Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

Woodworking Tip


Yul Lose

Recommended Posts

I'm building some boxes that have an oval inlay in them. I route the pocket in the box side using a template guide in my router and the piece clamped to a template. I then remove a collar on the template guide and route the oval out of a piece of burl or other exotic wood. I then have to slice the oval in half. Doing this on the table saw was very iffy and the first one that I tried got thrown across the shop with great force. I tried the next one on the band saw using a fence for support and didn't have any luck there either. What I ended up doing was gluing the entire oval inlay into the pocket and then once the glue had dried I used the box side as a fixture to slice off the other half of the oval on the bandsaw. That method worked perfectly and was much, much safer than the first two methods.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

where do you come up with an oval template? I have a project going for the grandkids that I need an oval frame for and I am striking out trying to find something suitable. my first attempt at making my own with poplar hobby board and a jigsaw resulted in multiple failures from the wood splitting along the grain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

where do you come up with an oval template? I have a project going for the grandkids that I need an oval frame for and I am striking out trying to find something suitable. my first attempt at making my own with poplar hobby board and a jigsaw resulted in multiple failures from the wood splitting along the grain.

I have some of my templates made out of 1/4" Baltic birch plywood. I take the precut 12" squares of plywood to a guy that has a laser engraver and he programs the computer to cut out perfect oval, circle, diamond, square or whatever shape that you want. I also had a machine shop that has a CNC cut four different shapes of ovals on a piece of 1/4" aluminum plate. With those four base patterns I can pretty much come up with any size oval I want, based on the project, by using table mounted pattern and template bits to enlarge the base sized oval to the size that I need.

 

What size oval are you looking for? Maybe I can make you a template out of plywood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kickback can and will get you. I've wound up with several cuts and very large bruises from it. Had a workpiece get caught on a drill bit on the drill press and spun out of my grip only to be thrown at me. Not only did I get a whopper of a bruise, but it knocked the breath out of me. Bent a very large shank drill bit in the process, I keep it on the press table as a reminder to be careful and pay attention.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spray adhesive on a piece of scrap plywood always worked for me. After you saw it in half, just peel off the veneer. Spray adhesive works fine on flat work. It doesn't have hold for turnings. I use this technique for inlays on the scroll saw.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done both the "Stick on" style that Ace mentioned as well as simply using an exacto knife for delicate but thin inlays.

 

For 1/8 or thicker inlays I use either a coping saw or a purpose built veneer or fine jewelers saw.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.