How do i build a jig for

[Craig D Peltier]

75813

Routing out these inlays. I have a bosch colt and a bosch plunge and fixed base.
The arc is only 3/4 inch per foot to the middle. So three inches per 48 inch. Its a dining room table.
The table thickness will be between 1.75 to 2.5 its undecided yet.Inlay is jatoba.

Thanks for any ideas in advance.

I do have a supplier here who has a C&C router its big but not sure if it can handle something this big.There closed already for today.

[Jamie Buxton]

Craig, I don't understand what you're doing. You say the inlays are jatoba, but the labels on the diagram seem to indicate other species. So which of those areas or which of those lines are the inlay?

[Jason Beam]

How about just a pattern to tack on for your router and use a guide collar to follow the pattern. You'd have to be very steady around the corners, but nothing a little practice can't handle.

[Craig D Peltier]

Craig, I don't understand what you're doing. You say the inlays are jatoba, but the labels on the diagram seem to indicate other species. So which of those areas or which of those lines are the inlay?

Jatoba is called Brazilian Cherry. The race track pattern is cherry, the center pond is cherry.

[Craig D Peltier]

How about just a pattern to tack on for your router and use a guide collar to follow the pattern. You'd have to be very steady around the corners, but nothing a little practice can't handle.

So a pattern clamped to top that the router rides on using a guide collar that runs the pattern?

[Jared Cuneo]

I'd say some half image hardboard templates are in order. I think if you try to do a full size template, it would never match, unless you used a paper pattern, traced it, then mirrorred it over to the other side. I still think a clamped half template would suffice however. Though it looks like you'd have quite a few to make....very challenging. You're braver than me :)

JC

[Craig D Peltier]

Im thinking about taking a 3/4 sheet of MDF penciling in the pattern thats 2 inches wide. Then measuring out from pattern 3 or 4 inches draw that line.Do the same on the inside. Then I cant cut out three patterns. 2 will be used, the inside and outside pattern.

I guess I could also cut out the pattern and then get another sheet and and use a scribe to make the guide pattern off the actual inlay pattern?

Any other easy way to be thought of here on the SMC?

[Scott Rollins]

Since this table is quite large and the wood relatively expensive, you could about justify having the template drawn in CAD and take the drawing to a waterjet company to cut the entire template(s) from plexiglass. We get aluminum and plastics waterjetted very cheaply here in TN. I can put you in contact with the waterjet source to determine costs.
Once you had full size templates it would be a matter of pattern routing the inlays using standard bits and collars.

[Craig D Peltier]

Im still contemplating doing this job due to templating.
If I make the template on a piece of 3/4 mdf. Outside arcs arent a problem if there off a little bit you will never see it.
When I mark and cut the inlay templates. There will be an outside template for the router to follow, then and inside template for the router to follow.I will also need the center cutout piece to trace the inlay onto table.
I have two concerns with this.
1) Kerf line on jig saw cutting out the template will effect the Jatoba inlay piece even if I split the line by a little and it needs to fit as perfect as perfect as possible.
2) Transferring lines over and over may also change the integrity of accuracy.

Anyone here who can lend there knowledge of working with inlays of any large size?

It might not be jatoba after all for an inlay or walnut for a table but the layout doesnt change.
Should inlay be about 1/16 deep or 1/8th and then the actual piece being inlayed be 1/16th taller than inlay hole?

Thanks

[Dale Lesak]

I don't know if this will help or not. But seen a jig that had two guide pins on the bottom and it was used for cutting inlays like your doing, I don't know if they were going around a squareish courner like your are tho. the two guide pins and router bit formed a triangle and you kept the pins aginst the work at all times.