Why not inlay?

[Jim Finn]

I frequent a total of four scroll saw  forums and almost no one seems to do inlay with a scroll saw.  It seems that 99% just do fretwork.  I wonder why this is?  People are very impressed with inlay work and it is much quicker to do than fretwork or intarsia are.  It is simple to do, and sells very well.

     I know many do not plan to sell their projects but inlay  items also make excellent gifts.  Personalising is also possible with inlay. 

     I do a lot of inlay and  my  very first attempt at it  was good enough to sell.  That got me hooked.  

     Impress yourself and try it.

[Bpardue]

Jim, I agree with you that there is not a lot on interest in in-lay on the forums. I know a few guys in my area that do a ton of in-lay and looks great. I see the same thing related to intarsia as well. I actually got into scrolling because I wanted to do intarsia and not Fretwork. I have tried inlay related to my intarsia work but sense everything I use is 1Inch thick wood the majority of the time it is difficult to cut a 2" stack on the saw. As many people have said related to intarsia: I could never do that, how do you do that, I decided to do a how-to post on Facebook and on the Scrollsaw Village. I knew on Facebook i would not see a lot of comments or questions sense the majority of those friends do intarsia, but was I'm really surprised I have not seen that many comments of questions on here. I know that you most likely get those same questions & comments related to your beautiful in-lay work. 

Just my opinion - I believe people see in-lay work & intarsia and are scared away from it because they think it is really hard to do - but it is not and they are a beautiful art forms.

I below to a local scrollsaw group- out of the group 2 do in-lay, 3 of us do intarsia, 1 does compound cutting and the remaining 40+ do some type of Fretwork.    

 

[new2woodwrk]

Inlay is on my list of things to try - I'm just not sure which projects are easy enough to practice on.

So many techniques so little time LOL

[meflick]

It's on my list Jim - Especially after seeing all of your beautiful work here that you share and show.  Intarsia is what brought me to the saw a couple of years ago, then this forum and its wealth of sharing and information has gotten me to try several other types of cutting, I keep putting the inlay off because I do find it a little intimidating.  Right now, while I have enjoyed the other things and types i have tried, and want to keep trying them and others, I want to get back to the Intarsia more then  I have been doing it lately.  Watching the work "emerge" from the wood as you sand and then apply the finish is an enjoyment for sure.  So many things to do.

[new2woodwrk]

13 minutes ago, meflick said:

It's on my list Jim - Especially after seeing all of your beautiful work here that you share and show.  Intarsia is what brought me to the saw a couple of years ago, then this forum and its wealth of sharing and information has gotten me to try several other types of cutting, I keep putting the inlay off because I do find it a little intimidating.  Right now, while I have enjoyed the other things and types i have tried, and want to keep trying them and others, I want to get back to the Intarsia more then  I have been doing it lately.  Watching the work "emerge" from the wood as you sand and then apply the finish is an enjoyment for sure.  So many things to do.

Wait, you make beautiful intarsia projects and you're intimated by inlay?

I've no doubt your inlay work is going to be exceptional!

[Scrappile]

I plan on trying inlay and scroll saw marquetry this year.  So far I find I have to do this one more fretwork piece...... Maybe it is where my comfort zone is.  I know that if I do try inlay and marquetry I will love it.  Maybe after I finish this next fretwork piece.

The other thing is you and Dave Monk have set the bar so high with you beautiful works,,,, I don't know if I can even come close....

I love intarsia, but prefer to just look at it, not do it.  Not a big fan of sanding and shaping...... plus my budget struggles as it is, getting all the expensive woods and equipment,, is not going to happen.

Edited March 16, 2018 by Scrappile

[rjweb]

Jim,

i tried inlay a couple of times, not really up to par after looking at your first inlay, and then Dave monk another artist, so I just stick to my comfort zone, maybe you and Dave could offer an online course on doing inlay if you had time, Rj 

[tgiro]

I use a lot of inlay when I'm putting words, numbers or letter into some of the custom intarsia pieces. If I'd known the fun I wqas going to have with that d_)(&m Texas star in the belt buckle, I would have charged a lot more for it.

[meflick]

Those look awesome with the addition of the inlay Tony.  Thanks for showing.

On 3/16/2018 at 9:59 AM, new2woodwrk said:

Wait, you make beautiful intarsia projects and you're intimated by inlay?

I've no doubt your inlay work is going to be exceptional!

