Detailed inlay with a router?

[Aaron Wingert]

I'm doing a project in the near future that will require that I inlay the shape of a sunflower in a piece of walnut that is about 4" diameter. I'll be using some osage orange for the sunflower inlay, and it'll be almost 4" in diameter when it is cut/routed out. After the inlay is complete, the piece will be turned on the lathe.

My question and potential problem is how to make a template for the sunflower that enables me to get a fairly sharp point at the end of the sunflower's petals. I have a 1/8" spiral bit and guide bushing kit, but making the template itself is killing me. Is it possible to cut out the shape of the sunflower on my scroll saw and then use the bearing or the bushing to ride the cutout to create a template? I can and have done simple bowtie inlays and such, but am struggling with the best way to do a piece with sharp points and sharp valleys...Or as least as sharp as a 1/8" router bit can produce.

How the heck do I make the template for a 3-3/4" diameter sunflower? :confused:

I appreciate any help I can get.

http://www.google.com/images?q=tbn:LCOoAh3i3iVG5M::www.nps.gov/wica/naturescience/images/Annual-Sunflower.jpg&t=1&h=196&w=165&usg=__7VSYNXJBU32uIJNXVUUywHHAJdk= (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nps.gov/wica/naturescience/images/Annual-Sunflower.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nps.gov/wica/naturescience/wildflowers-sunflower.htm&h=492&w=415&sz=68&tbnid=LCOoAh3i3iVG5M:&tbnh=245&tbnw=207&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsunflower&usg=__4OMmdJat7sdFaPpeeFEltYe0yV0=&ei=JcGCS--VJIfUnAe4zMy_Bw&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=3&ct=image&ved=0CA0Q9QEwAg)

[Paul Atkins]

Sounds like a job for a laser.

[Greg Portland]

Use a marking knife to define the edges and clean out the tips of the petals with a chisel...

[Doug Shepard]

If you're after all the sharp points I think you'd get better results if you stacked the osage and the walnut the cut through both with a scroll or fret saw at a slight angle so that you have a matching cut that the osage drops into with glue. Even the smallest bearing or guide bushing to follow a template is going to give you fairly rounded ends even if your template has all the sharp points. If you go that route, I'd do the osage first with a scroll saw and use a sharp knife to trace it on the walnut, then use chisels/gouges to do the cavity line/border areas and reserve the router for the center areas. A Neander router plane with the pointed cutter near the cavity ends would help some too.

[Mike Henderson]

What I do is make the inlay pieces first, then lay each piece on the area it's to be let into and mark the border with a marking knife. Make sure you carefully mark which piece goes where. Use a router to hog the majority of the wood out to slightly less than the thickness of the inlay wood. Don't get too close to the lines. Complete the inlay excavation with carving tools and chisels.

Glue your pieces in and press them them down with a caul with plastic between the work and the caul. When dry, you can use a small plane to take the inlay down close, then finish with sandpaper or a scraper.

Mike

[Aaron Wingert]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. To elaborate, this is for a turkey call I've been asked to make. It is for a special occasion and will be the first time I do any inlay work on one of my calls. Here's a view of what my calls look like when they're turned...This particular one would incorporate the sunflower on the bottom side where the holes are.
http://www.wingertswoodworks.com/assets/gallthumb_cocoboloendgrain.jpg (http://www.wingertswoodworks.com/assets/gallbig_cocoboloendgrain.jpg)
Sounds like the router/template idea might not be the ideal way to go about this, and it might be a job for the bandsaw or scroll saw. But I need the inlay to fit nice and tight so when the edges are turned they don't look funky, so I may use the router and just not get the petals super-pointy. Going to have to experiment. The inlay would be 1/4" deep in a block of wood that starts out at 1" thick before turning.

This call....If successful....Would be presented to the governor for the gov's annual turkey hunt event this spring. I was asked to make a call by the celebrity guide, and came up with the sunflower idea since it is our state flower. Worst case I'm making the governor a call without a sunflower, but I've gotta try!

[Jim Rimmer]

Mike probably has the best advice. If you haven't seen some of his inlays, search on here and take a look. I also saw this on the Woodwhisperer http://thewoodwhisperer.com/inlay-pictorial/
He was doing some pointed inlays (sunrays).

He uses a 1/16" router bit. I ordered one but haven't used it yet. I think it was from Lee Valley but not sure.

[Zsolt Paul]

Your question was how to make the template:
Draw your design on thin MDF (1/8" or so). Free hand cut out with an 1/8" spiral or straight router bit. This will produce a positive (inside) and negative (outside).
Then put a guide on your router that has an outside diameter 1/8" larger than the bit (this will make your inside "positive" piece a 1/16" larger than the MDF template).
Do the same thing with your negative (outside image). This will make the "whole" into which you have to lay your sunflower 1/16" smaller.
So, the material that was eaten up in step one by using 1/8" bit, is now added back by adding a 1/16" onto the positive and 1/16" onto the negative, using a guide that spaces the cutting edge of your bit 1/16" away. Done hundreds of these, works like a charm!

To make the sharp points, you will have to use a chisel. Remember not to follow the template where you want the sharp corner. If you follow the template for the rest of it, you can get away with free handing the point (or sawing) and then follow Mike's advice about scoring the cutout piece's lines and chiseling it out.

Of course, now I use a laser :-)))

[David B Thornton]

I made a few cutting boards for christmas that I inlaid with a "W". I was getting rounded corners with the 1/8" bit so I created pieces to fit into my template that would allow me to get the sharp points. Not sure how intricate yours will be, so I'm not sure if the process would help(It did take forever to make the template and pieces). The thread is here:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=128685

[Brian Greb]

What I do is make the inlay pieces first, then lay each piece on the area it's to be let into and mark the border with a marking knife. Make sure you carefully mark which piece goes where. Use a router to hog the majority of the wood out to slightly less than the thickness of the inlay wood. Don't get too close to the lines. Complete the inlay excavation with carving tools and chisels.

Glue your pieces in and press them them down with a caul with plastic between the work and the caul. When dry, you can use a small plane to take the inlay down close, then finish with sandpaper or a scraper.

Mike

I'd have to say this would be the best method... besides going the template route you'll have just as much time invested, and the quiet time cleaning to the lines allows one to enjoy the craft... as-long as you make your mortise wall square to the face you'll have no issues turning it

also this is the method I use on a regular basis...

here's an example of the results of this method

[Aaron Wingert]

Thanks guys. Still trying to wrap my head around how it'll work, but this gives me some ideas. :)