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Thread: Cutting Gauge for string inlay

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Hi Tony

    I do still use this gauge, but reserve it mostly for curved work.

    If I built it over I would make two changes. the first one is the blade. You can use a spade bit, especially one that is HSS - no need to worry about heat treating or loss of temper when grinding. However, there is a simpler method - use a HSS drill bit (as I have in this panel gauge) ...





    The other change would be to add mortice in which the beam can run instead of the tenon I used. The tenon works, but the mortice would be better.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  2. Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    Him Jim

    That link was nearly 6 years old, from a time before my current website. I subsequently copied the information over. The quality is not as good as it could be, but this link works:

    http://inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeToo...g%20Gauge.html



    Regards from Perth

    Derek

    Beautiful work

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Carlsbad, CA
    Posts
    2,227
    Blog Entries
    2
    Quote Originally Posted by Henry Cavanaugh View Post
    I am about to teach myself string inlaying. I plan to purchase a dremel tool and base from steward McDonald for the recesses. I will glue up 1/32" holly and 1/32"some dark wood. I would like to purchase a slicing gauge to cut my strips.Any recommendation to good or bad cutting gauges would be much appreicated. I would also use it for marking dovetail base line instead of my pin marking gauge. Any details besides what I found on FWW 180 would also be helpfull.
    Hi Henry,


    Great question – the hardest part of string inlay is creating stringing of consistent width that fits into the groove your cutting.


    The Dremel base from Stuart McDonald, with a fence is an excellent investment (I think LV also sells one). With the appropriate diameter bits you can cut the groove for stringing in a single pass with relatively little risk of imperfections. I also have the LV hand tool inlay grouping cutter. IMHO it works best for curves. For straight grooves parallel to the outer edge of a panel, draw a router with offense is way easier.


    More important question of how you get the correct width stringing; I've tried using the LV cutting gauge along with what can best be described as a "tiny shooting board", as described in various articles to hold the stock still and established a uniform difference between the blade of the cutting gauge and the reference fence.


    I have to confess this doesn't work very well for me. Trying to slice off a tiny piece of inlay material to a consistent width of 1/32" for example is futile.


    Instead use the slicing gauge or bandsaw for that matter to saw inlay material to a reasonable height. My experience is you need to sneak up on the correct width using a thickness scraper (and occasionally some sandpaper) – I believe both LN and LV offer versions. I'm too lazy to go take a picture of my set up, but you should be able to find something on the appropriate catalogs.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Graham, NC
    Posts
    68
    I've never done inlay work myself, but I did happen upon an interesting jig for thicknessing the strips:
    Adjustingstringingthickness.JPG
    http://www.philadelphiafurniturework...rkingclass.htm

    I'd be interested to hear comments from those who are experienced.
    There's never enough time to do it right, but there's always enough time to do it over.

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