Veneer, as a very precisely defined procedure and product, dates from 1600 to 1640. Veneer was not first employed as an economy measure. The properties of the woods themselves were appropriate for a thin layering; ebony illustrates this process. Solid mahogany boards from the last quarter of the 18th century warped severely; by the second half of the 19th century, the use of mahogany veneer was definitely governed by economic factors. Early tools used to produce veneer are described; one of these early instruments has produced tool marks like a tool the author has designed for his restoration shop.