Things to do · Arts and crafts
Make a marquetry picture in wood veneer
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Marquetry makes pictures and patterns from thin sheets of wood veneer, often in exotic woods, cut with a fine fretsaw and glued to a panel. A three-hour workshop can send you home with a small finished piece, and some clubs meet weekly.
GentleUnder £100 / $130An afternoonIndoorsAlone or with othersUK and US
Someone who has done it
These are real people who did this, as reported by the outlets named. We opened each one before linking it. None of them is connected with this site.
What you learn
Bewdley Museum's three-hour Introduction to Marquetry needs no experience. Its tutor, Quentin, founded the Staffordshire Marquetry Group and is a former President of The Marquetry Society; you learn the steps of the craft and make a small item to take home.
West Dean College's Traditional marquetry course with Audrey Fasquelle teaches cutting fine veneer with a fretsaw. On day one students use the Boulle technique, cutting a stack of two to four veneers at once to make a traditional acanthus pattern; on day two they cut a simple design of their own.
In the US, Jack Mauch's weekend at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking teaches marquetry and veneering by making one or two sets of coasters, and the school says it suits beginners. Patrick Edwards' week there goes further, covering the chevalet (a marquetry sawing frame), veneer packets, hot hide glue and mastic.
Clubs carry the craft on. The Harrow Marquetry Group in north-west London meets on Friday evenings, gives informal one-to-one tuition and says members from novices to very experienced make pictures with simple techniques and no expensive machinery.
Ways in compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Bewdley Museum, Worcestershire | Three-hour workshop, 1pm to 4pm, age 18 and over; all materials, tea and cake included (April 2026 run) | £45 |
| West Dean College, West Sussex | Two teaching days with an arrival evening; tutor supplies veneers, fretsaws and blades | £388 |
| Marc Adams School of Woodworking | Weekend workshop making marquetry coasters; suited to beginners (October 2026 run) | $550 tuition, plus $45 materials |
| Marc Adams School of Woodworking | Weeklong French marquetry workshop with Patrick Edwards (September to October 2026 run) | $1,050 tuition, plus $85 materials |
West Dean asks you to bring an apron, covered shoes, 2H, HB and B pencils, an eraser, a notepad and a sketch for your second piece.
How to start
- Book a short introduction at a museum, craft college or woodworking school, where veneers and tools are provided.
- Take sharp pencils, a notepad and reading glasses if you use them; the work is fine and close.
- Ask the tutor about a local marquetry group; some, such as the Harrow group, give informal one-to-one tuition.
Where to go
- Bewdley Museum: Introduction to Marquetry (Worcestershire) UK
- West Dean College: Traditional marquetry (West Sussex) UK
- Marc Adams School of Woodworking: Making marquetry coasters US
We opened these links on 11 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Two ways to plan it.
Plan it yourself Free
The links you need to book it, get there, find somewhere to stay and eat, and see what else there is to do nearby. They are searches for you to run; nothing is saved.
Show the links
Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
What tools do you need for marquetry?
Very few to start. Courses supply veneers and fretsaws, the Harrow Marquetry Group says no expensive machinery is needed, and more advanced French marquetry uses a sawing frame called a chevalet.
What is Boulle marquetry?
A method of cutting a stack of veneers together so the pieces fit each other. West Dean's course uses it to cut two to four veneers at once for an acanthus pattern.
Do I need woodworking experience to learn marquetry?
No. Bewdley Museum's workshop needs no prior experience, and the Marc Adams coasters weekend says it is suited to beginners.
Is there a marquetry club near me?
In the UK, local groups such as the Harrow Marquetry Group are listed on The Marquetry Society's website; ask at a workshop or contact a group directly.
Where this comes from: Bewdley Museum, Introduction to Marquetry; West Dean College, Traditional marquetry with Audrey Fasquelle; Marc Adams School of Woodworking, Making Marquetry Coasters; Marc Adams School of Woodworking, French Marquetry: The Difference Between Boulle, Painting with Wood and Piece by Piece; Hatch End Association, Harrow Marquetry Group. Opened 11 November 2026.
Read next
From the Latest Music Bar to the hospital lab: Angi Mariani's first in biomedical science
How a Brighton music-bar owner and TV presenter took a part-time science degree alongside a hospital lab job, what national figures say about who keeps learning, and how to find a course or a way into laboratory work.
“Education has no expiration”: Virginia Ordaz and her mother finished their degrees in the same class
How a retired fire dispatcher from Stockton, California, finished the degree she started in 1989, and how her mother finished hers more than 40 years after her last class. How to find out what your own old credits are worth, in the US and the UK.
More like this
Moderate
Take a beginners' woodworking course
Gentle
Learn woodcarving
Moderate
Turn a bowl on a lathe
Moderate
Carve a wooden spoon
Gentle
Go to a life drawing class
Gentle
Learn to paint in watercolour