First Inlay Attempt - Questions

[Jose Kilpatrick]

I'm in the process of making something special for a friend. This guy gave me some thick board lengths of mahogany a while back and I wanted to make him something with the left over pieces as a thank you.
I decided on a box that would hold a few nice hand tools and I decided I also wanted to try my hand at making an inlay pattern to go on the top.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/3283781240_c2e7aaf7be.jpg

This is the rough glue up. I used two strips of spruce and a strip of mahogany. My first attempt and I learned a few things....

I do have a couple of questions. What types of wood should one mate together for this kind of pattern, or would you want to avoid certain types such as hardwood with softwood.

Even thought I gave it a rough try with little more than an idea of what it is supposed to look like, I must say that it was a very enjoyable task.
I suspect I will practice up some more, but does anyone have any tips?

Thanks

[george wilson]

Looks like some of your spruce blocks' grain runs at right angles to other spruce blocks. I wouldn't use any wood that had pronounced growth rings that show,and distract from the accurate geometry of this pattern. Mahogany is fine. Holly,or some other light,featureless wood should be used for the light squares. It would be best if the woods were of similar hardness. That way,when you sand them,the white blocks do not come out sanded deeper into the banding than the mahogany. Plain maple and mahogany would be a better choice. Keep all the grain going in the same direction. Make a length of banding 2" thick,or thicker,then,slice them off like bread to make several pieces.

There are instances,like in making inlaid "pictures" with different woods,where a pronounced grain pattern can be utilised to represent streaky sky,of calm water,or similar. This isn't one of them. Good luck.

[Jose Kilpatrick]

Should all grain be running in the same direction on both woods?

Can cedar be used to make this kind of inlay? If so, what would you pair it with?