Nathan & Splinter - thanks for the comments on the veneer trimming. In my longwindedness on magnets, I completely forgot to respond to Nathan's comment on trimming.
I'll have another opportunity to try cutting down from the top side when I make the drawer front. Actually, I should just to a test board and see how that goes. My sense is that I'll have similar tear-out/flaking due to the nature of the grain. It's kind of like a burled veneer where the grain is going all over the place, and sometimes diagonally between faces. I'm not sure if that's actually what's going on or that Izombe is just very brittle. Fortunately, from 6 ft away, you'd only see the ragged edge if you knew what to look for.