need to have the majority of the grain running with the slats.
I wanted to do a desk and what would have been more obvious to put on a desk than an old fashioned typewriter? (Does anyone now remember them?). The typewriter needed lots and lots of little parts. Each key had fourteen pieces of wood. I also needed to choose some woods that would simulate metal.
The marquetry was cut and the slats milled. I waxed the parts where they would touch and squeezed them into a frame. Then I glued the marquetry to the slats. When the glue had set up I was able to crack the slats apart and slip a razor knife into the opening and cut each slat free. After a little clean up the slats were re-united in the frame and the tambours linen back was glued on.
The tambour slides in a track and the picture disappears around to the back of the case.