This is part two of a previous post that is probably a few pages back. Despite expert coaching from Brian H., I have no idea how to make the pictures appear larger without clicking on them. Because the work is pretty small, you may have to click on them to see.
After the initial string inlay was completed framing the carcass sides, I decided to add my Mom’s initials. Again, this would’ve been a lot easier to do before assembly (note to self, next time have a plan). Fortunately all her initials are straight lines – I cut the recesses with an Exacto knife and the tiny little chisel that is part of Lee Valley stringing kit. The Holly inlay are straight-line segments cut to fit. In my previous line and berry attempts, I didn't have any Holly andJust glued a couple sheets of dyed white veneer together to make the inlay material.Actual Holly is way better. One of the most difficult things for me was to try and thickness the Holly inlay to the width of the inlay groove. I believe LN and LV sell tools to do this. I am too cheap to buy them. I tried pulling the inlay material through the throat of the bench plane to get it to the appropriate thickness -that didn't work at all. I ended up just sanding it against the bench – not very much fun.
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I’m not sure what you call these little decorative inlay elements in the corner. As mentioned previously, I should have cut these recesses before doing the outline inlay, that would’ve let me put the pivot point of the inlay cutter (kind of like a compass) in the outline groove that would be covered up with inlay. Because that wasn’t feasible and because the bracket feet prevented the inlay cutter from pivoting through the full ark to cut the recess, I just cut them freehand with an Exacto knife, which perhaps sounds harder than it really is.
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Normally these corner inlay elements are used in a frame that is closer to a square, which gives enough room to expand the end of the arc so that when the dowels are added to create little “berries” there is enough separation to make them look reasonable. Because of my condensed dimensions, the berries are too crowded, but at this point I was just trying to “get her done”.
Heart inlay – image from the Internet. Cut the heart first and then traced rounded for the recess. A Dremel tool with a tiny router caller and flat and bit his super helpful for getting a uniform depth.
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In total, inlay probably took me the equivalent of two full days I didn’t really enjoy; tough on my eyes and arthritic fingers.
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Originally Posted by Mike Allen1010
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