Tech Corner
Random Matching
The way veneer leaves are matched or spliced into panels creates a visual pattern–a rhythm that can enhance wood and create interesting effects in projects. Most often, matches are sequential patterns, following the order in which leaves were cut from the log. In contrast, random matching calls for the leaves of veneer–often of varying widths, colors, and grain patterns–to be seemingly randomly put together, creating a rustic, casual, plank effect, as if leaves were pulled from a pile and matched up without any thought to pattern. What appears to be random, however, is far from it. In fact, a conscious effort is made to mismatch the grain and intentionally vary the width, contrast, and color of the leaves. While it looks simple, looks can be, as they say, deceiving. Achieving a successful random match is one of the most challenging tasks in veneer matching.
