Inlay in Cedar Trunk

[Jim Finn]

  I have made over fifty trunks similar to this one but this is the first one that  included inlaid images and numbers.  The four sixes ranch is a couple of hours east of me and is a large horse and cattle ranch.  I use the double bevel inlay method with my scroll saw to do the images and the four sixes ranch brand on top.  Trunk is made of eastern red cedar (aromatic) with maple inlay. Joinery of the trunk is with sixty poplar dowels.  Trunk is 26" long ,15" wide and 18" tall and made of 1/2" thick stock.  The panels with inlay are 3/8" thick. I find it easier and more fun to do the inlay than to make raised panels that I have used in the past.  I am always looking for new things to put my inlays on.

[amazingkevin]

Just you wait till the recipient of this one gets it.Drooling will be allowed!

[wombatie]

Wow now that is a project.  What an excellent job you did Jim, I take my hat off to you.

 

Marg

[LarryEA]

Jim, quite beautiful. You do quality work.

 

Larry

[Ron Johnson]

Good morning Jim

 

Fantastic. You do fabulous work and I love the inlaid images you've done. Very beautiful.

[oldhudson]

Great looking project!

 

Do you use a dowling jig for all those dowels? I purchased a DowelMax a year ago and found it really handy. What finish did you choose?

 

I think you should do a tutorial on inlays for those newbe who can't figure it out.

[Jim Finn]

Yes I used a doweling jig.  It is kinda slow but a relaxing process.  Holds well.  I once pushed one of these trunks off of a table to the concrete floor and it suffered no damage.  I finished the exterior with one coat of shellac, sanded, and then three coats of thinned Poly, wiped on.  I will try to post some info on how I do inlay.

[Phantom Scroller]

Jim that's a great job    really like that one.

 

Roly 

[ironman123]

Fantastic job there Jim.

 

Ray

[Jim Finn]

     This is how I do double bevel inlay.

I use 3/8" cedar and inlay 3/8" soft maple into it. I also use have used oak, walnut, and maple. I have used mahogany a few times also. I have one of my scroll saws set to 2.2 degrees, approximately, that I use only for inlays. I set that angle with a Wixie but you can also do it by trial and error and it is just as good a way to do it.  This is how to get the right angle: Stack the two woods you want to use, scraps. Tape or hot glue them together. Do some trial cuts starting at 2 degrees and adjusting up until you get the fit needed. Start at the edge and cut out the shape of a mushroom, freehand, and see how it fits. With the table tilted down on the left of the blade and keeping the image you want to inlay to the right of the blade make your mushroom cut and see how well the bottom wood after doing the cutting, fits into the upper. If it will not go all the way up you need to lessen the angle and if the bottom wood comes up to high you need to sharpen the angle closer to 3 degrees. I move mine about two tenths of a degree at a time. Remember a little too loose a fit is better than too tight a fit.

I inlay into cedar mostly and if it is too tight a fit and I try hammering it in place with a plastic hammer I split the cedar. Perfect fit can be attained with many trial and error mushrooms. I leave most of mine just a little loose and fill any slight gaps with a mixture of white glue and sanding powder of the base wood. Cedar in my case. I use Flying Dutchman Polar #5 blades but whatever you use be consistent.    I hot glue the wood to be inlaid to the underside of the base wood and draw the image or lettering on the top wood. I drill 1/16†starter hole or holes at six degrees toward the outside of the image with the image to the right of the drill bit.  This six degrees will cause this starter hole to not appear in the final inlay. It enters inside the image on top and exits outside the image on the bottom. After drilling the starter hole just inside the image insert the saw blade and cut the image out keeping the image to the right of the blade.  Cut the entire image out, remove the bottom wood scrap and do a dry fit of your image.  If it fits well enough tape the top image piece to the bottom one and cut any interior lines you want in the image in a scroll saw set at 90 degrees.  Make all these interior cuts so that the wood does not fall apart.  Keeping “bridges†of wood to hold the image together in one piece.  I cut these two images together for two reasons. (1) The internal lines are not on the lower piece and (2) cutting this ¾†thickness gives you more control of your cut. Slows your feed rate down a little.

      Now apply glue (I use Elmer’s white glue) to the edge of the piece to be inlaid and spread it all along the edge using a small artists’ brush.  Insert the inlay from the back side of the base wood and push in place.  After glue is set, sand or plane smooth, both sides.  Using a mix of white glue and sanding powder (From the base wood, or the inlay wood) and a credit card as a squeegee force it into any slight gaps or cracks in your inlay.  Let it dry and sand again.  Repeat a few times because the glue mixture will shrink a little.

      I hope these instructions will help.

If you have any questions Email me Jimtfinn@aol.com

 

 

[LarryEA]

Thank you Jim.

 

Larry

[oldhudson]

Thanks so much! I can see this is a process that requires even more patience than 'normal' fretwork. I'll give it a try soon. I can see how a second saw could come in handy for this. But the results are stunning.

[Jim Finn]

I have not done fretwork but I have done some lettering.  It looks like most of the fretwork patterns I see being done would take a LOT longer to do than 30 minutes. I know the lettering, I have done, does. Inlay patterns take about 5-10 minutes to cut.  There is some prep work and finish work in inlay but that is also true of fretwork. 

[smitty0312]

I love your work Jim, thanks for sharing your great talent.

[bobscroll]

You've done a lovely job on the project Jim, Thanks

for showing, Bob