Old Seeburg pianos and just about any old upright piano in that era
used wormy chestnut as the core wood.  Old pianos make a great source
for this wood.  When the chestnut was no longer available or for
whatever reason the core wood is poplar.  All core woods are then cross
banded with poplar that is about twice the thickness of the veneer.

The veneer in the good old days was much thicker than today's veneer.
The quartered oak is white oak in most cases.  I have never seen red
oak used but have seen oak from England.

I buy my veneer from Certainly Woods in 1/16-inch thick stock.  You can
send them pictures, I would, guess if you are trying to match an unusual
looking piece of veneer.  It is sometimes very nice flake and sometimes
not.  Typically I will order it in much larger quantities than I expect
to use to get the flakes that I want.

If you look at the veneer that Seeburg used then notice that it is
smaller pieces on the lesser pianos, such as the Seeburg Junior which
will have 4 or 5 pieces book matched on the side, whereas the Seeburg G
may only have two pieces book-matched.  The earlier pianos had larger
veneer pieces than the later pianos.  In many cases the same flitch of
veneer was used on both sides so they will match on early pianos
whereas the later pianos may not match.  I have a Wurlitzer in the shop
that had really nice quartered oak on the left side and the right side
has almost no flakes.

It must be applied with hot hide glue no matter what anyone tells you.
Most of the work in my shop is because someone used a contact cement to
glue the veneer and it never holds.  In a past post I have written about
a trick using yellow glue and so far it has held, but I do not recommend
it for gluing up a whole side of a piano.  Many times the veneer will
expand so try to bevel the edges on the bottom and especially the toe
blocks.

Staining and finishing new veneer to match the old veneer is a real
challenge to any refinisher.  Some refinishers will stain the new and
finish it only to strip the new finish in an attempt to age the new
veneer. I will usually do all the wood work before I strip a finish and
let the old finish run onto the new veneer when possible.  Aniline
stains mixed in alcohol work well, as do some penetrating oil stains.
You just have to try several times to get it to match to old veneer.

A straight line sander with dual pads will work wonders to level the
veneer, which is a must.  New veneer will absorb the stain and turn
darker than the old veneer unless you use a stain block (shellac
thinned).  If it turns too dark then wash the new stain off with
lacquer thinner.  There are some new stains on the market that are 
gel-type stain,s and some water stains that I have not tried, and if
you have success with them then please write the MMD.

Don Teach - Shreveport Music Co.
Shreveport, Louisiana