Jim Finn

Yes, there is money to be had in doing inlay. I sell inlaid boxes about 100 to one (IN dollars) compared to intarsia and lettering. If you want more info and photos of this inlay process send me a message with your email address and I will send them to you. ................... You can put in interior lines also, giving much more detail to your images. Like this one

I use 1/2" PVC pipe set into a hole drilled into my scroll saw support table. No cap, and shorter than the blades so that they stick out the top and I can grab one when needed.

I have done hundreds of inlays. 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 my angle with a Wixie but you can also do it by trail and error and it is just as good a way to do it. Stack the two woods you want to use, scraps. 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 fits into the upper wood after it is cut. 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. PM me if you would like more clarification on this.

When cutting wood other than plywood your blade can follow the grain somewhat. Sharp blades, slow feed rate and highest tension on the blade are what is required. I know that some saws (DeWalt and others) will not tension the blade as much as do Hegners and older Jet saws. What brand of saw are you using?

I do not see eastern red cedar (Aromatic) on this list. I assume it is much worse than western cedar. It sure smells a lot more. I use it every day...(cough, cough)

A feeler blade should tell you which is which. I received an assortment of these clamps when I bought my new Hegner and I just use them all. I use #5 Flying Dutchman blades and they fit in all these clamps.

I have not made toys in a long while, but I just made nine of these for our woodworking club. We give toys to children's hospitals and The Salvation Army. Our club made and gave away over six thousand toys this year (2013). Mostly carsThese toy airplanes are for next year. I used, as a pattern, plans for this aircraft that I downloaded from the Internet. I was an aircraft mechanic in the 60's in the USAF and worked on these airplanes. F86's were used against MIG-15's in the Korean war. The ones I worked on in 1962-4 were made in 1951-2. This model is 8" long and 8" wingspan and made of a 2"x4" (fir)

I buy my wood locally. Well kind of. I drive 5 hours east twice a year to get the cedar. It is 1"x 8"x96" for under $13. I buy about $700 of it at a time. I re-saw and plane it to 3/8". I do not do fretwork. Mostly I inlay maple into cedar box lids.

I use a spray on acrylic from that I get at Walmart or Lowes. Less than $4 for a rattle can of it.

In 2008 I bought a new Hegner and sold my 20 month old DeWalt for $175.

Larry; sounds like you do not have enough tension on the blade. This is one of the problems my friend has with his DeWalt. He borrowed my 1988 Jet twice (while getting the DeWalt repaired) and likes the jet because he can get more tension on the blade. The DeWalt will only go so far. My Jet or my Hegners allow me to tension the blade all the way to breaking the blade. This is useful for cutting thicker woods.

Very nice!

Good job on your inlay. Now, be careful...you may get addicted, like I am.

Dick, here are some photos: The six degree jig, drilling the starter hole, location of starter hole Just inside the pattern line, Starting the cut, finishing the cut,just before assembly. Notice there is a hole in the cedar (scrap) and none in the Maple (image) and none in the background board. My saw tilts down on my left and I put the inlaid wood (maple) taped to the underside of the cedar, so I keep the image to the right of my blade. Because of the 2.2 degree angle of the cut I have to cut a bit past the starter hole when finishing the cut as shown in the photo.

Very nice work! I think I can smell that rose from here.

Great job! I have done a lot of inlay and my first one came out well also,so now I am hooked. I suggest you try drilling the starting hole at about six degrees and the wood to be inlaid on the bottom so you drill the hole just to the inside of the pattern putting the hole on top in the waste (top) side. The hole will not show in the finished piece this way. I use a digital angle gage to set my saw up and to drill the starting hole. You are off to a good start...... Have fun!

I have tried that and found folks just glance at me scrolling and go look at my stuff and buy or leave. Very little interest in what I was doing. No interest in how it is done. I no longer do it. Just my experiance...

great work Kevin!

I have used the Krylon clear finish and like it . I now use Rustolium <sp> clear enamel finish which is also an acrylic spray It cost ten cents more per rattle can but the spay nozzle works a lot better than the one on Krylon cans, (In my opinion).

This thread got me to go there and put myself on the map.

When cutting boards to a thinner thickness (Re-sawing), I use a 5/8" 3 TPI carbide saw blade I got from Grizzly. I have a re-saw fence and have no "drift" problem with these blades. I re-saw eastern red cedar mostly and do about 350 board feet a year. I buy one inch rough stock and re-saw it to the 3/8" thickness I use to make boxes. I also re-saw maple to use in my in-lays. A light pass though my planer is required after re-sawing.

I use Flying Dutchman Polar #5 blades... but then I do not do any fretwork and rarely cut plywood. I mostly do inlay work. I have some Flying Dutchman heavy duty blades that I finally found a good use for: Stack cutting through seven layers of Masonite paneling making lettered signs. Polar # 5's also work but the heavy duty blades seem to last longer. No fuzzies with either blade.

I have that same light set up ProScroller. My light was given to me and I would like another. Where did you get yours?

I get a spray clear finish at Walmart made by Rust-oleum but it is Acrylic. Works much like their Lacquer. It is $3.77 per spray can there and about the same at Lowe's with my veteran discount there. I use a lot of this so I buy about 6 cans at a time.

I do what Sully does. Masking tape.