Mini Intarsia Challenge - Jim's Toucan - simple intarsia and tutorial

[Frank_D]

Hello Jim and Everyone,

After a failed attempt last weekend using a 2 x 12 piece of Pine and shreading 2 blades, I decided to get some different wood.

I bought a piece of Oak and Poplar. I am not used to hard woods like Oak, it sure took a while cutting it out. The Poplar was a little softer, but not as bad as the Pine.

I have everything cut out now. I just have to shape the pieces and glue them together.

Oh, I still have the eye to work on. I don't have Forstner bits, but I do have Spade bits. I should be finished next weekend is all goes as planned.

Do the pieces have to fit together properly or not?

[jlyn069]

Frank,
Your toucan is looking good. I like the wood grain and colors you used. Thanks for the wip pics.
Jackie

[jim_mex]

Way to go Frank!

I agree with Jackie - your toucan is looking good and the wood choices are great. Just a question on the cutting. Do you use packing tape between the pattern and the wood to assist in lubricating your blade?

Regarding the pieces fitting.This is the question that most newbies ask and invariably get hung up on. My take is you do the best job you can to get the parts to fit but if they are not perfect don't get hung up on the issue. Very often when you shape the pieces and then apply whatever finish you are going to use most of those less than perfect shaped pieces will be unnoticeable to the casual viewer. As you make more intarsia pieces and you develop your skills you'll be able to make a judgement call on what will work and what is better to recut. You'll rarely be 100% satisfied with your cutting but that's the nature of scrollers and craftspeople in general. Even the most skilled intarsia artists, like Janette for example, will complain their pieces have gaps or don't fit perfectly despite looking perfect to you and me!

My advice is start shaping and see what you come up with

Looking forward to your next step...

[Frank_D]

Thank you very much Jackie,

Jim, no I did not use packing tape. I learned that trick a little too late.

*--- A side note on Packing Tape --*

I used the spray adhesive 77 on the clock pattern and stuck it on the wood. Then used the packing tape on both sides of the wood. I made a few cuts late yesterday and it seemed to work fine. I am using a reverse double cut blade and noticed a lot less splintering on the back side of the Baltic Birch.

*-- End Side Note --*

I figured that after the shaping it would hide the gaps and all, I just wanted to make sure.

I did notice something cutting out the upper and lower beak was to trace the whole beak and cut it up on the lines. The beak does fit better than the rest.

One last thing. I used carbon paper to trace the pattern to the wood. I probably could have done better sticking the pattern to the wood, but I did not have the spray at that time and used what I thought would work.

Frank

[jim_mex]

Hi again Frank - seems like you are finding your way just fine. The way you cut the upper and lower beak parts is what is referred to as a segmentation cutting approach and there is no doubt that the peices will fit together fine since all that separates them is the blade kerf. Cutting the other pieces from different woods - intarsia cutting approach - is much more demanding in that if you don't accurately cut to a pattern line you will get misfits. The normal recommendation for newbies for cutting intarsia style is to cut as carefully as possible to the pattern but err, if you need to, to the waste side of the pattern line so that you can sand back to the line to get a good fitting piece.

In an emergency I've also used carbon paper for transferring a pattern to the wood but I find it a bit hit and miss particularly with soft or open grained wood where sometimes your pencil tends to drift whilst transferring the pattern. For me you can't beat having a crisp fine lined printed pattern stuck firmly onto packing tape or painters tape.

All these things come with experience and sooner or later things slot into place. Just keep having fun finding your way !

[jlyn069]

Frank,
You are welcome. After reading what you said about the clock pattern and how you attached it, I think you said you put the pattern on the wood then the packing tape on top of the pattern?
From what I have read in this forum, is to put the packing tape on the wood and then glue the pattern to the packing tape. It makes it much easier to remove the pattern with less glue goo left on the wood.
Jackie

[dragyn]

Looking good Frank. Keep it up!