Replies

1. 
   YesMaam27577 | Apr 24, 2009 06:08pm | #1

   I was asking that same question a few years ago, when I was making a much smaller box for a child.

   Perhaps I cheated a bit....... I reached high up on a shelf in my shop, and retrieved a lunch-sized bag of ivory pieces from a really old piano that had been scrapped a decade previous.

   I used scrimshaw techniques for the lettering, and inlaid the entire piece into the box top.

   But your question is different..... Inlaying letters is no small feat. First you need to either carve or cut the individual letters. Then you need to inlay each of them -- hopefully with perfect fit.

   Your task might be made easier by the fact that this is a toy chest. Perhaps the block-style lettering that is customary for kid's things might be easier to do.

   And with that in mind, perhaps you should investigate one of the router-bit inlay kits. For simple shapes, they do a fairly good job.

   Another alternative would be to route the letters into the chest, and fill them with a contrasting filler (wood putty, or epoxy). If this becomes your plan, you'll need to protect the non-routed areas to prevent the filler from getting into the grain.

   Good luck.

   .

   Blessed are the meek, if that's OK with you?
2. 
   RalphBarker | Apr 24, 2009 07:26pm | #2

   Actual inlay may be overkill for a toy box, since it is likely to see hard use that could easily damage the inlay. I'd suggest carving his name in the top or front, using typical wood sign-making techniques - either with a router, by hand, or a combination.

   There are letter templates available for use with a guide-bushing equipped router. Those, however, are limited to block letters with rounded corners - like trail signs at a national park. If you combine hand-carving with routing, you can select your own font, lay out the letters in pencil, and then use a combination of routing and hand-carving to get what you want.

   My guess would be your grandson would be thrilled with just the block letters with rounded corners from the router-template method.

1. 
   kre8ted | Apr 24, 2009 08:30pm | #3

   Ralph I am sure you are right!  I have this thing about making it special and unique.  I made one for my grandaughter out of hickory and cherry and did like you said for the lettering.  This one is unique because of the joints and I was looking for making the name different too.  I had never done through dovetails and am wanting to learn how to do inlays too.  I appreciate teh thoughts and insights.

1. 
   RalphBarker | Apr 24, 2009 09:01pm | #4

   Doing inlay with a (plunge base) router isn't too difficult. You'll need an "inlay kit" - a small bit and the corresponding guide bushing and collar to start. It involves making a template (typically 1/4" or 1/2" material such as hardboard or MDF) from the original shape, the cut out letters in your case, and then using the template in combination with the guide bushing to rout the inset area into which the letters will go. Any square corners, of course, will need to be cleaned out by hand. I'd suggest laying out the original letters to do a single template for the entire name.If you search on "inlay" on the main page here, you'll find enough info, including video tutorials, to get you started, I believe.

3. 
   cwalvoord | Apr 24, 2009 09:39pm | #5

   Rob Millard, who often posts very informative comments on these forums, recently wrote on his blog about inlaying letters/numbers. Check out http://rlmillard.typepad.com/ He gives a really nice description (as usual) with pictures of the process.
   Chris

4. 
   RMillard | Apr 24, 2009 11:13pm | #6

    Below is a link to some information on inlaying letters.

   http://rlmillard.typepad.com/   (sorry I didn't see that someone had already linked to it.

   You might want to look at any number of font programs for a style of lettering that suits your project.

   One on-line source is

   http://www.dafont.com/

   Also, programs such as Photoshop, The Print Shop and MicroSoft Word have many font styles.

   Rob Millard
   http://www.americanfederalperiod.com

   
   

   ---

   Edited 4/24/2009 4:15 pm ET by RMillard

1. 
   RalphBarker | Apr 25, 2009 01:43am | #7

   Very nice work, Rob. My earlier comments were aimed at letters several times that size, where a hatchet might be substituted for your scalpel.

2. 
   kre8ted | Apr 25, 2009 07:46pm | #8

   Folks,

   Thanks for the tips-  I think was was looking for a quick fix and you helped me realize that the fix is learning how to do inlay - not finding some simple jig or template somewhere - so off to the shop to try some of the things you have pointed out - feedback later. 

   Rob you have some beautiful work!

3. 
   Eef | Apr 27, 2009 11:31pm | #9

   rob,

   what a delightful tutorial!  to my eye, you and mr. cohen have similar, intuitive, peaceful step-by-step how-tos.

   thank you.

   eef

1. 
   RMillard | Apr 28, 2009 01:25am | #10

   eef,

    

   You are welcome; I'm glad you enjoyed it.

   Rob Millard

   http://www.americanfederalperiod.com