# Table with inlaid stones in the top.



## demographic (Aug 12, 2012)

I'm wanting to make a wooden table with stones inset into its top.
I've seen an example of one that someone else made on the net and copied the pictures onto my computer for reference.
Here is the pictures of the one I like. Again, I didn't make it. Only copied the images off the internet.




























Then I've been for a walk along the beach with my three year old ("*Nearly four Pops!!!"*) granddaughter picking up unusual stones and taking masses of pictures all the time.

In the semi distant future would like to set several of these stones in the table top to give her the table, along with the photos of the day finding them.
Now I could cut them out with a jigsaw but am wondering if there's a neater way to do it with a router.

Does anyone have any ideas of a better way?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

A full size pattern and template would be my first choice.
Another concept you might consider is to slice the rocks in half lengthwise on a wet saw (rocks mounted cut side down). It'll make the routing part simpler, and certainly more comfortable to sit on if the rocks don't stick up too high(?).
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p....d=1000523556&gclid=CKu4vuyr0soCFZBhfgodLF8H8Q


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

trace the stone and cut a template...
mark the location for the stone using the template...
make the cutout w/ your jigsaw or router...
use your router w/ a RO bit to soften the edges...

plan ''B''...

do the stone as an inlay...
Making Inlays With A Router - NewWoodworker.com LLC

perfect the fit on scrap 1st...


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

+1 what Dan and Stick said.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

A sharp chisel?


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## johnnie_dr (Jan 8, 2016)

Hi Demo,

I did a similar table last year. Hadda old piece of Chestnut burl that I wanted to inlay (table top is maple and cherry). I sliced the burl, traced the pattern on top, then routed it (very carefully)...as Dan & Stick mentioned, then used 2 part epoxy, filled in the gaps. Flattened it all down (as the burl was rather proud to table top...as I intended) with a power-planer, then subsequent grades of sandpaper...etc.

Once I conquered that, I got some polished river stone and did the same thing. I laid out the stones where i wanted them, traced the outline, then using a trim-router and a 1/2" core box bit, roughed out the hole (with rounded bottom & sides) to allow me to fit the stones into the top...again, about 1/2 depth of the stone proud. Used the epoxy again, although this time, carefully added it around the edge of the stone to just bring it level to the surface of table, since I could not sand or file the cured epoxy around the stone. All of this had to be done AFTER having done surface prep to the table top (sand, prep, & at least 1 coat of poly), since you don't want to poly over the stones. 

Fun project...some people look at the table and say "gee...WHY did you do that?" Others say" GEE...HOW did you do that?" Pictures are attached...

Have fun.

John


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

I did a table using two pieces of live edge arbutus...but I never thought of adding any stones.

That's a great idea and it looks terrific. Sure would like to see yours when you get it done. Good luck!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Wow! Great job on the routing, John!! :0


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

This thread opens a whole new world.HMMMMMMMMMM........................................

Herb


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## demographic (Aug 12, 2012)

Well thanks guys, great response and pictures from someone who's actually done it with excellent results.

Jigsaw plywood template, maybe after using one of those scribe wheel things for the correct offset so I can use a guidebush which will allow me to incrementally lower the depth of cut to the correct depth.

I don't want to cut the stones to thickness if I can help it.

I gave her the brief of finding as many different and interesting coloured stones as possible and she really did well.
She found a fair range of stones at the beach, from igneous through metamorphic to sedimentary and even a few bits of well waterworn coloured glass.

I doubt I will be making it too soon but hope to get something like cherry wood for the top and rout out the knots to possibly put stones in where they were so the grain looks like its flowing around the stones.

I'm a site carpenter by trade so not a natural furniture maker.
Got plenty time (realistically years) before I need to do it and finding the stones was just me setting the idea in motion with the hope that she remembers us picking them (bearing in mind the fact I took loads of pictures to remind her, including some of the stone haul in the back if the car to tie the memory into the day).

I'm trying to work out what areas those stones have travelled from to get there as well, just so she has a bit of a story to go with it all.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

demographic said:


> I doubt I will be making it too soon but hope to get something like cherry wood for the top and rout out the knots to possibly put stones in where they were so the grain looks like its flowing around the stones.


Now that is a great idea! Really like that.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey, Scott; you might not be around down the road. Do it now. 


"Half our time is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save."
- Will Rogers


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Holy Somely John that is nice...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

cocobolo1 said:


> I did a table using two pieces of live edge arbutus...but I never thought of adding any stones.
> 
> That's a great idea and it looks terrific. Sure would like to see yours when you get it done. Good luck!


Going through some of the 47,975 photos I have on the desktop and I ran across this one.

It would have looked better with the stone idea embedded I think.

Arbutus wood with bubinga butterflies.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Interesting colour, Keith; the red/purple of the Arbutus is gone.
Exotic hardwoods, Arbutus wood, Madrone wood, Manzanita wood and Yew wood


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## demographic (Aug 12, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> Hey, Scott; you might not be around down the road. Do it now.
> 
> 
> "Half our time is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save."
> - Will Rogers


Fair comment but at the moment I'm only 44 so I hope I have a bit of time left in me.

I married a slightly older woman who already had a daughter so I kind of jumped the gun slightly on the being called "Pops" thing.


I'll likely do a few practice pieces using plywood just to get to grips with what I'm doing but the good part of using stones is that if I mess it up a bit I just use a slightly bigger stone and pretend its supposed to be that way:wink:

Plus the good thing about routing out the knots is that I can use wood that's got quite a lot (cherry being an example of a timber that's often got a few) and not worry about them.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> Interesting colour, Keith; the red/purple of the Arbutus is gone.
> Exotic hardwoods, Arbutus wood, Madrone wood, Manzanita wood and Yew wood


Thanks for the link Dan...now I feel like a fool for cutting up and burning so much of this wood.

In January of 2005, there was a huge snowstorm on Ruxton, DeCourcey and the area around Cedar. It was limited to a small area. 

We had 3,000 trees down on Ruxton, 1,700 of which were on the public right of way. At the time I was looking after the roads for Emcon, who did the Dept. of Highways work. So I had to take care of the cleanup.

There were probably around 50 large Arbutus in that bunch, and I ended up getting a fair amount of wood from that lot.

I'm going to have to see if I can find any of the other pics I have of some of the items I made, or even of the rough wood. Some of the colours in the very old trees was really fantastic.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm guilty also, Keith; made lovely firewood. 
My excuse is that I wasn't doing 'woodworking' back then, just carpentry.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> I'm guilty also, Keith; made lovely firewood.
> My excuse is that I wasn't doing 'woodworking' back then, just carpentry.


It's downright shameful some of the wood I've burned in the past. But at the time that was all that we had.

I was chatting to a fellow down in the south eastern U.S. and he burned osage orange...aaaaaaagh! To think what we would do with that. He thought the same of us burning arbutus. I guess it all depends on where you live and what you have.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

" I guess it all depends on where you live and what you have."
_Had_, Keith, had... ;(


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> " I guess it all depends on where you live and what you have."
> _Had_, Keith, had... ;(


Yeah...sorry about that...had!


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