Making inlay strips with geometric designs

[elizabeth]

Dear Friends:
Happy belated new year!

We got back from Buffalo and promptly got sick with a cold. Mine has turned into a sinus infection that is lingering but I'm hoping to be well enough to get to the shop by the end of the week.

I want to learn how to make my own inlay strips with multicolored woods in geometric designs. What do I need and how do I get started?

I also have another question for the next thread.

Thanks!

[sawduster]

Girl, you don't mess around, do you. Forget jumpin in with both feet, you're diving from the high dive, head first. ;D

Basically, more or less, you cut all the pieces for the shapes and sizes you want to make from veneer and edge glue them together, maybe with some paper backing on them. Leastways, that is the way I would do it.

So, I presume ya'll visited the big water fall their in Buffalo while you were there, and hopefully road that boat that goes right up to the bottom of the falls, although this time of year I bet it was cold up there. We'll want to see pictures of the trip, of course.

[TDHofstetter]

There ya are!

To make your own, ya lay up veneer in full flitches, then slice it down into strips.

Let's say you want to make a simple repeated-chevron shape, like this:



To do that... take two flitches of (or however many) different veneers and glue them together along one edge, like this:



Rip out one slice, right along the seam, keeping the distance from the seam VERY UNIFORM:



Repeat several times (NOT all of your veneer!), so you have a bunch of two-colored strips. Glue them together into a striped sheet:



Slice the sheet once, diagonally:



Glue the two triangular halves together, end to end:



Slice into UNIFORM diagonal strips:



Remove the corners (highlighted) from two strips:



Glue the two strips together, end to end:



Now take another section of the original glued sheet and slice it diagonally the OPPOSITE direction. Repeat the steps shown above to make a long strip with the diagonals going the opposite direction, and glue the two strips together:



Now... you can make any patterned inlay strips by taking similar steps, but with different patterns in your initial cuts. It's MUCH easier than it looks!

[Ruffnek]

Welcome back, Elizabeth.

There's a pretty interesting video at the Woodtreks site. Jeff Williams of Irion Company Furnituremakers does some demoing on how he makes inlay strips, including the geometric designs.

On the L/H menu, select the "Inlay and Marquetry" to see the video. There's some other pretty interesting stuff on this site, also.

woodtreks.com/

[JBark]

When I was with Irion I did a brief stint in the restoration department and got to watch one of the guys make some inlay we couldn't find commercially. He used a method similar to what TD describes but using solids. Pretty tough when you consider the layout, consideration of grain orientation, waiting time (glue drying) etc. The guy that did it was pretty damn precise and knocked it out of the park.

John

[elizabeth]

Thank you!!!!!!! Can't wait to get started!!!!! I'll make the pattern Tim describes first. Will also watch the video.

And, Jerry: Neil is from Buffalo and we spent X-mas with his family. Had a wonderful time but didn't get to the Falls. Instead, we went to a Sabers game (ice hockey , and Neil took me to Rockler and Woodcraft! My first ever experience in a woodworking shop. I thought I died and went to Heaven!

Now: What is a "flitch"? I have veneer sheets of many kinds and colors but they are very thin. How do you glue something that is paper thin? Also, the strip will only be as thick as the veneer sheet. I thought you needed a 1/8th thickness to inlay? And what do you mean by a paper backing?

Sorry guys. I know I'm a ding-bat and REALLY appreciate your patience.

[Joe Lyddon]

Here is a similar approach...

www.woodworkstuff.net/Klam.html

[elizabeth]

Cody, Joe:

Thanks! Just looked at both links. I think I can do it. I noticed the strips of wood are thicker than the veneers I have which range in the thousands of an inch. They're paper thin. I may need to cut my own strips of wood.

Tim: I may be looking at your diagrams incorrectly. They're viewed from the top or sides? There's no way I can glue one veneer sheet to another on it's edge. At least not my thin sheets. I don't know what a "flitch" is and that may be the problem.

You guys are great. Thanks!

[TDHofstetter]

Elizabeth... WAY.

You'll be surprised what you can do with veneers! You can definitely glue edges together, as long as they're accurately matched to each other... ideally trimmed together, one knife, one straightedge, one cut. Then any imperfections in one will be matched in the other.

A "flitch", by the way, is just a "sheet". It's jargon.

The diagrams are entirely of the flat (visible) surface, as if they're drawings of paper.

Some veneers are sold with paper on one surface - that's intended to be the backside, the side not visible. There are also specialty perforated paper tapes just for veneering. They're cheap, and readily available.

Tell ya what. Take two (cheaper, nonfavorite) flitches (sheets) of veneer and carefully trim their edges together, following a straightedge, being sure that the "show" faces are both pointing either up or down. Now if they're face-up, turn them over so their show faces are down.

With blue masking tape, carefully tape one flitch down to a piece of flat plywood. Lay the second flitch down next to the trimmed edge, and butt the two trimmed edges carefully together. "Stitch" across that seam with little strips of blue masking tape - one at each end, then one in the center, then longer strips to cover the empty spaces between "stitches".

Peel that first, taped-down, flitch back off the plywood. You've now got two flitches joined together by a masking-tape hinge, and VERY accurately matched to each other. Fold the hinge, wipe a THIN continuous bead of wood glue along the hinge line, and open the hinge back open again. That pinches the two edges against each other.

Lay some waxed paper over the glued joint and lay a book or two on the waxed paper. That will force the joint into alignment. Wait for the glue to dry.

When dry... lift the books & peel off the waxed paper. Lightly sand the glue joint on the show face. Flip your newly-glued double-wide flitch over and peel the masking tape off the back. Scrape if necessary. This is where perforated veneering tape really shines - you don't have to remove it until all is completely said & done, then you just sand it off.

That process - that of sticking two 1/40"-thick sheets of veneer together with glue - that which looks totally impossible - is how veneer work is done, every day, all day long. It's much easier than it looks, especially after a little practice. Don't expect the first glue joint to be PERFECT, but it'll be pretty good. I promise.

As to thickness... inlay can be virtually any thickness. If it's done with veneers (about 1/40" thick), it's "marquetry" or "parquetry", depending on whether it's organic shapes or geometric. If it's done with thicker woods, it's "intarsia". More jargon.

With very careful preparation work, one can inlay a single sheet of paper so that the seam can't be felt. That's only 5 thousandths of an inch thick.

[elizabeth]

Thank you. This is terrific. Can't wait to get started. Have a number of designs and applications I want to play with. I believe I have enough info to get started.

Give me a week or two and I'll take pics to show all of you what I'm up to. I think you'll like it.

Have a good one!

[cabinetman]

The paper backed veneer is usually a flexible veneer, solid wood veneers are more rigid and if bent or formed has to be done with care.

Some veneers can be edge glued, but will be a fragile item. Applying a finish on pre-glued veneers may show a glue line where glue has saturated into the veneer. I use a #11 X-Acto blade in the pencil style handle and a straight edge to make the cuts. Overlaying mating pieces and cutting through both pieces will produce the best joint.

I face tape the mating pieces together (makes for better handling) and apply to the glued subject area. I'm careful not to get any glue in the joints which would squeeze out. When cured, the total area is sanded.

[elizabeth]

Mike, Thank you. I just saw your post. I was scratching my head about handling such tiny, paper thin pieces. Thank you for your suggestion. I will double up on the veneer to make it thicker. It is solid wood, but oh so fragile! Learned that in the last few weeks of trying.

Regards!