This is my first attempt at inlay.

During the Vietnam era I spent 4 years in the Navy. I never got a tattoo. My youngest son who is in his 30s has several. One is the Eye Of Horus. I wanted to try this design as an inlay. Eventually, what I created will probably become something else like a box lid. We'll see.

Step 1: TOOLS

Basically, I used the scroll saw. The miter saw was only used to cut wood into manageable sizes. The mallet was used to drive home the inlay. The sanding station was a big time saver from hand sanding everything.

Step 2: MATERIALS

I found a piece of 1/2" oak ( 5.5 x 11.75) left over from the chess board and box I made. The purple wood (most likely called purple heart?) was from a box of hardwood cut offs gifted to me by the tattooed son for father's day.

Step 3: PREPARING THE IMAGE FOR SCROLLING

I glued the image on the oak and the copies of the image on the purple heart. I drilled holes through which to feed the scroll saw blade for interior cuts. Yes, I over drilled holes. I only needed one per section.

Step 4: CUTTING THE OAK FIRST

I decided to cut the background first. I cut away all the image and left the void. Then I sanded off the paper. Ok, so far.

NOTE: My best advice to those attempting scroll saw work is to cut slowly. Very, very slowly. Luckily, I've got that type of personality that enjoys detailed work.

Step 5: CUTTING OUT THE IMAGE

Not one piece fit perfectly. So, more meticulous work gently sanding each piece until it fit. Yes, the pieces were delicate. Yes, one did snap. Yes, I praised the glue gods for giving me the means to reattach it.

Step 6: GLUING AND SANDING

After gluing the pieces in the voids I notices gaps. I mixed sawdust with glue and filled them. Then gave it a thorough sanding.

Step 7: TUNG OIL FINISH

I DID MAKE IT INTO A COVER FOR A GIT BOX I finished with Tung Oil and set it aside to await the net step in it's life.

Step 8: THANKS FOR STOPPING BY

I hope you enjoyed this Instructable as much as I did creating this inlay. This was my second scroll saw project and cutting was easier -- as is the case with any repetitive task. It has given me a true admiration for those adept at inlay and marquetry. And, as usual, all comments are welcome and all questions are answered.

Be the First to Share

Recommendations

Hewkii & Macku Dolls-BIONICLE MNOG Inspired Plush Toys. by ArtistanistaHandmade in Sewing

11 1.2K

Stained Glass Sea Turtle Lamp by Jason9198 in Art

254 17K

Mountain Diorama Lamp With 3D Printed Climber Switch by Jules1050 in Art

300 50K

Crochet Knitting Clock ⏰ by Lina Maria in Knitting & Crochet

37 9.9K

For the Home Contest
Make It Bridge
Big and Small Contest

13 Comments

Ocelotsden

4 years ago

Very nice job. I've been scrolling for many years and really enjoy it. If you don't mind a tip, there's a much easier way to do scrollsaw inlays that makes perfect fitting inlays every time. If you stack the two pieces of wood and tilt the table a couple degrees, you can get the inlay piece to drop in and fit tight, flush, and perfect to the surface of the wood you're inlaying into. Plus it's much faster since you only cut once and don't have to do any sanding to fit. The angle of the table is determined by the thickness of the wood you're using. For 1/4" wood it's around 2.2 degrees. Also, the direction of cut (clockwise or counterclockwise) determines whether the piece is raised or inlaid. Here is a link to a good Steve Good video on the technique and a link to his pattern he uses to make the round inlaid box in the video. The inlay instructions on the saw angle start at 5 minutes into the video.

Pattern: http://www.stevedgood.com/inlay.pdf

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=ZjecP8KjjrU