# Ahoy! Guidance needed!



## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

Those of you who saw my thread on flocking will know that my next project is a cutlery box. The cutlery is a copy of a set owned by Admiral Lord Nelson (he with the one eye and one arm and a desire to be kissed by Hardy  )
To give a nautical flavour to the box I'd like to inlay either a ship's wheel or an anchor in the lid.
Question. My smallest router is a Bosch POF500A plunge with 1/4" collett. What's the best approach? A template? If so, will my router work with guide bushings? How do I go about creating a template? Jig saw? Or should I invest in a Dremmel?
Any advice gratefully received.


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

I am looking forward to the responses on this one Geordie. I have a small Bosch colt palm router but it isn't plunging. Seems to me that a jig saw would be useful for the template and if you have a scroll saw that would be handy as well. Is a file to clean up the inside would be my guess. 

Corey


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## Joe Lyddon (Sep 11, 2004)

Sounds interesting... but, before we continue, don't you think the first step is to DECIDE what the object is going to be? Til then, nothing can really be done.

We may have to resort to just a pocket knife, xacto set, what not...


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Just my 2 cents.
I think a ships wheel would look great, and just a thought maybe get one off eBay and sand/cut it in 1/2 and then inlay it into the top or use it for a pattern, or template guide. 
I should pull back the word inlay and use the word recess,that's to say recess it in the top about 1/2" so you get the look of a hand carved wheel in the top with about a 1/4" cap around the edges,making the recess should be a easy job for the standard plunge router and a disk cutter/bottom bit.

13 INCH CAPTAINS SHIPS WHEEL 12.oo bucks
http://cgi.ebay.com/13-INCH-CAPTAIN...8QQihZ013QQcategoryZ37966QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
-----------------
Intarsia ▼

http://www.sawbird.com/pattern.htm

http://www.woodchests.com/Category.aspx?CategoryID=1202

http://www.foxchapelpublishing.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1011


Bj 





nzgeordie said:


> Those of you who saw my thread on flocking will know that my next project is a cutlery box. The cutlery is a copy of a set owned by Admiral Lord Nelson (he with the one eye and one arm and a desire to be kissed by Hardy  )
> To give a nautical flavour to the box I'd like to inlay either a ship's wheel or an anchor in the lid.
> Question. My smallest router is a Bosch POF500A plunge with 1/4" collett. What's the best approach? A template? If so, will my router work with guide bushings? How do I go about creating a template? Jig saw? Or should I invest in a Dremmel?
> Any advice gratefully received.


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## Joe Lyddon (Sep 11, 2004)

bobj3 said:


> Just my 2 cents.
> I think a ships wheel would look great, and just a thought maybe get one off eBay and sand/cut it in 1/2 and then inlay it into the top or use it for a pattern, or template guide.
> 
> 13 INCH CAPTAINS SHIPS WHEEL 12.oo bucks
> ...


Yeah Bob...

You could make a jig to hold it for a bandsaw, cut it half, and just plain glue the half on the box top & be done with it!   

Do it right and you use the other half for another box, the other side of this one, or something.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Geordie, Normally inlay work is done with a small diameter guide bushing that has a special collar that attaches with an allen screw. Here is one brass kit from Woodcraft: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=1391 I do not recommend the kit Rockler sells as it has a steel bushing, nut and brass collar.
I am guessing TemplateTom will know what is available in your part of the world and the best place to order from.


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## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

nzgeordie said:


> Those of you who saw my thread on flocking will know that my next project is a cutlery box. The cutlery is a copy of a set owned by Admiral Lord Nelson (he with the one eye and one arm and a desire to be kissed by Hardy  )
> To give a nautical flavour to the box I'd like to inlay either a ship's wheel or an anchor in the lid.
> Question. My smallest router is a Bosch POF500A plunge with 1/4" collett. What's the best approach? A template? If so, will my router work with guide bushings? How do I go about creating a template? Jig saw? Or should I invest in a Dremel?
> Any advice gratefully received.


Geordie :
Before we an proceed to answer your posting it will be necessary to give some details of size required for a start. A drawing or pic would be good
Tom


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## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

OK Guys. I've decided on a ship's wheel. If I'm reading you right Bj, do you mean rout a circular recess and lay the wheel in that? I hadn't thought of that approach but I would like to try an inlay if it's not too ambitious for a first timer. Tom, the box lid will be approx 12" x 10" (300 x 250mm) so I figure a wheel about 3" (75mm) dia. Here's a piece of clipart of the style of the thing.

