# Inlay and wood movement



## verteramofurniture (Feb 16, 2009)

Hello,

I have created a coffee table made out of Oak with a Maple inlay of a full size guitar. Along with a set of end tables with a guitar and drums. (Pine with oak in lay)

I want to start building more pine tables with 1/8 thick oak inlay. I am curious about the different movement in the wood and causing it to pop the inlay out. 

When I was in school I was told just do it out of veneer but I am not set up to do that and people like the look of the solid wood top and inlay.

I know if I align the grain of the inlay with the table top it will help the grain grow and shrink together, but what if I was putting in an inlay that is cross grain from the top?

I was a website were you can see some pictures of the inlay stuff it is verteramofurniture dot com

Also do any of you have a chart of wood movements?

Thanks

Marcus


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Marc I work with inlay all the time.

The best way is to make the inlay separately, adhere a ply backer to the inlay using adhesive and a vacuum press. Now the entire inlay will grow and shrink as a unit, if it does at all. 

Drop this inlay into the table and at most you will get very slight gaps between the inlay and table top at the outer edge of the inlay, but probably none as the ply does not move very much. Or you can make the entire top of the table this same way.

It definitely will never pop out using this method.


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## verteramofurniture (Feb 16, 2009)

Thanks Nick
What you are describing sounds like you are veneering a panel and using that for the insert? The pine in the table top will still move. I would have thought that it would be worse since the table top is moving and the insert is not at all. At least if they are both wood it will move more closely together?.?.

Have you done wood inlay in a wood top? How thick is your wood part of the inlay usually?


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

This might be helpful:

http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/shrinkulator.htm

Choosing species that have similar movement indexes may help, too.


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