I am building a desk out of hard maple. The desktop will be 5/4 x 28 x 54 when finished. I would like to inlay a 3/4″ wide strip [1/4 – 3/8″ thick] of Black Mesquite about 4″ from all edges, rectangle within the rectangle. I am concerned that the cross grain wood movement will be enough that it will ruin the inlay. The desk will reside in central Iowa and I would expect a seasonal change in humidity to be in the 50% range.
Thanks for your considered input.
Jim
Replies
If you mean that the relative humidity will change in your house by 50%, what you intend to do is not likely to survive. 20" of hard maple can move a fair amount.
I suggest you make the mesquite inlay for the ends with the grain going across the strip instead of along the length. Then you will only have the difference in expansion coefficients between the species, which is likely to be very small compared to the cross grain difference. There are techniques for gluing thin pieces using wedges and a plywood base with strips for the wedges to push against. Not likely to work with regular clamps. Let me know if you want more info.
A major seasonal upswing in humidity would undoubtedly cause the width of the desk top to expand more than the long grain of the inlay running across it. Instead of solid wood, one alternative would be to use a stable substrate such as one-inch MDF and veneer over in whatever pattern you wish.
Could you break the inlay up into tiles so that if it does expand, it won't be noticeable? Like shell inlay boarders, or score lines in pavement.
I’ve done cross grain inlays but not that distance.
To be safe I would glue up a strip with grain parallel to the desk as first poster mentioned.
Thanks to all who responded. It is as I had expected and anticipated. Looks like I'll be using some narrow cross-grain strips if I want that inlay.
Jim