That’s a fair question Steve , I cut the marquetry for the birds first and then the birds were cut into a wide piece of cherry veneer, that was then glued to the solid cherry sides before I did any of the joinery. It worked great because I didn’t have cherry boards that wide so the veneer covered up the seams in the sides.

-- Paul--- Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. — Scott Adams