(Sorry, it won't accept the format of the image but it's a very basic eight spoked wheel.)


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## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

Geordie 
What about a simple sketch?
Tom


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## Woodnut65 (Oct 11, 2004)

Hi: If the object (anchor or wheel) is on a backing of some type, you could buy a inlay kit, as long as the router will accept PC guides. Rockler, and Wood craft and others sell them. The kit contains a 3/16" bit a PC guide and lock ring and a removable ring.
along with the instructions. Bob and Rick had a show where they used the one sold by Oak-Park to inlay a ceramic tile into a box lid.
Hope this helps.. Woodnut65


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Inlay can be one of the trickey items to do with the router I'm also sure you will make some firewood the 1st. time or 2nd time, your router must be setup on dead center, that's the hard part, not all guides are the same size i.e. 5/16 can be .299 to .320 o,d. BUT if you buy the set the small ring should fit just right, but do buy a extra 1/8" bit they do break easy and they don't hog out alot of stock in a pass ,so to say it's best to move up to a bigger guide and bit to remove the stock once you have the base parts cut out.(pocket)
But I should say it's fun to make inlay items once you get the hang of it.
I should note,,,make the male part a bit higher (thicker) and then you can sand it down to the top,you can't add to it if it's to low in the pocket, you can shim it if you run into that error (with poster board stock) but it's not the same.
Once you pop it in that's it will not come out without some damage to the part,you can drill a small hole (1/2" in top),in the center of the lnlay b/4 you pop it in so you can pop it out with care,then plug the hole with the same stock as the top once your done with the inlay. 

Just a Note**** some of the Inlay kits come with a SMALL ring in the brass guide and the small brass ring has small snap ring to hold the ring in place, this is the best type (snap-on-type), some come with a Allen set screw to hold the small ring in place this type I DON'T recommend , because the set screw will deform the the brass guide if you don't take great care when you torq it down and you will put a lip/neck on the brass guide that makes it hard to get it on the next time you want to use it.
The brass guides and ring are machined parts and must stay true so can used them over and over . 
One more small NOTE**** the male part of the inlay will have SHARP points and the female part (pocket) will have round corners so to say use the 1/8" bit but you will still need to clean out the corners so the the insert will just pop in clean,I use a Exacto knife to do this fine work, not a chisel. 


Have fun with the Inlay

Bj 

Brass Inlay Set, for 1 3/16" hole size (PC type routers) ▼
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/router_inlay.html

Brass Inlay Set, from Oak-Park for 1 1/2" hole size ▼
http://us.oak-park.com/catalogue.html?list=BG-ILPT-&product=IN027
http://us.oak-park.com/catalogue.ht...h%3D%26price_type%3D%26model%3D&product=BG034




nzgeordie said:


> OK Guys. I've decided on a ship's wheel. If I'm reading you right Bj, do you mean rout a circular recess and lay the wheel in that? I hadn't thought of that approach but I would like to try an inlay if it's not too ambitious for a first timer. Tom, the box lid will be approx 12" x 10" (300 x 250mm) so I figure a wheel about 3" (75mm) dia. Here's a piece of clipart of the style of the thing.
> 
> (Sorry, it won't accept the format of the image but it's a very basic eight spoked wheel.)


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## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

Geordie
Simple inlays like a 75mm diameter are quite simple to insert all that is required is to produce the necessary circular cut-out template to suit the template guide and cutter that will be used. I would be using a 10mm cutter with a large template guide say 30mm.
If I wanted to insert a piece of different grained material I would use the same template and rout with a 16mm Guide and a 4mm Cutter producing the perfect fit.
The problem comes when you wish to insert spokes into the wheel. But it still may not be impossible.
I would still need further details if you wish me to assist you
Tom


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## Joe Lyddon (Sep 11, 2004)

template tom said:


> Geordie
> Simple inlays like a 75mm diameter are quite simple to insert all that is required is to produce the necessary circular cut-out template to suit the template guide and cutter that will be used. I would be using a 10mm cutter with a large template guide say 30mm.
> If I wanted to insert a piece of different grained material I would use the same template and rout with a 16mm Guide and a 4mm Cutter producing the perfect fit.
> The problem comes when you wish to insert spokes into the wheel. But it still may not be impossible.
> ...


