Precision Inlay, Simple Tools
A few shop-made appliances allow you to add stunning face-grain inlay to your work. Geometric bandings and inlay patterns, or parquetry, are widely used, from Japan to Egypt to Spain. I developed [...]
Wired for Beauty
A rotary tool, hammer and a few shop-made tools are all it takes. I recently had the opportunity to explore a concept that has been rattling around the dark recesses of my cranium for almost [...]
Inlay for Curves
A trip to the hardware store yields clamps that put the bend in inlay. Inlaid bandings are a time-honored technique to embellish furniture, as are curves. Combining the two is surely a way to [...]
Hannah’s Inlaid Chest
Router and hand tools combine for line and berry inlay on this 18th-century piece. In 1746, at the age of four, Hannah Pyle stored her prized possessions in a small three-drawer chest with line [...]
Line & Berry Chest of Drawers
Though not traditional, router patterns make quick work of the inlay. In southeastern Pennsylvania, just northwest of Philadelphia, is Chester County. It was one of the original three counties [...]
Caddy for Your Tea, Governor?
Use unconventional techniques to create a traditional tea caddy. England began to import tea about the middle of the 17th century. When first introduced, tea was expensive, so it was a drink [...]
Tool Test: A New Way to Inlay
Mother of Pearl Inlays
A Brief Introduction to Using a CNC for Inlays As a woodworker, my work focuses on two areas: fine art and furniture. In fine art, the emphasis is on sculpture, primarily made from wood. [...]
CNC Signage Has Come a Long Way
We’re in the middle of our CNC Video Series, created in partnership with Axiom Tool Group, and we’re posting the third video on making a sign using CNC design and equipment. Before [...]
Video: Simple String Inlay with Your Router
String inlay is a quick and dramatic way to add interest and dimension to any woodworking project. And it’s not just string inlay, you can add banding and any number of decorative veneer [...]
Q & A: Herringbone Inlay
Q: I’d like to use my own wood to make herringbone inlay, but how do I go about it? A: Making your own inlay isn’t tough—you just need a well-tuned tablesaw and a good combination or [...]
Woodworking: Learn Something New Every Day
One the greatest aspects of woodworking is that there are always new things to learn. When I began building furniture, I set my sights on a few complex projects which I figured I could build when [...]
