New Inlays - sailboat & birdhouse

[Tango]

The first time that I tried to cut inlays was when the Jim's posted the inlay challenge last summer. Once again, I drew up some patterns from clipart and gave it a try. I still have problems with getting the drill holes angled correctly. I also learned that I should not use a hammer to try to get the inlays to fit together properly. What can I say, it was the last piece of the sailboat & it just was not cut correctly. The hammer did the trick, but I ended up breaking the wood. Good thing that a little glue fixes most things


Also I made the birdhouse because of Jim Mex's comment during the challenge.

Here are my latest attempt at inlays:

[Jim Finn]

Yes hammers will ruin your work quickly. I have tried tapping poplar inlays into cedar and it splits the cedar. I now push it in place... as hard as I can, but do not tap it at all. The way Iget the right angle drilled is: I lay the piece on the tilted saw table and drill streight down with a hand held dremel tool with dill bit in it.

[wood-n-things]

Looking good.

[Tango]

Jim - Thanks for the tip. I have tried hand drilling the wood on top of my angled table, but I also tried angling the drill. I will try drilling straight. And it nice to know that I wasn't the only one to try the hammer routine

[JimSawyer]

I must admit that in the past, I've used a carving mallet to force a piece in. I've come to realize that it's often better to have the inlay stick up a bit when you cut it. One thing I've noticed is that some woods will swell a bit when the glue is applied. Another thing is when there are many turns in a piece, it's likely that the blade will bend.

I really like your inlays, my favorite is the birdhouse....

Like anything, repetition will help to improve your skills...
You're off to a great start..!!!

[Fran1942]

Hammer, oh, how I have been tempted! Now, if it is raised a little I try to sand flush.
But I must say you did a good job on them. I don't see the crack in the wood.
Fran

[Jim Finn]

I find the best way to get a good fit when doing inlay is to use a new blade for each inlay. This keeps the fit consistent. I think the kerf gets worn off of the blades during just one cut. That makes the fit too tight to fit well. I use these used blades for, other than inlay, cuts.

[Tango]

Another thing is when there are many turns in a piece, it's likely that the blade will bend.

I really like your inlays, my favorite is the birdhouse....

Like anything, repetition will help to improve your skills...
You're off to a great start..!!!

Thanks Jim
My favorite is the sailboat just because I miss the warm summer days on the lake.
Regarding your comment about the "many turns will cause the blade to bend" - I believe that you found the error of my ways. I tied to keep the blade real tight & cut real slow, so that I wouldn't bend the blade. However I was having a bad day & I should have set it aside. I wanted to finish & ran into the issue of the last piece not fitting. Hence the hammer
Donna

[Tango]

Hammer, oh, how I have been tempted! Now, if it is raised a little I try to sand flush.
But I must say you did a good job on them. I don't see the crack in the wood.
Fran

Thanks Fran for a good laugh. I'm glad that you were only tempted to use the Hammer. In the past, I have only been tempted, but I had a bad day at work & the hammer just relieved alittle stress. Of course I had to fix the sailboat. The wood broke right below the large sail. Luckily, I have learned how to fix my errors

[Tango]

I find the best way to get a good fit when doing inlay is to use a new blade for each inlay. This keeps the fit consistent. I think the kerf gets worn off of the blades during just one cut. That makes the fit too tight to fit well. I use these used blades for, other than inlay, cuts.

Thanks Jim for the tip. I was cutting both inlays at the same time & I didn't change the blade. Next time I will try your method.
Donna

[ubgoofy2003]

Good "ole" hammer. HA I don't do inlays, but, I tried it once. I didn't do it with wood though. I thought if you didn't get it flush, you were to sand it smooth with the other surface. Is that right?

[Tango]

Perk - yes the idea is if it is not flush, then you should sand it smooth. However mine wasn't fitting together enough. I would have had nothing left if I sanded it smooth. Hense the hammer. I should have taken my time & sanded/filed the edges. It should have then fit together enough to sand smooth, but the hammer seemed like a faster method