Tom,

Have you ever modified a small router guide, making it larger, by merely placing different sized WASHERS over the guide? The hole in the washer, of course, would have to be an exact fit over the guide.

I saw that done one time... I thought at the time, "What a slick way of doing that!".

Several washers could be glued together if more thickness was needed.


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## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

OK. I had a brain(?)storming session last night and came up with the following idea for inlaying the ship's wheel.
First, rout a circle for the outer rim of the wheel using reible's (SCJ) small circle jig (say 2-1/8" or 55mm dia.) and using a 1/4" straight bit. Then make a sled which will let me slide the router between stops to cut the 8 spoke recesses (about 1/8" - 3mm wide) - rotating the sled around the centre point of the wheel to line up with each spoke centre line and cutting through the routed rim circle to form the handle at the end of each spoke. Finally, use a Forstner (1/2") bit to cut the recess for the hub. 
I can then make the inlays using the SCJ to cut the wheel rim outer diameter and remove the centre with an appropriately sized Forstner bit. The spokes & handles can be simple straight (parallel) strips cut on the band saw. The hub insert can be cut with a 1/2" plug cutter. As Bj said, cut the inlays deeper than the recesses and sand flat.
Comments?


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## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

Geordie
Sounds a great idea I hope you will record all the stages you went through as we would all like to see the results. One thing about starting something new it gets our brain ticking over. I would be more than interested to learn a new technique.
Tom


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## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

Joe Lyddon said:


> Tom,
> 
> Have you ever modified a small router guide, making it larger, by merely placing different sized WASHERS over the guide? The hole in the washer, of course, would have to be an exact fit over the guide.
> 
> ...


Joe 
I would do that quite a number of times. I suppose you mean a sleeve (shim)added to the guide. 
Indeed I have modified a 30mm guide to give me the following sizes 50mm 60mm 70mm 80mm 90mm 100mm and enclosed 35mm.
Not sure that I would use a 'washer' as such in fear that it may come off certainly several washers would have to be glued together as you suggested.
When I last visited Harry he had done just that as he did not have the 22mm guide he modified a 16mm. This was to do the carving and the requested guides were 22mm and 16mm
Tom


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## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

Tom. I'm relieved there are no glaring faults in what I proposed. I'll photo each stage and post the results.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

*Sleeving template guides*

Joe, further to Tom's post I shall add my two cents worth! I have sleeved many guides and even a cutter bearing when the size that I required was not a stock item. Never pass up a chance to buy a bargain priced guide they can be sleeved at a later time to suit a particular project, like Tom's carving which called for an 18mm and a 22mm guide, now whilst I could have made changes to the design and used the closest sizes in my collection, I chose to sleeve a 3/4" for the 22m 
and a 16mm which I had two off for the 18mm. all of you who don't have metalworking facilities had better quickly make friends with someone who has! Harry


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## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

I see Bob has edited his previous posting to add the brass guide bushing that is available for inserting inlays simply by adding a bush to the first guide a great idea.
But still my idea of the 30mm and the 10mm and the 16mm with a 4mm does exactly the same thing.
Bob can I just make a suggestion that you add the additional information in sequence so that all can follow
Tom


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## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

nzgeordie said:


> Tom. I'm relieved there are no glaring faults in what I proposed. I'll photo each stage and post the results.


Geordie
I was not saying there was not any glaring faults I was suggesting that it was great to try with what you have. You will be the only one to tell us if it worked or not.
Geordie keep trying it is great fun to find new ideas as to how the roter can be used. I have great admiration to those who are willing to try something new. Who knows it may work. Just keep trying.
Just as a matter of interest are you really a 'Geordie' as we could have been neighbours as I spent my last six years in Jedburgh before coming to Australia
Tom


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## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

Yes Tom. I was born & raised in a mining village, Boldon Colliery, close to Jarrow and my mother still lives there. I came to NZ in '86.
P.S. Do you have any sugestions for me regarding my original post re: are guide bushings available for my Bosch POF500A? It came with what is called a "copy insert" which is used in conjunction with a template but is one size only. Will bushings of the type I see on the posts be compatible with my router?


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