One of the members of this community is Ryan Andrusky, a woodworker that specializes in bespoke boxes and the stunning art of marquetry. His journey to woodworking has been quite winded and full of passion for crafts. He began with origami, a hobby he picked up after tearing a ligament in his thumb when he was 19. His love for these intricate paper creations grew so much, he started making his own paper, which eventually led him down the rabbit hole of bookbinding. After an unsuccessful venture into a bookbinding business, he took a break from handiwork, but came back to it in 2018, when he was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. That’s when he dived into woodworking and never looked back.
Back in 2020, during the pandemic, he stumbled upon French marquetry, the art of applying veneer pieces to form decorative patterns. He instantly became obsessed with learning the craft, acquired the necessary tools, and started practicing. Three years later, he attended the first ever Wonders of Wood: Inlay and Marquetry conference as a student scholarship winner.
These days, he makes billiard and game tables for a small local business (check it out here) that he feels very lucky to be a part of. In his free time, he continues to master the art of marquetry, which is his hobby and passion. “What really drew me into marquetry is the complexity of it. I am often drawn to more difficult, almost magical crafts. <…> The challenge and the feeling of completing a project drives me to the next one, always with the thought of how can I improve or create something more outstanding.”
The most recent creation he is proud of is the “Bee on a ‘honeycomb’” comb, which sounds like a fascinating project that involved using horn material. “I used a technique that I have never seen used in marquetry before to create the bee's transparent-looking wings. I used steerhorn for the wings. When hot pressed and thinned down, they become very transparent. I created the background with the body of the bee first, inlaid those into my comb body. Then I inlaid the wings halfway through that layer, so that the background and body of the bee would still show through, creating a very convincing trompe l'oeil effect.”
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When asked to elaborate on marquetry, Andrusky shines with enthusiasm. He explains that there are three different ways of cutting wood when it comes to this craft. There’s stack cutting also known Boulle marquetry, double bevel or conical cutting, and piece by piece cutting. You can cut marquetry with a small knife that’s good for thinner commercial veneers or with a larger knife called a shoulder knife that’s able to cut through thicker veneer pieces. You can inlay marquetry directly into solid surfaces with chisels or router tools or even use laser technology to do it. But the technological advancements don’t entice him: “I am not interested in that kind of work at all, I do this because I want to do the cutting and have all the fun!”
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His process of creating a marquetry piece is quite remarkable and very involved. He starts with a design or tracing of the piece and preparing his veneers and other materials he’s using to inlay (metal, stone, bone, horn, etc.). He then cuts the pieces out in whatever method is best suited. When they’re done, the pieces are typically shaded with hot sand (acids or even simple charcoal crayons can also be used for that). After that, he glues it down to a substrate, sands and/or scrapes it, and finishes. He always sticks to traditional methods and uses protein glues (hide glues, fish glue, etc.) and finishes. “I make my pieces so that they can last for hundreds of years and still be reversed and fixed if need be.”
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These intricate processes not only yield impressive work, but make Andrusky very happy. “I love the challenge and the process of marquetry. It is not easy and succeeding provides me with ample amounts of dopamine! This craft has also really helped me in lowering my stress levels and seeing life in a different way. It has improved my Rheumatoid Arthritis to the point that I don't take medications for it anymore. Dealing with stress is vital in our daily living and marquetry provided that for me.”
Woodworker Hunter Locke had a way more straightforward path to his craft. His love for woodworking started when he got married and moved to his first unfurnished apartment. “As [my wife and I] scoured the internet for nice furniture, I realized that we probably didn’t have the budget. I’ve always been good with my hands, so I started to research building furniture, and realized that it sounded really enjoyable to me.” Now, at 25, he’s already 5 years into his woodworking journey and has his own custom furniture business (check it out here).
At this point in his career, he’s mostly working on practical items. “I really enjoy building 'stand-alone furniture' pieces like dining tables, chairs etc.” With the help of traditional woodworking methods, he designs pieces that are meant to last for generations. However, Locke is also intrigued by more decorative pieces. “I have a couple of light fixture designs in my head.”
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When it comes to his favorite pieces he’s made so far, a recent creation he loves is a bar cabinet shaped like a robot that he made as a wedding gift for his cousin. “She had sent me a reference image over a year ago that I had saved with the intention of building as their wedding gift. The time came, and I was able to build my own take on the piece. It’s very different from what I normally build, but it was a fun challenge! And I think it turned out pretty great."
