# Inlay Technique



## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

I’ve had several people asking me about how I inlaid the trays I posted earlier. Here is how I do it.

Since there seems to be a limit on how many pictures you can post at a time, I’ve broken this up into 4 sections:

Materials & Tools
Cutting the inlay slots
Cutting and fitting the inlay strips
Glue up and sanding

Part 1 - Materials

You can make your own inlay strips or buy them. I have done both but in this case, I’ll use strips purchased from Rockler. These are 3/8th Inch walnut with black and white accent stripes. I think it’s a nice touch to complement the recipe card box I’m making. 

You will need a router table with a fence and 2 stops, straight bit, chisels, miter box and saw, roller, utility knife and lots of clamps.

Always measure your strips as there can be a lot of variation. Take measurements from several places along the strip so you know the worst case. As you can see from the pictures, the strip I bought measures very close to the listed size. This is actually pretty uncommon for me. I used the same inlay on the trays I made earlier and those were quite a bit wider, requiring sanding the edges to get them to fit.

I used a 3/8” straight router bit in my router table.

The strip is .035” thick so I tried to set my router bit to .030” (but got .029” which is good enough). If you don’t have a good depth gauge, you will need to use trial and error to set the depth. We want the inlay to stand just a bit proud so we can easily sand it flush. 

Make a test run in some scrap – use the same wood as your project if possible. As you can see from the picture, it’s a nice tight fit.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

*Part 2 Cutting the inlay slots.*

Cutting the inlay slots.

I use my router table to cut the slots. You can do this freehand with a template but I’ve found it easier to use the table. In this case the inlay will be 7/8” from the edge of the work piece so I move the router table fence 1 ¼” (3/8+7/8) from the “inside” edge of the router bit. We will make 2 sets of cuts – first on the long sides and then on the short one. I mark 1 ¼” from the corners on two of the bottom sides of the piece to aid in setting up the stop blocks. Sorry for the blurry picture. To avoid routing too far, I tend to make my marks just a little long (1/32” or so). Check and double check your setup. There is nothing worse than routing too far – don’t ask how I know this.

Make your cuts. I use the right stop block as a pivot point. Pressing the edge of the workpiece against the fence, I tilt it onto the spinning bit. Make sure the right edge of the workpiece is perpendicular to the fence. Keeping the workpiece firmly against the fence, slide it towards the other stop block, holding it down against the router plate. I use a Grrripper but any push block will do. When you reach the other stop block, carefully lift the piece up with a similar tilting motion. Double check the cut to make sure it’s clean and uniform in depth. If not, redo it. Then cut the other side in the same fashion.

Now, set up the stop blocks for the short side and repeat the process.

You should have a workpiece that looks like the next picture.

Now, get your chisels and square the outside corners. Make sure your chisels are sharp.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

*Part 3 - Cutting and fitting the inlay strips*

Cutting and fitting the inlay strips

Clean up your inlay slots. Sand the top of your workpiece and use a chisel to gently clean out the slots. Take care not to nick the sides.

Now, cut the first inlay strip using your miter box. Make sure that the length is good and avoid damaging the sharp ends of the strip when test fitting. I cut my strips a tiny bit too long and then carefully sand it down. Use a sanding block to bevel the bottom of the 45 degree cut so that when you butt the next piece up to it, there will be a “compression zone” that allows for a tight miter. Also, bevel the bottom edges of the strip to make it easier for it to slip into the slot. See the picture. Cut and fit each piece in turn, making sure the miter is tight. On the last strip, leave it just a tiny bit long (like a hair’s width or two) so you can get a little compression at the miter. Use a utility knife to very carefully pick the strips out. Be sure that each of the strips makes contact with the bottom of the slots. If they don’t, they won’t glue well and could pop out some day.


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

nice job  Phil


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

*Part 4 - Glueup and Sanding*

Glueup and Sanding

Once you have all 4 pieces fitted, it’s time to glue up. Don’t scrimp on glue. Use the roller to ensure the strips are fully seated in the slots.

Use 2 pieces of wood for clamping. They should be about the same size as the workpiece. Place a piece of waxed paper over the inlay and then sandwich the workpiece between the 2 pieces of wood. Clamp firmly and let dry for at least 4 hours. I like to let it dry overnight.

