I have unsteady hands, so painting the veneer was a lot easier (I just had to paint a solid color without any detail, red and blue parts separately). That’s why I’m getting into marquetry instead of painting.
What’s harder is getting the exact shade you want when painting on wood, unless you’re going to apply a lot of layers to the point that it’s opaque.
Another option would have been to use a printed pattern and just paste it on. That would allow for any complexity of design.
Thanks! I’ll try veneer and see if I can handle the paint part. Solid color is fine with me, as long as it’s not unfinished. But I’ll also try the other options. They sound a lot of fun!
FYI, Glowforge PG veneer is already finished and generally won’t take paint well unless you sand off the finish. If you want it finished, buying pre-finished veneer in the colour that you already want is probably the way to go. If you want to paint/stain it, you’ll want unfinished veneer…but then you’ll need to finish it (which isn’t hard, requiring either a paint brush or a spray can depending on the method you choose!)
That’s so good to know. Thanks! When I said “unfinished”, I was talking about my plywood projects before. I tried veneer once from… cricut, actually, and didn’t do any extra thing, and my project looked better. What exactly veneer we will use will depend on the library’s budget. I have the feeling that the proofgrade stuff is in general expensive (it is validly so because it’s higher quality? I have no idea).
PG is literally guaranteed to work as long as you use the right settings - so it’s both better quality, and comes with backup…but also cost. It also already comes with 3M adhesive tape on the back.
That being said, many vendors sell perfectly good veneer. If you’ve got a cabinet maker in your local they might even be able to provide what they consider scraps, that are the perfect size for throwing into a laser 
If you want to try working with (unfinished) veneer, consider getting a variety pack.
If you’re going to be using a lot of it, some large paper backed rolls can be more cost-effective. Be sure to choose with or without adhesive backing.
I haven’t tried to find local scraps as @deirdrebeth suggests, but that sounds like a good idea.
“3M adhesive tape on the back” how nice! I used glue when I did that veneer project, not fun.
Thanks to both of you. Very valuable information. This project won’t happen soon. I have time to test things out. I’ll keep photo records
Have you tried (prior to cutting) spray painting wood like two coats, sealing with clear spray and then cutting (after it’s fully dry of course)? That’s of my favorite methods.
Yes, the red pieces were done that way (except I brushed on acrylic paint instead of spraying).
I’m still learning and experimenting … Two or three coats of acrylic seems to get you the expected color, at the cost of being completely opaque. I prefer to see some of the wood grain, so I lean towards stains or dyes, or thinned acrylic. Dyes can be a little unpredictable in how they interact with the wood. I like the results with gel stains or traditional wood stains. For the blue pieces I used an alcohol ink marker.
Very striking!!! Always love to see your projects.
Yes, that’s exactly what I meant - a pinwheel!
This is truly amazing!
I am curious, was 16th ply strictly a design choice or does the wood need to flex a certain amount? There’s so may curves it’s hard to tell if they bend.
Amazing job by the way!
Thanks.
The pieces don’t need to flex. I used 8th ply for my first frabjous, which worked fine, but it’s a little bit tricky weaving the last few pieces in. They have to thread through narrow spaces. So when I decided to add the veneer, I dropped down to a thinner plywood, which considerably reduced the amount by which the veneer had to overhang the plywood in order to meet with the adjoining piece.
That said, it’s possible that the 8th plywood might have still worked.
Pretty pretty!