Background Art In the timber industry there is an ever-increasing demand for solid timber, especially for cabinet making and joinery. To meet the, demand, in view of the increasing scarcity of timber resources in nature, wood substitutes such as medium density fibreboard (MDF) and chipboard have been used which are covered with a natural wood veneer so that they look like solid timber.

However, when such veneered products are machined, for example to apply a surface decoration, the underlying MDF, chipboard or other wood substitute is exposed.

This is unsightly and is difficult to finish with sprays, lacquers, etc.

Disclosure of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a method of making a veneered product, comprising providing a body of a first material, forming a recess in a surface of the body, substantially filling the

recess with one or more pieces of a second material, smoothing the body so that the piece (s) of said second material are substantially flush with the said surface, applying a veneer to the said surface including the exposed surface of the piece (s) of said second material in the recess, and selectively removing veneer and portions of underlying second material in the recess to a depth which does not expose the first material.

The invention further provides a veneered product, comprising a body of a first material having a recess in a surface thereof which recess is filled with one or more pieces of second material flush with said surface, and a veneer covering the said surface including the second material in the recess, a portion of the veneer and underlying second material in the recess having been selectively removed to a depth which does not expose the first material.

Preferably the first material is a wood substitute.

In the present specification a wood substitute is any material which simulates and/or is used as a substitute for solid natural wood, especially in cabinet making and joinery, such as MDF, plywood, chipboard and the like.

Further, preferably, said second material is selected from natural wood and plastics materials. An example of a suitable plastics material is melamine.

In preferred embodiments, said pieces of second material are strips of material which are closely fitted in slots formed in the first material.

Preferably, the step of removing veneer and portions of underlying second material comprises routing the surface of the veneer and the underlying second material.

Preferably, in cases where said second material is a grained material, the one or more pieces of second material are inserted with the grain substantially aligned with grain in the veneer, whereby said second material and said veneer together simulate the surface of a solid grained material.

In particularly preferred embodiments, the veneered product is a door panel.

Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figs. 1 to 5 are successive steps in the manufacture of a decorative door panel made by an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the finished panel shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a gable panel during manufacture of a further embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the panel of Fig.

7, when finished.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments The method shown in the drawings, which are not to scale, starts with a conventional flat MDF panel 10, Fig. 1. A recess 12, Fig. 2, is machined into one major surface 14 of the panel where a decorative feature is subsequently to be applied. In the present case the recess 12 is a closed rectangular groove but the recess may have any shape depending on the desired final decoration, and there may be more than one. The groove 12 is machined to a depth preferably not exceeding half the thickness of the panel 10.

Next, Fig. 3, pieces 16 of solid natural wood are glued into the groove 12 to substantially completely fill the latter. In the present case four such pieces are used, but the size, number and placing of the solid wood pieces will vary according to the size and shape of the recess to be filled. When the glue is dry the panel 10 is sanded until the wood pieces 16 are substantially flush with the surrounding surface 14 and the entire surface on that side of the panel is smooth and flat.

Now, Fig. 4, a layer of wood veneer 18 is applied in conventional manner to the entire surface 14 of the panel, including over the exposed surfaces of the wood pieces 16 in the groove 12.

Finally, Fig. 5, a decorative groove is machined into the panel 20 through the veneer 18. This groove 20 is confined to the area of the panel occupied by the wood pieces 16, and is made to a depth less than the thickness of the wood pieces 16, so that the wood substitute is not exposed. The final result is a door panel with the appearance of solid wood.

In a less expensive product, chipboard may be used as the first material. A further method of reducing the cost and/or providing a product with a different appearance is to use a plastics material such as melamine as the second material.

If desired, the above described process can be carried out on both sides of the panel if decoration is to machined into the panel on both sides.

Fig. 7 shows a further embodiment of the invention during an intermediate stage of the manufacture. In the embodiment of Fig. 7, a flat MDF panel 30 has had four parallel recesses machined into a surface 32 and these parallel recesses have been filled with laths or strips of solid wood 34 which are substantially flush with the surface 32. In the next stage of manufacture a sheet of veneer 36 is applied to the surface 32 (see

Fig. 8), covering the laths 34. The panel is then machined with a series of parallel V-shaped grooves 38 which cut through the veneer 36 and into the laths 34 without exposing the MDF.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described herein which may be modified or varied without departing from the scope of the invention.