My first intarsia attempt

[Allen levine]

Not sure if this is real intarsia it's only one piece cut up

i taped together poplar and Spanish cedar (gotta use what's in the rack)so I could get 2 pieces and contrast colors 

it's a simple first intarsia project out of Kathy wise's book intarsia for beginners

im not sure if I'm allowed to mention her name since I'm not sure how the site handles this

im not promoting her just mentioning I had to start somewhere and her book title attracted me enough to get started

i just finished cutting did not do any sanding or anything else

 

i have teddy bear plastic eyes so I'm using those

 

i can arrange the pieces to any contrast I want

this is where I'm at

 

 

[Peter N White]

Looking great.

[Scrappile]

It looks to me like a great success!

[Allen levine]

One of them 90 percent sanded

had to break out the spindle sander dremel orbital and even hand sanding pad 

[rjweb]

You are on your way now, excellent, RJ

[barb.j.enders]

Welcome to the addiction!  Looking good.

Absolutely mention the designer's name.  They deserve the credit.

[daveww1]

awesome job

[Allen levine]

I didn't seal the Spanish cedar or poplar with anything and just decided to spray some poly 

my son is taking these and years ago I made him a piece with a school of fish in the water

inwas up in mystic conn and saw the piece in an art studio and thought wow how simple And the back board it's on is the same blue and he asked me to mount the fish on blue board so here it is not finished with other one and not thrilled with the finish in this one

i will spray a couple more coats then clean with some steel wool and glue to board but this is basically finished product

 

thr next one I will sand down edges better to blend in with piece it's attached to I'm still learning

 

Edited October 23, 2024 by Allen levine

[Hawk]

Looks awesome!, is a great start Kathy Wise's book has great information. Another great source is Judy Gale Roberts.  I have many patterns from both!!!

[Scrappile]

That is real nice work, Allen.  Careful, Intarsia can grab you.  Check out these sites:

https://intarsia.com

https://store7626357.ecwid.com

There are many more. You get into it and you want more wood, more tools mainly sanders.  It hooks you.

[AUTOMILE]

Great job!

[Allen levine]

Tried to stain the poplar and it was a disaster 

but I mounted it anyway if my son doesn't want it I'll hang it in shop 

put green eyes on it to brighten it up

i started the next intarsia in the  book

a butterfly

due to back issues I'll be taking it easy for a week or so

[Allen levine]

then next project in the book is a butterfly, and its giving me headaches.

I know trying to fit a piece exactly into another piece is not a piece of cake, but anything even slightly off makes it look cruddy.

I recut one side three times and ended up just tracing out the inside pieces from the main piece, and then just cut outside the tracing lines, seemed to work much better for me. 

Im trying, and I wont give up on it, but for a beginner project, its quite difficult to get exact fit for an inserted piece of wood.

[barb.j.enders]

19 hours ago, Allen levine said:

Im trying, and I wont give up on it, but for a beginner project, its quite difficult to get exact fit for an inserted piece of wood.

I don't know the pattern you are working on.  Is it possible to stack cut the two woods.  

[Allen levine]

6 hours ago, barb.j.enders said:

I don't know the pattern you are working on.  Is it possible to stack cut the two woods.  

Stacking them would not solve the problem there would still be the blade space 

I'm finding cutting different pieces for identical fits are near impossible for me

[Allen levine]

This post is not posted for humor

after 4 attempts at tight fits meaning cutting on lines

outside of lines inside of lines tracing the cut out portion onto other species well

have a looksie but please refrain from laughter

maybe I should stick to intarsia that doesn't have inlays

ill just finish this up put on the wire as in picture and most likely move on 

mine doesn't come close to picture in book and I showed some really off cuts but I'm  not redoing it anymore 

frustrating as heck

 

 

 

[Allen levine]

btw, I use what I have on hand, Im not purchasing ebony or yellowheart or whatever its called to experiment with these projects, later on as I get more into it, I will purchase more species.

 

i think Ill need hundreds of hours of practice before I get this inlay stuff down to an acceptable level for myself. not giving up on any of this. still going to make tables and buffets, and even cutting boards, just wanted to have this type of experience as I age into my 70s and can no longer lift sheets or 16 foot boards of sapele. 

scroll sawing is oodles of fun.

Edited October 28, 2024 by Allen levine

[barb.j.enders]

That doesn't look so bad.  It will look different as you shape.  You can also make some "putty" to fill in the gap and then sand.

[Allen levine]

As I've been seeing some people make bandsaw reindeer earrings I wanted to see just how small I can cut one safely as I don't have steady hands

mine came out approx double size of a quarter with scroll saw

I won't try for smaller

Used Spanish cedar as I have a boatload of small pieces of it now after all the scrolling projects I've done 

you guys got some talent making tiny ones for earrings and other things

kudos to you

Edited November 2, 2024 by Allen levine

[Wichman]

Allen, what size blades are you using? Flat or spiral?

The following projects were cut with FD Polar #1 (for the letters) and FD #2/0 FOR The eagle. On both projects the image was completely separated from the panel, colored, and then glued back into the panel.

[rjweb]

Very nice, RJ

[Allen levine]

On 11/2/2024 at 2:14 PM, Wichman said:

Allen, what size blades are you using? Flat or spiral?

The following projects were cut with FD Polar #1 (for the letters) and FD #2/0 FOR The eagle. On both projects the image was completely separated from the panel, colored, and then glued back into the panel.

For the intarsia projects I've been using Flying Dutchman psr 

not sure what sizes I used for the tiny reindeer

people gave me blades as they no longer scroll and they are just marked with numbers

dont know what brands

i also have pegas blades which I haven't tried more then one and the blades that came with hegner

its a big learning process for me

i use what I feel comfortable with and the psr blades worked great for 1/2 inch up to 1 and a half inch thickness

[rjweb]

What are PSR blades ?,thx RJ

[Allen levine]

Silver reverse or I think it's penguin silver reverse I had to look it up

its on the scrollsaw blade assortment pack from flying Dutchman 

dont recall which number

it stated on the package best for the thicker woods

[Allen levine]

There are hundreds upon hundreds of opinions on blade selection

i had to start somewhere 

I have Pegas blades also which I will experiment with also