When the glue is dry, you can sand it flush. Be careful to not catch the inlay edges as you can damage them. I hand sand for that reason and use my fingers to feel for imperfections. 

You can see the final result in the last picture.


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

Great tutorial, Phil.

We need more things like this to help inspire those that have never attempted something like this to give it a try.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

I agree - more tutorials = good. However, I think we also need people to not be afraid to try something new. I'd never done it before 3 months ago. Worst thing that could happen is firewood. It seemed kind of complex but figured I'd just give it a try. I did make some mistakes along the way but now I feel like my projects can stand out a bit more. And, it's really not that hard.


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## Marco (Feb 21, 2009)

Dang it Phil, now I don't have an excuse to *not *do an inlay correctly!

Thanks for the time and caring that you put into the tutorial.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

thanks Phil...
outstanding tutorial...


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

Thanks Phil. Excellent work, and Eloquently presented! We need more of these tutorials.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

doing the tutorial is often considerably more difficult that the project itself. 

Nicely done Phil.. I do hope this inspires others to give it a try...


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

TwoSkies57 said:


> doing the tutorial is often considerably more difficult that the project itself.
> 
> Nicely done Phil.. I do hope this inspires others to give it a try...


What I like about doing these is it forces you to think it through from the viewpoint of others. That, in turn, makes me understand the process better and thus I do better work.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Thanks for sharing this Phil. Nice clean inlay work.


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## Multiwood (Feb 24, 2013)

Great job Phil!


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## MYB506 (Dec 5, 2012)

Nicely done Phil. Thanks for taking the time to put all this together to share.


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## ksidwy (Jul 13, 2013)

The others said all, nothing to add. congrats for the tutorial and the job!!!! 
*Pure art!!!!*
Sid.


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## Potowner1 (Feb 17, 2011)

Thanks a lot Phil.

I'm about to try my first inlay on a jewelry box Christmas present for my wife. I am not quite as nervous as I was. :surprise:


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Nice work Phil. I don't think that I'll be trying inlays soon but I may use your set-up for cutting the slots to cut a bead on drawer fronts. I know, I know... but it's a start.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Nice job all around Phil.


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## richjh (Jan 14, 2013)

Thanks for the detailed instructions.


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## old coasty (Aug 15, 2014)

Great work Phil. Thanks for the detailed how to do it.


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## JeffInMonterey (Aug 24, 2014)

Thank you very much for this tutorial. I am attempting to convert a large old oak silver chest into a jewelry box. It has a top lid that I want to inlay a marquetry border into, as well as a front drawer that I want to do the same. All this big idea while trying to get familiar with the Incra fence on the router table at the same time. Very tedious work.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

JeffInMonterey said:


> Thank you very much for this tutorial. I am attempting to convert a large old oak silver chest into a jewelry box. It has a top lid that I want to inlay a marquetry border into, as well as a front drawer that I want to do the same. All this big idea while trying to get familiar with the Incra fence on the router table at the same time. Very tedious work.


I assume you have an LS positioner. I love mine! It makes set up a lot easier. Not to mention great for box joints and dovetails. It didn't take very much time for me to get it figured out.

A suggestion - make a test piece the same size as your top or front and try inlaying on that.


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

An excellent tutorial, Phil. Thanks.


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## MT Born (Oct 29, 2014)

Thanks for taking the time to share that Phil. I look forward to trying it!


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## aahwhatever2 (Oct 16, 2015)

Phil,

I am one of the few that asked how you did that. Thank you so much for such an "easy to understand" tutorial. You really inspire me to try some new things. Brilliant work and beautiful to boot!

Thank you!


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

aahwhatever2 said:


> Phil,
> 
> I am one of the few that asked how you did that. Thank you so much for such an "easy to understand" tutorial. You really inspire me to try some new things. Brilliant work and beautiful to boot!
> 
> Thank you!


Glad it meets your needs! Hope to see some of your stuff posted in show-n-tell...


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Man, what a great tutorial. I have been putting doors on shop cabinets lately and I think I'm going to do an inlay on the next one, a case for the router table stand. Should look great. This is the clearest presentation on inlays I've seen. Thanks again Phil.


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