Marquetry Furniture, Seminars and Tools by Paul Schürch

I currently own and operate a custom woodworking shop specializing in marquetry. I produce up to 30 pieces of fine furniture per year. For several years I have been teaching furniture making, veneerwork and marquetry, and I am now dedicated to the task of passing on the knowledge I have received from the many fine teachers and masters of the trades. Since 1979, I have passed this knowledge on to many people who have successfully completed seminars, apprenticeships and advanced internships in my shop. Up until 1995, I traveled once a year to Northern Italy to work in a small shop specializing in production marquetry for the furniture trade. I would bring my own projects in the form of drawings and raw wood veneer, and work side by side with some of the finest craftsmen in the world. They gave me a workbench, help when I needed it, and the techniques that I am still using today. The experience of working with these masters and journeymen was incredibly inspiring. They gave so freely of themselves, their secrets and techniques so I could pursue the ideas and visions I had for my own furniture designs as well as my future as a teacher. When I started my internship in marquetry, there were about twenty businesses in this area of Italy producing marquetry, and now I understand there are only two shops left. It is my hope that you will make good use of this information, the techniques and tools that I have to offer, as well as allowing me to introduce you to the art of decorative veneering. I wish to instill confidence, and inspire students to explore this fine craft on their own projects, and to help them to create lasting works of art that will be handed down for generations to come.