Jes, first, thanks for the compliment on my Intarsia projects.  I consider myself a newbie there still but have had the benefit of taking a couple of classes with one of the preeminent Intarsia artist, Judy Gale Roberts.  Luckily for me, she is all but in my back yard so my only "cost" is the cost of the course, I don't have to pay for large travel expenses and hotel bills to take her class.  I have her advanced class lined up to take in May.  Looking forward to it and hoping it will help jump start me back into doing the Intarsia I have been away from lately doing other things.

Yep, I am intimidated by inlay - I think its that tilting the saw - figuring out the angles - etc.  Math is not my favorite thing - and angles and such remind me of math I think!   With Intarsia, if you can follow the lines - that is one of the biggest battle - getting the pieces cut so that they fit back together correctly. One of the reasons I went off on the puzzle tangent, figuring if I could learn to cut those that would help with my cutting on the lines.

Edited March 17, 2018 by meflick
typos (but probably still some there!)

[Jim Finn]

14 hours ago, new2woodwrk said:

Inlay is on my list of things to try - I'm just not sure which projects are easy enough to practice on.

So many techniques so little time LOL

Here is a photo of my very first attempt at inlay.  Sold it!It is not that hard to do and if you screw it up you have lost about $2!  Cheap  15 minute lesson.  I use 3/8" wood for inlay and also for intarsia.

[spirithorse]

Hi, Jim,

I personally haven't tried inlay yet because I don't expect my results to be anywhere near as nice as yours.
Also, I imagine the price I would have to charge for inlay due to the time and more expensive hard-wood
is more than I could expect to receive in this rural neck of the woods.
I'll admit, until I try it I can't say with any certainty how long it would take, how well it would turn out, and
how much I would have to charge but, those are the reasons I haven't spent any time trying to become
proficient at it.

Thanks for the thought provoking question.

God Bless! Spirithorse

[amazingkevin]

On 3/16/2018 at 9:35 PM, Jim Finn said:

Here is a photo of my very first attempt at inlay.  Sold it!It is not that hard to do and if you screw it up you have lost about $2!  Cheap  15 minute lesson.  I use 3/8" wood for inlay and also for intarsia.

beautiful work for a first!

[worbler]

When you do inlay are you routing a space for the inlay piece or cutting right through with the saw? I would have thought that inlay was more like marquetry? 

[Jim Finn]

Worbler:

     Some call it marquerty some call it double bevel inlay.  I do it using my scroll saw.  No router involved.  Yes, I cut both woods at the same time at about a 2 degree angle.

Spirithorse: 

     The time to do an inlay is far less than the time to do intarsia or fretwork.  I use cedar and basswood for most of my projects.  Both are cheap woods.  Less than $3 a board foot.  I can make one of my boxes in two hours.  unfinished.  A simple inlay requires less than five minutes at the saw. More complex inlays take about 5 minutes, at the saw for each additional color. Building the box is what takes the time.  Each box I make costs me less than $3 in materials, including, wood and hinges and I easily sell them for $22.  These cheap costs make learning mistakes less painful than they would be using more exotic woods.  I am retired, with  a pension, so I consider my time to be free to me.  I buy rough wood and I resaw it and plane it to 3/8" thickness.  I do use a 14" bandsaw in doing the resawing and a 12" planer and to plane the wood.

[barb.j.enders]

On 3/16/2018 at 6:50 AM, new2woodwrk said:

Inlay is on my list of things to try - I'm just not sure which projects are easy enough to practice on.

So mmany techniques so little time LOL

I'm with you on the list of things to try.  

[Roberta Moreton]

I have recently tried this. Steve Good pattern.

I am preparing a class on this subject.  

Edited March 20, 2018 by Roberta Moreton

[Trapper John]

Beautiful work, Jim.  Inlay, intarsia, fretwork - so much to learn, so little time, to echo barbj.

I am too green to woodworking to add much value, but it seems to me that the boundaries between these forms of art are subject to interpretation and combination.  The helter-skelter combination of the three might be confusing, to say the least, but  I can already see that some of my "problems" may come from trying to force fit the art form and the technique.  That's why playing around with the techniques is essential, at least for me.  And following the comments and work of others really accelerates learning, so thanks for sharing!

Edited March 21, 2018 by Trapper John

[BeckyLil]

Jim, you do beautiful inlay work.  I've done a few bits of inlay here and there but they were always for the tops of boxes (I don't/can't do intarsia).  What are some other applications you've used your inlays for?  I find making the rest of the box tedious.  I looked at your album and saw a whole table full of boxes.  I have a small shop area and limited tools - no table saw or anything like that to expedite the box making part.  The reason I have gravitated to fretwork is because it makes the majority of every project interesting. 

