Inlay Tutorial

[JimSawyer]

However, if there are floaters, then they can all be inlaid with one setup if the floaters are reverse inlaid into the area that surrounds them, and then that is forward inlaid back into the same piece of wood the floaters came from.

I couldn't have said it better...

Wood-n-things, I think if you do a little hands on, you'll get a better understanding.
I'd also like to point out that at begining of the first post, I said that this is a slightly advanced project. I would suggest doing something from issue #34. It was written as an introduction to inlay. It's always best to start from the start.

So... Was anyone helped by this tutorial?
Does anyone intend to try, or continue with inlay?

Post pictures if you do...

[Arcy]

Originally Posted by JimSawyer

So... Was anyone helped by this tutorial?
Does anyone intend to try, or continue with inlay?

Yes and yes. I'm expecting my kitchen to be out of my shop in the next week or two, and a few inlay projects are near the top of my "todo" list.

--Rob
Of course, it was also "a week or two" at the beginning of July. Hope that's not an eternal constant....

[Wood Dog]

Originally Posted by jimsawyer

So... Was anyone helped by this tutorial?
Does anyone intend to try, or continue with inlay?

Yes, yes, and yes. I've made this inlay box, still having some difficulty with the entry hole, but getting better. Although on this one I fouled up again,as you can see on the bottom left. Not having too much success with crisp turns, I miss backing up, turning in scrap, and cutting in the other direction, like I do in regular scrolling. I tied rounding the back of the blade, but it doesn't seem to help me yet. I know I need lots of practice, but will continue trying. It will be a long while before I try your pattern for sure. Need lots, and lots of practice. Thanks for all your help.

[Gill]

Jim's patterns are lovely, but they're probably not the easiest for beginners to work with because of the need for each entry hole to be precisely accurate. Beginners will probably achieve greater success if they use simple intarsia or segmentation patterns instead. If entry holes are made into waste wood which will be replaced by subsequent pieces, it does not matter how accurate the entry holes are! All that matters is you develop your technique until, at the end of the project, you can make a decent entry hole for your final piece. And if you can't... well, what's one visible entry hole between friends?

[JimSawyer]

Nicely done WD..!!! Keep it up, I do believe you understand...


Drilling blade entry holes, like anything, takes repitition. Each time you do it, the next one is better. I find it pays to visualize the bit in the wood. You've got to see the path of the drill bit as a whole, more than a proccess. I always drill on my saw table, (which is set for inlay), on a thin piece of wood. This helps me to more easily see where the blade will be going. The key is to have the blade touching the left side of the hole at the top, and right side of the hole on the bottom, when your table is set right.
It's better to be slightly steeper with the drilling angle than not enough. If you go, (slightly), too steep, you can always file off the burr. But if you're not steep enough, the bit will leave a mark in your inlay, and you can't file that off. Filing is a normal part of the proccess.

By the way, sorry it took me so long to respond....... life, don't you know.