This study was carried out to investigate the effect of grain and veneer thickness on drying rate, required energy consumption, and drying defects such as checking, end waving, and burning during a far-infrared radiation drying process of decorative veneers of hard maple and beech. Most of the veneer could be dried from green to in-use moisture content within 30 to 360 seconds. The drying rates were significantly affected by veneer thickness, but there was little difference between edge-and flat-sliced veneers. The formation of checking during drying test was none or very slight. The percentages of the veneers defected by checks were higher in the flat-sliced veneers than in the edge-sliced veneers. The maximum end wavinesses in the flat-sliced veneers were almost 1.6 to 3 times larger than that in the edge-sliced veneers. All veneers were fee from burned marks during drying test.