I do love the look of inlay.  My question is sincere and perhaps my imagination is limited.  What all else do you use it for?  I'm starting fresh this spring as soon as it gets warmer and I am definitely open to new ideas and pursuits.  Do you make your own patterns or do you have a good source for inlay patterns?

[Jim Finn]

I just use clip art or images from the web to serve as my patterns.  I have also put inlay in signs and in crosses.

[BeckyLil]

OK, that's an idea (clip art).  Have you done (or seen) inlay projects that use different woods for the inlay parts?  It looks like your "Ed's Place" sign uses different light-colored woods.  At least it seems like a more pronounced grain on the cabin than the lettering.  Is the apparent doorknob a happy coincidence or is that an inlay within an inlay?  The fact that there appears to be two doorknobs makes me doubt the happy accident.  If so, I assume you didn't use a full board of cedar (or whatever) just to do your doorknobs.  How does that work, if you don't mind sharing? 

This has given me an idea for a project that I might try once it warms up and I get back to where I remember how to steer the saw after a few years away. 

[Jim Finn]

The door knobs on the "Eds Place" sign are made by drilling a hole and filling it with glue mixed with walnut sanding dust.  Yes  I do different colors in an inlay. Each color requires a separate inlay.

The woods used here are cedar, pine, bois d'arc, bubinga, basswood and walnut.  I also do some flowers:

[Montserrat]

I would very much like to do inlays, but I can't get the hang of it.  I have been dreaming for two years now of making cutting boards with inlays, but I am doing something consistently wrong and thus I have given up on it. 

 

I very much admire your work, though!

[Trapper John]

I may need to consider combining intarsia with marquetry/double inlay.  (Check out my posts on the intarsia forum to see what I'm up to.) The use of various white shapes to relieve dark areas requires the use of small delicate pieces that may not withstand intarsia cutting and sanding efforts.  I'd be interested in reading input from you and others, Jim, as I work on solutions to my challenges.

[wombatie]

On 3/16/2018 at 9:59 PM, Bpardue said:

Jim, I agree with you that there is not a lot on interest in in-lay on the forums. I know a few guys in my area that do a ton of in-lay and looks great. I see the same thing related to intarsia as well. I actually got into scrolling because I wanted to do intarsia and not Fretwork. I have tried inlay related to my intarsia work but sense everything I use is 1Inch thick wood the majority of the time it is difficult to cut a 2" stack on the saw. As many people have said related to intarsia: I could never do that, how do you do that, I decided to do a how-to post on Facebook and on the Scrollsaw Village. I knew on Facebook i would not see a lot of comments or questions sense the majority of those friends do intarsia, but was I'm really surprised I have not seen that many comments of questions on here. I know that you most likely get those same questions & comments related to your beautiful in-lay work. 

Just my opinion - I believe people see in-lay work & intarsia and are scared away from it because they think it is really hard to do - but it is not and they are a beautiful art forms.

I below to a local scrollsaw group- out of the group 2 do in-lay, 3 of us do intarsia, 1 does compound cutting and the remaining 40+ do some type of Fretwork.    

 

I have only just heard about your how-to post because I mainly stick to the same parts of the Village every day that I visit.  Please point me in the right direction I would love to see it.  I have 3 things on my "I want to learn more" list they are bird houses, inlay and intarsia.  I am not saying that I will do them all this year but they will be done.

Marg

[meflick]

10 hours ago, wombatie said:

I have only just heard about your how-to post because I mainly stick to the same parts of the Village every day that I visit.  Please point me in the right direction I would love to see it.  I have 3 things on my "I want to learn more" list they are bird houses, inlay and intarsia.  I am not saying that I will do them all this year but they will be done.

Marg

Marg - here you go - its in the sub forum "Works in Progress and Tutorials" - http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/forums/topic/28494-how-to-do-intarsia-raccoon-heads/

The reason I think Brian has not seen much followup on his post and tutorial is because I think it is a little bit "hidden" from the majority of those who visit the village.   I think many are like you, they mainly stick to a small portion of the Village forums like General Scroll Sawing and Bragging Rights and don't venture out into others like this one, Intarsia/Segmentation or the Works in Progress and Tutorials for example where Brian's posts were.  I understand why.  I venture pretty much every where here - its the "nosy" part of me perhaps.  Either that or I am afraid I will miss some really good information such as here.  Many of these subforms don't take long to check out because they don't get a lot of traffic/posts like the two main ones I mentioned above.

Edited March 26, 2018 by meflick