intarsia92

What kind of a pattern are you looking for? i.e. One from a existing picture or one from your imagination?

Good job on the Cocker, Clayton, Judy has real nice patterns.

Here's a photo of my workbench which is made from a solid core, 36" x 6'8" door. It is very heavy and will remain flat. The side drawers is where I store most of my small tools and drafting supplies required for making patterns and etc. It has served my purpose very well. Al

I've added a new picture to my photo Gallery of an Intarsia I finished yesterday. Al

An excellent job cutting and shaping your 1866 Carbine; I like the way guns turn out as Intarsias. Al

Great job on the Carbine Clayton, I like the way guns turn out as Intarsias. Al

Travis, I first run off a copy of the original pattern to preserve it for future use, then I select a starting point, usually a large piece in the central area of the Intarsia being worked on, and place a piece of "Clearprint 1000H Drafting Vellum" over the place on the pattern and piece I've selected to be cut. I then trace the shape of that piece on the vellum and add a line across the piece to indicate grain direction then staying outside the lines roughly cut it out and place it on the piece of wood I've selected to use for that place in the Intarsia. I use scotch tape around the whole outside piece of vellum I'm fasting to the board to prevent sawdust from getting under my pattern and then cut out the shape, cutting on the line or just on the outer edge. The first piece doesn't matter. I then select the next piece to be cut making sure it's adjoining the piece I just cut. Laying a new piece of vellum over the new area I place the piece I just cut over the pattern on top of the place where the piece would go, "If that makes sense?" I then trace that area of the cut piece that adjoins the new piece, put it off to the side and finish tracing the new piece and marking the grain direction; Remove, tape and cut, repeating for the rest of the Intarsia. When cutting all pieces, after the first piece, I cut just on the outside edge of the pencil lines, especially where the piece will adjoin the next piece. I put little tick marks to identify those start and ending points. If anything I stay outside the lines and use one of my vertical oscillating spindle sanders to sand down to the lines. That way I always have a very tight fit. When I started out I tried cutting out all the pieces at one time and I usually ended up re-cutting pieces or living with gaps, which almost made me give up. Using the above method I hardly ever have to re-cut. When I do careless sanding is almost always the cause. As I cut I tape all the pieces together, by putting paper masking tape on the top side of the pieces, to hold major sections together, therefore I know all pieces will match because the Intarsia is almost assembled when I'm done cutting. I was fortunate enough to purchase several rolls of vellum when a drafting and art supply store was going out of business. I have enough to last me the rest of my cutting days. lol Other methods of or transferring patterns to wood are: the use of carbon paper, spray adhesive, rubber cement and etc. I find the cost of Scotch tape more than makes up for the hassle of trying to remove cements or trying to see where where the carbon transfer lines are, especially on darker color woods. I figure the time saved is worth the price of tape! Hope this all makes sense, Al

Yes Travis the flag in the background is painted Al

I posted a Intarsia that I feel fits this Challenge. Al

The wide variety of shades of cedar makes it easy to use in almost all Intarsias: Landscapes, Animals, People, Buildings and etc. If you check out Judy Gale Roberts Patterns, "Intarsia.com" almost all of her Intarsias are made using Western Red Cedar. Intarsia 92

If you're just starting out making Intarsias I would suggest a place like Home Depot or Lowes. You can find some inexpensive Cedar "Dog Eared" fence boards that work good. I keep a supply on hand all the time; they are easy to cut, sand and come in a wide variety of colors, from light to dark. Just make sure to wear a mask when you're sanding. They also carry "Poplar" which can be found in green and purple shades of color. Al, Intarsia 92

Thanks to the great directions I've started a new Album in the User Gallery Section. I'll add to it as I get time. Al "Intarsia 92"

Thanks for the warm welcome, I'll post pictures of some completed Intarsias if I can figure out how to post. I'm much better with a scroll saw than I am with the computer. lol Al

Hi, My name is Al, I've owned scroll saws since I was about ten years old, which is quite some time!! But I never got serious at scrolling until 1992 when I saw a Intarsia article in "WOOD" mag. showing Judy Gale Robert's work. I had recently retired after 40 years working with the Power companies in Mich. and here in CA. and was looking for something to do that would keep me out of my wife's hair and the article about Intarsias was just what I was looking for. I've been hooked ever since. I started buying patterns from JGR but after seeing that everyone else was making Intarsias from her patterns I decided to make my own. I have over 100 original designs in a drawer begging to be made when I find the time. "I don't sell patterns" I specialize in special orders, one of a kind, from friends or word of mouth. I also make furniture ,oil paint and have done stain glass. Thanks for letting me join the group, Al