Does anyone own the Veritas Inlay Tool? Thoughts?

[Eric Schatz]

I'm looking at starting stringing and banding and am having a hard time acquiring the tools. I know I could build them. I've looked into that. Frankly, the Vertias system is around $130 for what I would want. I think I could build the tools for around $100 ($60 of that is cutters from LN). So for $30 I would rather just have Veritas do the work for me. : )

However, I cant seem to find any reviews for this product that weren't from a magazine. I'm kind of skeptical of those. I'd rather have a Creeker let me know.

[Shawn Pixley]

I have it and like it. But I have built my own cutters / used the Veritas / used the router plane / cut with a knife. Cutting stringing at a close parallel to an edge is pretty easy. When it comes to curves, elements far in on a panel, or on undulating surfaces, that is more difficult. Are you most challenged by cutting the grooves, cutting the stringing or thicknessing the stringing?

Perhaps if we knew your project, we could offer better advice.

[Stewie Simpson]

Hi Eric. I am also interested in hearing feedback on this subject matter. I am looking at the LN range of Inlay Tools. https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/4082/inlay-tools

Stewie;

[Eric Schatz]

I have it and like it. But I have built my own cutters / used the Veritas / used the router plane / cut with a knife. Cutting stringing at a close parallel to an edge is pretty easy. When it comes to curves, elements far in on a panel, or on undulating surfaces, that is more difficult. Are you most challenged by cutting the grooves, cutting the stringing or thicknessing the stringing?

Perhaps if we knew your project, we could offer better advice.

No specific application yet. I know it will make it on drawer fronts, box tops, probably do some fed legs and things like that.

I am not really worried about the process. I figure I can cut stringing using a straight edge and an exacto. Seems ridiculous to buy a tool for that. I'm more worried about the straight line cutter and the radius cutter. (Both the same tools with different blades on the Veritas).

Shawn, do you think that the Veritas works well for these applications? As mentioned in the first post, I'm debating on making the tools but at $130 you can't compete very well with home made stuff. I am firmly in the camp that I could make the LN tools for WAY cheaper than they want for them.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have the inlay cutter head for the router plane and I love it .I plan to get the inlay tool very soon. The fact that it has a pencil holder for making a compass adds to the versatility.

[ronald mccormack]

I have the veritas Inlay radius and straight cutting tools and there okay. they work, but i find that cutters are good at scoring lines but not removing the waste. The cutters are designed with a sort of v groove cut into them so it has to points on either side but the space is so narrow that it easily clogs up. I think LN's version based on steve lattas cutter which is shaped more like a saw tooth is a much better design. I do alot of inlay and honestly i just use a scraper in my stanley beading tool ground to the size of the groove i want. This works perfectly for anything parallel to an edge, straight or curved. doing radius's and circles i reach for the inlay tool, and other times i just use templates and exacto with a router plane. they are well made tools however, as is most stuff from lee valley. hope this helps.

[Frederick Skelly]

I have the veritas Inlay radius and straight cutting tools and there okay. they work, but i find that cutters are good at scoring lines but not removing the waste. The cutters are designed with a sort of v groove cut into them so it has to points on either side but the space is so narrow that it easily clogs up.

I bought the LN set. With the LV set, I was concerned about having to chisel-out that v-groove (seemed like an additional step) and with how well the tool cuts across the grain (critical for a couple upcoming projects). I'd appreciate hearing whether those of you who own the LV set actually experience these.

DISCLAIMER: LV is always my first choice for hand tools. I'm not knocking them. This time, I was just more comfortable with LN's offering.

[Shawn Pixley]

The Veritas tool works well for most things -straight and regular curves. Irregular or very large curves are not something you can do with any of the purchased tools. I especially like the cut on the outer edge on the Veritas. I use either a modified dental pick or the homemade scraper cutter to clean out the bottom (make it flat).

[Christopher Charles]

Howdy all,

Any additional thoughts on the LV or LN inlay tools? I'm most interested in making ~1-5" radius cuts.

Thanks,
C

[Frank Drew]

Ulmia used to make an excellent inlay tool that appears from time to time on that big online auction site. They're good for both cutting inlay from, say, veneers, then cutting the groove in your workpiece by reversing the bevels of the knives; there's a tiny chisel cutter that follows the groove cutters to remove the waste. Slick tool.

[allen long]

I have the LN version and have had excellent results. I really enjoy using the LN tools. Here is a previous post detailing the process for my first attempt.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?245134-Crop-Circles-amp-Rust-My-First-Experiment-with-LN-String-Inlay-Tools

As you can see, you can get pretty good results from the get-go.

I have bought the LV free-hand inlay cutter with the blade size closest to the LN inlay cutter. (i.e., the LV item that looks kind of like an xacto or striking knife).

