Sawn Wood Veneer: Thin Leaves Ripped from a Hardwood Board

Veneer is a thin leaf of wood glued over a core; three or more crossed layers make plywood. Before slicing and peeling machines, veneer was sawn by hand, about 3 mm thick. Plane the board face, gauge a line, rip off one leaf, and repeat, keeping the leaves in the order they came off. The picture: our diagram of the board, the gauged line and the stack of leaves.