Making Inlays

[Tim Dorcas]

I'm sure this a fairly easy question but I would like to make inlays for a couple of boxes I've done. What do people do to accurately mill such small stock without injury?

Tim

[Richard Link]

Tim,

What type of inlay are you planning (edge banding, marquetry, etc?). And are you referring to the milling of the recess into the piece or the stock to be inlayed into it?

R

[Mitchell Andrus]

You can use a band saw and a drum sander if you need to roll your own veneer. I just buy veneer and run that through the laser. A lot. See my site. I can't post it here, but you can click above and find it.

[Larry Fox]

I would seriously consider buying it. It is sooooo cheap and it seems that it would require some really special tooling to do it well. I used Dover Inlay for the one project I have done with inlay(www.doverinlay.com (http://www.doverinlay.com) ) and was very satisfied. They won't take an order less than $25.00 but you can buy a lot of inlay for $25.00 so you can have some selections onhand.

[Tim Dorcas]

Tim,

What type of inlay are you planning (edge banding, marquetry, etc?). And are you referring to the milling of the recess into the piece or the stock to be inlayed into it?

R


I'm thinking of the the stock to be inlayed into the recess of the box.

[Mike Henderson]

I use veneer for inlay. I cut the veneer into the pattern of the inlay (the veneer may be a complex piece of multiple color veneers held together with veneer tape), then lay it in place and tape it down securely with blue tape. Then I use a sharp knife (I use a Japanese marking knife) and trace around the inlay piece. Then remove the inlay piece. Next, set up a small trim router with a straight bit that cuts at the bottom and make the depth equal to the thickness of the veneer. Use the router and hog out the main part of the inlay. Just make sure that you hog it out in a pattern that allows support for the router - you don't want the router to fall into the area you just routed.

Don't try to route all the way to the line - just get close to it. Then I take chisels and carving tools and cut exactly to the line. Trial fit the pattern. If it's not an exact fit, you can sand the pattern, or cut a bit more off the inlay area until you get an exact fit. Glue with your choice of glue, but use a piece of plastic or waxed paper over the veneer, and press it with a board to get it down flat. Sand carefully when the glue is dry.

At least that's how I do it.

Mike

[Lee Schierer]

I've inlaid two boxes, one placque and several 1/4 inch panels in a privacy screen. I used a router to cut the slots in the pieces for inlay and then cut thin strips as cutoffs on my TS that were several times thicker than they needed to be. I set them into the slots or recesses and used a small hand plane and sandpaper to bring them flush with the surface. Here's some of the inlays:
http://home.earthlink.net/~us71na/prayerbox.jpg
This one was done with a pattern:
http://home.earthlink.net/~us71na/placque.jpg
On this one I cut the groove on a bridgeport milling machine:
http://home.earthlink.net/~us71na/cherrybox1.jpg

[Larry Fox]

Apologies Tim - when I suggested buying it I was thinking of just banding and it didn't dawn on me at the time you might NOt e talking about banding.

[Tim Dorcas]

Apologies Tim - when I suggested buying it I was thinking of just banding and it didn't dawn on me at the time you might NOt e talking about banding.

Actually I am glad you sent the link. Very cool stuff!

[Steve knight]

though you can't do this without a cnc machine it is a very good way for one wood inlay. but I find it is best to keep it small as it takes a lot of clamp pressure to do it well.http://www.knight-toolworks.com/cnc/rose%20inlay.jpg
http://www.knight-toolworks.com/cnc/rose%20%28Small%29.jpg

[Bob Feeser]

I'm sure this a fairly easy question but I would like to make inlays for a couple of boxes I've done. What do people do to accurately mill such small stock without injury?

Tim
My 2 cents. I am realizing that marquetry is considered an inlay as well. Although marquetry is usually associated with some very complex designs. Here is another site, that makes "maquetry inlays". http://www.heritageinlay.com/
When I think of inlays, I am thinking of the simpler variety, the kind you create on your own using the PC Inlay kit, which is only 31.18, or the Frued kit
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/418NX0Z3YXL._AA280_.jpg
and the procedure is explained thusly
Cut perfect inlays with this Inlay Kit and your shop-made template. Simply slide on the bushing to rout the cutout and then remove the bushing to cut the perfectly matched inlay. Includes a 1/8" solid carbide spiral cutter and alignment pin. Fits Porter Cable® routers and other routers with template guide adapters.
Pertaining to your question on safety, which is maybe what you are asking, already knowing what the above says, and want to know what is the safe way to do the final stage of creating the workpieces, and that is, how do you stand the wood up, to remove the inlay piece, and rip it on the table saw, and not risk kickback etc. (Which is my concern) the alternative of course is to use a band saw. Since you want to overcut the thickness of the inlay itself, as compared to the pocket, the relative roughness of the band saw cut is not a problem, since you can put that surface to the outside to get sanded down flush. (Although it is possible of course to get some pretty smooth band saw cuts as well)
So now that I have stumbled all over your question, I will be curious to follow this thread, whereas inlays and marquetry's as well as veneers are directions I have been curious about as of late. I just bought a really good book on veneers, but I am getting off of the specific topic of this thread. Hope my rambling was at least a little bit useful.

[Guy Germaine]

I use the inlay kit that Bob mentioned quite a bit. I've been making quite a few of my "Newfy" sofa tables lately, and it works great. I usually take a piece of thick stock, plane it smooth, route the outline of the inlay, then slice a 3/32" piece off on the band saw. That makes the inlay. Then, I use the inlay to set the depth on my router, and cut the recess in the table top. Fits great every time.
http://www.fototime.com/C63D24415A46AA3/standard.jpg

[Lance Norris]

Take a look at Doug Stowes' book, CREATING BEAUTIFUL BOXES with INLAY TECHNIQUES. It has a nice section in the front of the book that shows the authors technique for shop-made inlays.