Investigation of the innovation of traditional wood marquetry technique with CNC laser technology: a design study

The efforts of people seeking better design have enabled decoration techniques in the wood industry to develop over time and gain a technical dimension. In addition to basic features such as function and durability of furniture, people have also given importance to wood ornamentation from the past to the present. One of the most important of these is the marquetry technique. Traditional marquetry decoration technique can be done over a long period of time with motif design, tool selection and qualified workmanship. This study aims to examine the producibility of marquetry with laser technology, to determine its advantages and disadvantages compared to the traditional method and to contribute to making this method suitable for industrial mass production. For this purpose, a computer numerically controlled (CNC) carbon dioxide gas laser machine was used in the study. In the workshop environment, traditional and laser production of wooden marquetry was made. In the application study, a case study was done by producing a coffee table set. The data obtained from the findings and observations in the production process were evaluated. As a result, it has been determined that the production of marquetry with CNC laser has some limitations compared to the traditional method, but its advantages are quite high. In the industrial wood product sector, it was found that the CNC laser production method and the marquetry technique are adaptable to industrial mass production.