Mirrors provide a pattern peek

By taping together a pair of 12"-square mirrors and placing them atop your veneer, you gain a sneak preview of how your finished veneer pattern will look. By moving the mirror around or increasing or reducing the angle, you can gauge how the pattern changes with 4, 8, 12, or more pieces. For a 4-piece pattern shown left, hold the mirrors at 90°. Holding the mirrors one way shows a box match, where the grain runs parallel to the outside edges of the design, indicated by the dashed-line box. On the reverse box match, the grain runs perpendicular to the edges. For the 6-piece design shown at bottom left, hold the mirrors at a 60° angle. Holding the mirrors at a 45° angle produces an 8-piece pattern.