# inlayed letters



## Rhots (Feb 5, 2009)

Hi again,
New question form a near zero experienced router wannabee.
I recently made a small cutting board from maple with cherry inlayed block letters. It was just two letters. (Initials)
My procedure was this: with Acad I made my letters 3" high, and printed them out, and taped it to a piece of 1/4" cherry. Then I ban sawed the letters, sanded them and then traced them onto the board.
I rough routed them out with a 1/4 bit staying away from the lines, and then hand chiseled them to fit.
I'm hoping there is a simple way to do this with just the router and maybe a little corner cleanup with the chisels.
Can I hand make my letters and then somehow use those as a template for the "female" or board part.
What are my best options?
Thank you for your time,
Rick


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI Rick

The router will do the job but you must have all round corners on your inlay parts, a real easy way to do inlay is to use a scroll saw,,just make a sandwich b/4 you cut them out with the scroll saw,then split the sandwich and flip the parts around and you have the inlay letters that will pop right back into place..  with almost no sanding.. 


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Rhots said:


> Hi again,
> New question form a near zero experienced router wannabee.
> I recently made a small cutting board from maple with cherry inlayed block letters. It was just two letters. (Initials)
> My procedure was this: with Acad I made my letters 3" high, and printed them out, and taped it to a piece of 1/4" cherry. Then I ban sawed the letters, sanded them and then traced them onto the board.
> ...


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## Rhots (Feb 5, 2009)

*letter inlays with router*

I'm lost....sorry this is what I was working with, I would like to use the letters to create the pocket. See pics.
Thanks,
Rick


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Rick

see the 2nd picture. done on a scroll saw letters/numbers no big deal on the scroll saw. 


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

I agree with Bob that is the way to go.


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## Rhots (Feb 5, 2009)

I guess I'm slow, you guys are saying that I should cut the shape of my letters out on top of my cutting board, and cut all the way through it? That's anywhere from 3/4" to a 2" cutting board! Then the letters would be all the way through the board??
Never done any scroll work either, but wouldn't the letters be too small by double the thickness of the blade?


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Rhots said:


> I guess I'm slow, you guys are saying that I should cut the shape of my letters out on top of my cutting board, and cut all the way through it? That's anywhere from 3/4" to a 2" cutting board! Then the letters would be all the way through the board??
> Never done any scroll work either, but wouldn't the letters be too small by double the thickness of the blade?


No you have to make the cutting board a completely differnt way.

I looked at your letter. You are not going to be able to do it with a router very effective because of the limited space between the letter at the bottom. A busing is not going to fit in that space.

When I have a project like yours where I make it first what I do is scroll or band saw out the letters like you. Than trace it and crave out the letter with a router free hand instead of using a chisel. But I use a very small router that is simple to control free hand.

You can use a router for all the straight edges and the inside are by using a piece of wood as a stop. Just secure it down. Get to within an 1/8" of wherever you can not use that method and just chisel the rest.

If you change the shape of the letters you can make templates like in my picture to cut out the pockets using a router.

The second picture shows the free hand router I use.


Nick


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## Rhots (Feb 5, 2009)

Okay, I see I will have to keep doing my original way for letters with tight areas, or with templates for more rounded letters. I still don't get the scrollsaw thing but that's okay.
Nick, where did you find that tiny plunge router? Or did someone make it from a pencil grinder?
Thanks guys,
Rick
guys


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## Charles M (Apr 10, 2006)

Rhots said:


> Hi again,
> New question form a near zero experienced router wannabee.
> I recently made a small cutting board from maple with cherry inlayed block letters. It was just two letters. (Initials)
> My procedure was this: with Acad I made my letters 3" high, and printed them out, and taped it to a piece of 1/4" cherry. Then I ban sawed the letters, sanded them and then traced them onto the board.
> ...


Hi Rick,

Inlay Router Bit sets will do what you are trying to do but basically in reverse. Mount the template guide to the router to follow the template which is a cut out of the letter for the inlay. Then put the extra bushing over the guide and use the same template for the mortise. The bit is 1/8" diameter so you will have 1/16" radius corners. You can make inlays with squared corners but you will have to use a chisel to square up the recesses. Still minor work compared to the way you did it. Here's the Freud version:

Freud FT1500 (Instructions are included)


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

I use inlay kits like that with my letter templates in my previous post to make both the letter and the pocket.

The problem with those sets for letters it that is severely limits the shape you can make.

The little router is a custom hand piece made to work with my Foredoom rotary tool. The entire setup is in no way inexpensive though.

You can get the hand piece from the guitar supply shop Steward/MacDonald along with the router base and the Foredoom setup at many places. There are a few to choose from 1/6 Hp to 1/3 hp. I need 1/3 HP to cut through the really hard exotic woods, but most get away with the SR 1/6 hp unit.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Foredom_tools,_attachments/Foredom_tools,_attachments.html

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Dremel_rotary_tools,_attachments/2/Precision_Router_Base.html

http://www.stewmac.com/item/5332


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## Rhots (Feb 5, 2009)

Thank you all for your help.
If I keep plugging along I may be able to do things the easier ways....maybe


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Rick

By the pro's see below 
http://www.routerworkshop.com/revinlay.html
http://www.routerworkshop.com/inlays112.html

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