I taped the outer walnut boards and the center vein onto the frame support to mark where the support beams should end under the surface boards.
I cut the frame using the scroll saw, cutting in slightly to allow room for a veneer finish around the outside.
The local Home Depot had only the iron-on pre-glued veneer strips, and I didn’t want to wait to order online, so I used birch veneer. I had some leftover from previous projects. I cut a strip 1/4″ wide and glued it around the outer edge. It doesn’t hit every point, but that’s fine with me. It creates a natural, smooth finish around the outer edge and hides the framework (unless viewed from underneath).
After staining the veneer with Minwax Plantation Walnut, I began gluing the boards to the framework, using wood glue supplemented with super glue gel. Once I had the walnut pieces glued in place along the outer edge and center, I pressed the assembly flat with magazines and waited for the glue to dry.
Once the glue set on leaf 1, I started adding the cross boards using wood glue (and super glue gel only as needed). In some areas, the frame seems to show more than I would like but in the end it shouldn’t be as obvious.
By having the copy of the drawing underneath, I could see where to apply the glue so it wouldn’t seep out.
One leaf assembly done! :D
