string inlay tool advice

[Zahid Naqvi]

So I finally saw that Steve Latta episode on the woodwright's shop, needless to say feel greatly inspired by the simplicity of the technique and tools. I have been wanting to do simple inlay's but it got put on the back burner.
I see that LN sells the whole package of everything you need, but there must be a woodmiser way of making/acquiring these tools, right? I can see myself buying the radius cutter, but the rest I think we should be able to make in the shop. I saw the article Derek wrote about the slicing tool he made and that is quiet doable. I can see how one can make the thicknessing gauge as well as the straight line cutter. But how about the blades. To me it seems like all the blades are shaped like a 2-3 tooth saw blade, such that one can probably sharpen and set them using the exact same technique as one would use on a hand saw.
I have a couple of drawers to make for a saw till with Walnut front, I think that would be a perfect opportunity to try my hands at a simple linear string inlay.
so any ideas on how to make the cutting tools and or a cheap source to acquire them?

[Jack Curtis]

IIRC, Latta made all those tools he used at Roy's. Maybe some old cut up saw blades when appropriate?

[Zahid Naqvi]

the episode I saw from the 2010/2011 season he was using all LN tools.

[Jack Curtis]

I just stepped through the 5 seasons I see online, and there's no Latta; so I guess I must be referring to a tape of the episode I bought a few years ago, on which he did use his own tools. This inlay tape made it all seem intuitively obvious, so I never bought that dvd (did get the Making Ornamental Bandings dvd, in which he uses the LN tools). Of course, the LN tools are Latta's line, so they're similar, and, as you say, easy to make.

The thicknesser is easily replaced by a scraper, so use an old scraper blade. You might be able to figure out a way to use the whole blade, so no cutting required. And, like you'd do on the LN 66 blades, you could shape them to what you need. In fact, maybe a set of the LN66 blades would be great starting points. Could maybe use some of the preformed versions, too.

[Andrae Covington]

Inlay (and the tools to do it) is on my long to-do list. I've always been intrigued when Steve Latta is on the Woodwright's Shop.


the episode I saw from the 2010/2011 season he was using all LN tools.

Yeah, in his more recent visits to the show he has used the LN tools, which I believe he helped develop. In the past he used his own shop-made tools.


To me it seems like all the blades are shaped like a 2-3 tooth saw blade, such that one can probably sharpen and set them using the exact same technique as one would use on a hand saw.

That's right. A few years ago when Latta was on, he had a supersized wooden mockup of the blade shape and it had two crosscut teeth. That was for the radius cutters, I think the straight ones had three teeth.

[Pat Zabrocki]

I was at the Marc Adams school a few years ago for a class and Steve Latta was teach his inlay class in another classroom. I talked with a few guys in that class over lunch and I could swear the first thing he taught back then was how to make the tools so I'm pretty sure you're on the right track for making your own. Perhaps some googling will find some old plans of his for doing just that.
pat

[Jim Matthews]

I have a hazy memory that the scratch stock was hacksaw blades, ground to the profile desired.

The most difficult part would be holding the steel cutter.
There's a FWW video (http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=31290) to this effect.

[Mike Siemsen]

I have used drill bits ground to a chisel point held in a marking gauge to scratch in inlays. If you use wire size drills you can match your inlay thickness exactly. If you are making inlay then you can match the inlay to the cutter. I have done a fair amount of compass work with, of all things!, a compass or divider sharpened to the width of the inlay string.

[mike holden]

Zahid, I have the LN tools and they are nice, but the tools are quite easy to make. The curve cutters are a two point saw blade, the straight are three point. You can quickly cut the blades with a triangular file. Mount the straight cutter on a cutting gage and make a block to put the curve cutter on the end, with a pin on the bottom for pivot.
If you look closely, most patterns only use two or three radii.
Mike

[Zahid Naqvi]

I will take a crack at it this weekend, I do see that the cutter must be in a saw tooth configuration to create a crisp edge. A chisel point may not work as well when cutting across the grain. now to dig out some old saw blades.

[John Zahurak]

For what it is worth, the blades are available for sale individually from Lie Nielsen for ~$15. They come in different size thicknesses so you can pick the "weight" of the inlay for the scale of your project. - John

[David Keller NC]

Zahid - Yeah, you can make everything you need, though probably not for less than you can buy them from L-N if you factor in making the tools vs. using them to make an inlaid piece. But I'm all for anyone that wants to make tools for the love of making tools - I've made quite a few.

In any event, I decided I'd rather concentrate my tool making efforts on infill planes and wooden molding planes, so I bought the inlay tools from L-N as well as all three of Steve's DVDs. Even if you make your own tools, I'd urge you to buy the 3 dvds. There's a -lot- of non-obvious tips & tricks for making or sourcing the inlay, cutting the pieces, routing and clearing the grooves, and gluing and leveling the pattern in the first 2 dvds, and in the first DVD, Steve shows you his shop-made tools on which the L-N versions are based.

Even if you decide you want to make and learn from your own errors (something I do frequently :)), I'd strongly recommend you buy the 3rd DVD "Making Ornamental Bandings". In it, he shows some seriously important safety aspects of cutting and assembling inlay bandings, and also a lot of good information about layout that could be extended to doing the entire process with hand tools. Like much else with woodworking, knowledge is a whole lot more valuable than tools.

[Mark Berenbrok]

Zahid - I purchased the cutters from LN and made the tools from directions at this thread (http://lumberjocks.com/Jon3/blog/9948). The string inlay was for a huntboard and I was very satisfied with the results. Practice on scrap wood first. Polish the backs of the cutters; that made a world of difference. The cross grain inlays were a little tricky and you'll need to do some clean-up with an x-acto knife. Start at the end of the groove you're cutting and work backwards. Shoot me a line if you run into issues.