Some Inlay on a Coffee Table

[Mike Henderson]

Hi Mike,
I'm Bill's friend and I'm pretty sure I know Richard too.
I just joined here but have been very active on Lumberjocks and have posted lots of projects and blogs there.
If you are interested my name there is "shipwright"
I do have a website although it's not as up to date as my LJ postings.

You are doing very nice work here. I look forward to seeing it finished up.
I used to use UF glues but have changed to hot hide and will never go back.
I use it for everything and especially pressing marquetry.
It's inherent reversibility and repair-ability takes away all that angst when you press.

Again , beautiful work.

Thanks for your posting, Paul. I went to your web site and looked at your work - very nice work you've done. Would you mind talking about the use of the chevalet a bit, please? I understand how it's used to cut many pieces of the same thing, for example, many petals of a flower. How do you then put those pieces into the background - which might be quite large? Do you knife the pieces into the background, or what?

Mike

[Paul R Miller]

Thanks Mike,
The short answer is that I cut everything on the chevalet, backgrounds and all. In some styles like Boulle and painting in wood, the ground is cut in the same packet as the parts. In others, like piece by piece or classic style, the ground is cut separately from an identical drawing. Rather than go on about it in your coffee table thread here I should probably start a thread about the chevalet and go into more detail there. It is truly an amazing precision tool and certainly more than just a pre-industrial scroll saw.

Paul

[Mike Allen1010]

Oh man -- Mike -- your coffee table is fabulous! I'm not sure if it's more art or craftsmanship -- obviously a lot of both!

This is another Post of yours I can't show my wife-- thanks a lot for making the rest of us look terrible in comparison! I'm sure the "husband's union" will be contacting you about revoking your membership -- either that or making President.

All the best, Mike

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[Mike Henderson]

Well, here's the final product. I'm going to enter it into the local OC Fair Woodworking Competition which runs the month of July. Wish me luck!

Mike

Floral coffee table.jpg

[Paul R Miller]

Very well done Mike.
Good luck in the competition.

[Bill Wyko]

Hi Mike, he is now a member here. He signed up last week I believe. He's going back to Canada for the summer this weekend but send him a PM & I'm sure he will reply asap. I told him about your beautiful work, I'm sure you guys will hit it off.

Thanks, Bill. Does your friend, Paul, have a web site? It would be interesting to see some of his work. There are a number of ways to do marquetry. With the chevalet you generally cut a number of pieces at one time, and the cutting has to be very accurate so that the pieces fit into the places cut for them. It tends to be used when there's a lot of a single piece - a repeating design, that is. Patrick Edwards (American School of French marquetry) is a big proponent of that technique for creating marquetry. But the chevalet is just the scroll saw of it's time - a time before there was electricity. You could do the same designs with a scroll saw, if you wished to.

Most of the marquetrians who do modern designs, such as Paul Schurch and Silas Kopf, do not do designs with a repeating pattern, but seek to create a unique image. Silas Kopf has done some very unique, quirky, and funny designs, in addition to modern versions of old designs such as trompe l'oeil.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

Hi Mike, he is now a member here. He signed up last week I believe. He's going back to Canada for the summer this weekend but send him a PM & I'm sure he will reply asap. I told him about your beautiful work, I'm sure you guys will hit it off.

Bill - Paul posted right above your post. He and I have communicated both in this thread and via PM.

Mike

[Dominic Carpenter]

I love inlay. Your work is outstanding. Hope to try my hand at it some day. It really adds great detail to a piece.

[richard poitras]

Mike glad to see you completed your table. It looks great!
What kind of finish did you use?

Richard

[Mike Henderson]

Mike glad to see you completed your table. It looks great!
What kind of finish did you use?

Richard

Thanks, Richard. The finish is lacquer.

Mike

[Jim Matthews]

Why is it that this forum always makes me want to go bang nails into my plain-Jane shaker hall table?

There's inspiration, frusteration and then there's indignation...
This is so good, I can't imagine making it.

At least my dog is better looking...

[Mike Mallaney]

"Some Inlay" No that is a work of art. surrounded by woodwork