Scroll Saw Overview with Tim Coleman
Tim Coleman’s creative use of decoration in his furniture is legendary. See how he creates some of his dazzling details using the humble scroll saw.
Marquetry can seem like a mystical art, practiced by those who have either sold their souls to the gods of gap-free joints, or who were born with a set of calipers in one hand and a piece of 120-grit sandpaper in the other. I’m pretty sure that neither is true of marquetry artists like Craig Thibodeau, Steve Latta and Craig Vandall-Stevens, but I can’t be certain. One thing I am sure of is that Tim Coleman accomplishes the impossible using his scroll saw and a technique called double-bevel marquetry. After seeing it in person, I’m willing to bet that the others use the same deceptive ingenious technique.
In double-bevel marquetry, the two veneers are stacked, one on top of the other. Then with the scroll saw table at an angle, you cut through both layers creating two beveled edges (hence the name double-bevel marquetry) that piece together perfectly. Why angle the cut? Well, if you cut square through both pieces, you would be left with a void from the sawkerf. When you angle the table (or blade), the beveled pieces fill that gap. The hard part is figuring out the perfect angle, which varies based on the thickness of the wood you’re cutting through.
- Behind the Design: Tim Coleman’s Arabesque
In this video, Tim Coleman takes you through the design process behind his cabinet-on-stand. - Energized Door Panels – Pierced and carved, these panels add punch to any piece
By Tim Coleman #253–Mar/Apr 2016 Issue - Applied Fretwork Adds Color and Texture – Use this innovative technique to draw attention to overlooked spaces
By Tim Coleman #214–Sept/Oct 2010 Issue
Comments
As ever, good instruction from an expert. Does he always start from an outside edge, or does he ever have to create a hole for the blade inside the piece? As well, my 30 year-old Hegner does not have speed control, and is quite a bit faster RPM than he's running. Any advice for this?
the accompanying video is old and does not pertain to the current issue
Nope. While it was shot a couple of years ago, it was just released a few days ago. Also, you can expect to see some videos on the Web Table of Contents page that aren't necessarily connected to an article.
It’s interesting that Tim gets nice effects by simply reorienting pieces of the same veneer, the contrast being in the grain direction.
Is there a formula for establishing the angle of the scroll saw table in relation to the thickness of the material being inlayed? Or is it just a trial and Error exercise.
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