[craftsman]

There are big differences between veneers today and what was used years ago. The veneers on a piece of high quality antique furniture were cut with a saw and were quite thick and usually laid over a less expensive solid wood like Poplar.The veneers on more modern furniture are either cut with a knife or rotary peeled and are only thousands of an inch thick and usually applied over the cheapest substrate the manufacturer can get away with. They take finishes differently and will hold up over the years differently. A good example is the mass produced furniture by Ikea. It looks good when you buy it (not) but doesn't age well at all. It's usually passed down to the land fill not your children. No offence to anyone owning the Safari line but if they come from the factory with the heat applied edge banding coming loose and screws pulling out what do you think they're going to look like in 10 or 15 years. It's not a better way to make cabinets, it's a cheaper way to make cabinets.