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Help!
I realize It’s kind of late to be asking this now, but I’m making a tray whose bottom is to be formed from two pieces of edge-joined wood (in Japanese the wood is called sen, but unfortunately it’s not in any dictionary I’ve found; it seems to be a hardwood, but relatively light in weight, and looks kind of like an ash or oak).
Novice me, I decided to insert a butterfly inlay between the two edge-joined pieces as well, but since this is the first time I’ve ever done it, I’m just going by hit and miss, and things aren’t going well. Here’s what I did:
1. I first cut the butterfly inlays from a chunk of dark wood (not sure what, perhaps walnut), then with the two tray bottom pieces dry clamped, I traced around the two inlays, disassembled the bottom pieces and used a Japanese dovetail-type saw to cut out the holes.
2. After cutting the holes, I checked for a tight fit, but they turned out to be too tight: when I edge-joined the two halves with glue and tried to insert the butterfly inlays again, they both broke (the wood is about 12mm thick).
3. Since the two bottom boards are already glued together, I’m now trying to fashion new butterfly inlays to go into the holes, but I fear I don’t have smooth enough surfaces in the holes to make perfectly matching inlays, (hey, I basically don’t know what I’m doing!). How should I have gone about it? What necessary tools am I lacking or do I need to use to make smooth, accurate edges in the holes and on the contours of the butterflies? Tiny planes? Knives? Rasps of some kind?
Any advice will be deeply appreciated. The accompanying photo shows things at present (I have one new inlay temporarily in the hole at left, and none in the hole at right).
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Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
Replies
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Hi Norm,
I have seen a router inlay kit for sale for about US$20 or US$30 in some catalogs. It consists of a bushing with a sleeve and a straight cutting bit. You make a pattern of the shape you want then you use the pattern and bushing to rout out the hole on your surface. Then place the sleeve on the bushing and using the pattern again you rout out your patch or inlay. The sleeve is the same thickness as the bit diameter. It is supposed to work like a charm. I am sure that there are other ways to do this without using a router, but this was the first thing to come to mind. I hope that this helps.
Bob
*Thanks for the response, Bob. I'm not sure a router would work in this case, since the corner angles are so sharp--and to be honest, I'd also like to learn how to cut these things by hand. Unfortunately, I'm doing it without any training, so I'm sure there must be a better, more accurate way. --Alternately, if anyone knows of books or websites that deal with this technique, I'd like to know... Thanks again.Visit Virtual Fujino, Japan! Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
*Norm, I rough out my butterflies on my band saw and then cut to the lines with a sharp chisel. I then lay my butterfly in place and mark with a sharp pencil. I don't use a marking knife because I find it hard to hold the small butterfly down while scribing without slipping and cutting my finger or moving the butterfly during marking. I then use a sharp chisel to outline my pencil marks. I now go back to my butterflies and slightly undercut them so in section they're wedge shape. I also make the buttereflies slightly thicker then the depth of the mortice in the table. Now I go back to the table and carfully chisel out the waste and cut to the line. Leaving the line exposed. Test the fit and adjust accordingly. The real trick here is layout and a very sharp chisel. Also by slightly under cutting the butterfly it wedges itself in and forces the fit to be tight. One other quick tip: I like to experiment with my butterfly design and layout before making a decission. Exact proportions aren't always exactly right. One more thing, It's hard to tell from your photo but you may have the grain (butterflies) running in the wrong direction. This would account for them breaking.TC
*Thanks for the message, TC. I just put the last coat of varnish on the tray yesterday, and I'll try to upload a picture before long. I'll keep your message as a suggestion for the next time I try this stunt.Visit Virtual Fujino, JapanGreen Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
*I finally finished the tray that started this discussion, so here's a link to where it can be seen. It was the first time I've done anything like it, and I made plenty of mistakes--which hopefully will help me on my next project. Thanks to all for the advice. Box-Joined TrayVisit Virtual Fujino, Japan! Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
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