You can always buy the blades from LN to make your own cutter. The blades for both the radius cutter and straight-line cutter are slightly different. Both are excellent at removing the material for the inlay stringing.

My post also shows how to make a "bridge" for lack of a better term, for making tighter radii than the radius cutter normally allows.

I would highly recommend Steve Latta's DVD from LN to get a great tutorial on string and berry inlay. The LN inlay tools are based on Steve Latta's tools that he uses in the DVD. Steve gives some pretty stellar points that you might otherwise not know about until something goes wrong (for example how to prevent groove tear out when crossing another groove. You fill in a groove before you ever cross it with another groove.)

Many Kind Regards . . . Allen

[steven c newman]

I had to re-read the above a few times....still sounds an awful lot like just a sales pitch....

[Christopher Charles]

Frank-thanks for letting me know about the ulmia tool, didn't know about that option.

Allen, thanks for the review of the LN tool and DVD. And that's a good tip. Also, I remember that thread and still think it was a very cool piece.

Best,
C

[allen long]

I had to re-read the above a few times....still sounds an awful lot like just a sales pitch....

I hadn't realized but it does sound a bit like a sales pitch! I assure you I have no affiliation with either LN or LV - other than spending enough money at both paces for them to list me as an asset on their financial statements:)

Many Kind Regards . . . Allen

[Mike King]

I used the Veritas inlay tools in constructing the stringing inlay on my double spice cabinet. They worked very well, although I had some learning experiences...

In using the compass, make sure to set the point and check that you are still in the correct spot -- while it isn't "easy" for the compass to drift, if you aren't paying attention, it can happen.

I didn't have issues with the v in the groove. I did buy the hand chisels as well and did use them to clean things up.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with them.

Mike363711

[Mike King]

wrong image -- here you go...363712

[Mike Allen1010]

I have the LV string inlay tools and I been very pleased with them for both curved and straight-line grooves parallel to edges.

FWIW, I recommend getting the tiny chisel and manual (handheld) stringing cutter in the same width as the blade you're using the inlay tools. Using the inlay tool to lightly score either curved grooves working off a compass point or straight grooves works well. In addition, hogging out the bottom of the straight grooves is pretty straightforward.

For the curves grooves my biggest challenges making sure the compass point stays in the original spot. Once the grooves are score, working backward to hog out the waste, for me requires more pressure and that's when the compass point is most likely to shift. For this reason it really helps to plan the sequence of cutting your grooves so that when cutting curved grooves, you can bury the compass point in a section of the work piece that will later be covered with other parts of the inlay.

Regardless of whether it's a straight or curved groove, having the handheld "chisel point" and curved tool always come in handy because there are always parts of the groove that didn't get to a consistent depth with the inlay tool and the handheld tools make it a lot either to clean up. Typically I use the chisel point tool as sort of a "scraper", pulling it down the groove to get consistent depth and smooth edges.

Sharpening the V-shaped cutting edges of the blades for the inlay tools way can be a challenge because they're so small. I found the super narrow, Japanese "feather edge" Files (at least I think that's what they're called?) used to sharpen Japanese saws to work great for this application – they have a super narrow profile that fits the groove nicely.

Lastly, the absolute hardest part of string inlay for me is getting the stringing to the same width as the groove; too wide and you increase the risk the stringing wall fully seated in the bottom of the groove, which means strength final surfacing you might end up with a gap where all the strings have been has been removed. Too narrow and you can end up with final result that doesn't have a uniform with.

That said, the end inlay tool that's made the biggest difference for me is the LV "Inlay StringingThicknesser". It's kind of a cabinet scraper set up that lets you gradually shave your stringing down to the correct thichness to precisely fit the width of the groove. I also recommend making a test groove on waste stock as a way to check that your stringing fits well – nothing worse than applying glue to the groove in your work piece and then finding out the stringing doesn't fit! You can guess why I know that.

I also have the LV Dremel plunge router kit (that's probably not what it's really called). If you're doing a lot of straight, parallel edge stringing; like multiple drawers for a chest etc., it's a faster way to cut the grooves than the manual stringing tools. LV also offers super tiny Dremel bits that correspond to the width of the cutters for their inlay tool.

If you're interested in expanding your inlay work beyond stringing, to do larger designs like a compass rose etc., the Dremel/plunge router is an essential tool for excavating recesses as close as possible to the layout lines.

I'm no expert, YMMV.

All the best, Mike

[Gary Muto]

I have the LV Inlay tools. I think they are all well made and comfortable to use. As I recall the price was reasonable if oyu use the Lie Nielsen set as a baseline. I felt that LV was giving me more bang for the buck but I'm sure both are really good choices.

[andy bessette]

Just received the LV router plane, fence, full Imperial set of blades from 1/16"-1/2", plus the inlay tool for $200. Seller used it once, so it is in virtually new condition. Pretty impressed with the quality and workmanship, like other LV tools I have.