# How to make a tiger eye inlay



## Mickeyfolse (Feb 1, 2019)

Hey y’all it’s been a while. But i just finished a project i been working on a little at a time for over a month now. Finally fruits of the labor! It’s not perfect but I’m pleased with the results. only because i made the stencil. Had i purchased it (and there’s no place to purchase one) I’d have issues with it. But it’s mine. And I’m fairly proud of it. It gives me some things to improve on and to be more careful of next time as well. I learn from every piece i do. 

I’m thinking this piece will end up serving as the lid of a keepsake box for a friend of mine who had a son playing for LSU and was killed late last year. 












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## Mickeyfolse (Feb 1, 2019)

In case it isn’t obvious, the woods are purpleheart and yellowheart . Not sure how the pictures will show up. 


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

That’s very nice , I’m always impressed by inlays


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## Mickeyfolse (Feb 1, 2019)

RainMan 2.0 said:


> That’s very nice , I’m always impressed by inlays




Thank you! Compliments from this crowd are always felt deepest. There are things i wish I’d done differently.... but at least i have the stencil and can do those different things on the next try! 


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Nice work. And always nice to make something yourself, that way you get what you want, not what someone else thinks you want. But totally missing a tiger eye.


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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

Great job on an interesting design. My templates are purchased. I'd like to try making my own. Sure would open up some possibilities. Yours look very professional.


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## Mickeyfolse (Feb 1, 2019)

JOAT said:


> Nice work. And always nice to make something yourself, that way you get what you want, not what someone else thinks you want. But totally missing a tiger eye.




It’s supposed to be a replica of this...










There are several versions out there each with subtle differences. I can’t say for sure this is the exact one i tried copying. Mine is far from perfect but i have full confidence an LSU fan would instantly recognize it! 


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## Mickeyfolse (Feb 1, 2019)

Gene Howe said:


> Great job on an interesting design. My templates are purchased. I'd like to try making my own. Sure would open up some possibilities. Yours look very professional.




Far from professional but i appreciate the kind words. I’ve been doing this less than a year and am still learning. If i had a laser cutter I’d be knocking it out the park! Lol 

This one you’re seeing is only 4” tall. It’d be easier and likely look cleaner had i done it bigger. But i had no real use for a bigger one. Not yet anyway. 

All you need is a compass opened to whatever the offset of your inlay kit has. Then trace around the design. Unfortunately the little donut is approx .5” so it can only fit into relatively large spaces. That’s why the design is broken into so many pieces. 

Once all traced out, it’s a simple matter of transferring your design to wood all referenced from the corner of the stencil card. You might be able to see the numbering and the arrows written on the stencil cards shown. 


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

You're right, that would make a great lid for a box. It took me awhile to figure out the tiger eye thing, but then, I live out west.


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## Mickeyfolse (Feb 1, 2019)

Probably at this size, freehanding it would look a little nicer. The wood grains wouldn't collide as much as they do here. Some pieces would have looked better if they could have been combined into one. 

When i do this design again, I'll probably chisel out the corners of the recesses rather than sand down the sharp corners of the inlay pieces. 

It probably took longer to break this thing into "chunks" and draw it out than it did to complete the whole inlay. 





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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Nice tight inlays. Did you use an inlay collar set to do the inlays?


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Mickeyfolse said:


> It’s supposed to be a replica of this...
> 
> Well, I'm still not sure of a tiger eye, but you did a good job of duplication, and it does look like an eye of something now. And you'll just keep getting better and better. I think the only thing I would have done different than you would have been to make one or two out of cheap wood first.


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## Mickeyfolse (Feb 1, 2019)

MEBCWD said:


> Nice tight inlays. Did you use an inlay collar set to do the inlays?




Yes i did. That's why it had to be broken into so many different pieces. 



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## Mickeyfolse (Feb 1, 2019)

JOAT said:


> Mickeyfolse said:
> 
> 
> > It’s supposed to be a replica of this...
> ...


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## marecat3 (Nov 30, 2010)

look very nice love the wood


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## ScottyDBQ (Jul 5, 2008)

Lots of work in making those patterns and in making very tight inlays - super job and great looking result.


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## Mickeyfolse (Feb 1, 2019)

Thanks Scotty! The tight inlays are a function of using an inlay kit. It's almost guaranteed to fit tight except for sharp points. I could have chiseled them out, but i chose to sand the inlay pieces instead. The most time spent was on making the patterns and being as precise as possible in laying them out on the stencil cards. 

This would have looked nicer if done freehand, but I'd lose repeatability. I may also try one using a metallic gold epoxy instead of yellowheart. But I'll definitely freehand the recesses for that one. 




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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Really nice Mickey but would have been so much better if you had taken progress shots showing the making so that other members wouldn't have to "re-invent the wheel".


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## twmv86 (Oct 14, 2018)

this might be harder to inlay without slicing.:surprise: ive had this 7 lb chunk of tiger eye for years. i dabbled with rocks awhile with my grandad. ive been thinking of taking translucent slabs i cut years ago and inlaying them in a table top and illuminating them from underneath


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## BCR (Mar 30, 2009)

Mickeyfolse said:


> Probably at this size, freehanding it would look a little nicer. The wood grains wouldn't collide as much as they do here.


Completely agree. I am actually good with inlays. Not only freehand, but using veneers would have come out with exact detail, as needed. Using a Dremel to cut lines smaller than 1/8 and trim router (again freehand) for anything larger than 1/8" 
That's how I would have done it. Will have to post some work sometime. Granted have not done an inlay in quite some time and it is an art form in itself, with LOTS of patience needed.
But yes, nice tight grain. :smile:


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