Adding fine details to your work, part 2

Damion Fauser, boxes with a range of added fine details. Photos: Frank J. Pronesti

Words and process photos: Damion Fauser

In part 1 we looked at the techniques for making and using scratch stocks that I learnt from Garrett Hack during a five day workshop I attended last year. Now we’re going to turn our attention to making and inlaying various shapes and patterns and edge treatments.

Edge inlays

Applying edge treatments in contrasting colours to a box, the corners of a small cabinet or even the base of a table apron can make your work really stand out, and the best part is that it is quite a simple process.

First you need to create the rebate where the edge stock will go. This can be done at the tablesaw, router table or with a rebate plane. Where relevant, just remember to take the cross grain cuts first so the long grain passes will clean up any tearout.

1. Zero clearance when cutting fine strips at the bandsaw.

Now make your stock. I found the safest way to do this was at the bandsaw with a thin sheet of ply as a zero clearance base as described in the last issue (photo 1). Cut your stock approximately 1mm larger than your rebate in both dimensions so you can plane it down to be perfectly flush with your workpiece after it has been glued in.

Remove the machine marks with a block plane. You need to do this on details of this scale as machine marks will likely result in visible glue lines. Hold the near end of the stock and push the tool over the work to keep the narrow pieces in tension as the shavings are taken. Clearly mark the grain direction so you glue it in the right way.

You now need to size your stock to the length of your rebate. If you are wrapping the edge around a box for example it is far more refined to mitre the corners. Rough cut the mitres in a small mitre box. I find the fine teeth of a good dozuki saw leave a clean finish on such small components. Clean up the sawn face and refine the angle on a shooting board if necessary.

I found it best to size and glue in one piece at a time, cutting, shooting and gluing in that sequence. Because this detail serves no structural purpose, holding each piece in place with your fingers for 30 seconds or so to let the glue initially bite is all it takes for such small pieces.

Once you have all the pieces in place, let the glue cure and plane the edges down flush with the face of your project. Mark your primary workpiece with crayon first. Once you remove the crayon, you’re flush and should have a seamless joint line. If you so desire, further rounding or beveling the now clean edge is also possible.

If you have patience or just want a challenge then you can take the next step and further break your edges down into several different contrasting colours. The fundamental process remains the same, you just need to pay attention to accurately cutting the pieces to size and again, grain direction.

Start by determining the size of your individual pieces either by measurement or stepping out a pair of dividers on your workpiece. Make yourself a miniature mitre box or bench hook and cut a kerf in it with your desired saw that is perfectly square in both the horizontal and vertical planes. Take the time to get this just so as it will eliminate the need to shoot clean each end of every piece, thereby saving you significant time and effort.

2. The author’s shop-made jig for cutting multi-coloured edging components.

Set up a stop block on your mitre box/ bench hook at the required distance and go to work. My set-up (photo 2) of a bench hook and a fine 150mm dozuki saw allowed me to push the stock in place against the stop block and take one long slow stroke to cut through the 1.5mm stock, resulting in very clean and square ends. As each piece was cut I laid it back on my workbench in exactly the same orientation as it came from the stock, helping me with remembering the grain direction.

3. Bold use of crayon to act as a depth stop when planing the edging flush.

4. When your shavings contain crayon you’ve taken off what you need to.

5. The result you are aiming for.

Glue up is basically the same. I found it best to do one side at a time, starting by mitring one end of a corner piece, adding the subsequent pieces and then cutting and shooting to fit the end piece at the other end. Hold in place with finger pressure as before and move onto the next side. Plane flush and profile as before (photos 3, 4, 5).

Inlaying shapes

A well placed piece of contrasting timber inlay can draw the eye to other areas of your piece that would otherwise be overlooked, such as the top of a leg face for example.

To achieve this you have two fundamental choices in terms of work sequence. You can either excavate the mortise and shape/plane the inlay piece to fit or you can make your inlay piece and scribe around it to determine the mortise size and shape. Both work well enough. I’ve found that I prefer the first method when using rectilinear inlays and the second when using non-linear shapes.

Inlay method 1

6. For the first inlay method described the recess is marked out then routed away.

Mark out your desired space with a marking knife. Set a straight bit into your trim router to a depth slightly shallower than your inlay piece is thick, which only needs to be 2mm or so. Clamp your workpiece to your bench (with some support pieces of equal thickness to support the router if your working on a narrow piece like a table leg) and rout the waste away, going as close to the lines as you dare (photo 6).

Use a wide chisel to gently pare down the remaining waste to your layout lines and either a chisel or router plane to level the bottom. Turn your attention to your inlay piece. Thickness it down to be slightly thicker than you plan to cut your mortise deep. Choose your face side and mark the grain direction on it.

7. Nearly there, one more shaving (at a bevel if you wish) will see this inlay piece fit nice and tight.

Plane one edge to match perfectly with the mating wall of the mortise. Repeat the process for the remaining sides and ends until you estimate you have reached a nice friction fit (photo 7). At this point you may choose to take one final pass off each edge at a slight angle to create a slight bevel to wedge the piece in place. Apply glue to the base and sides of the mortise and clamp in place. Once the glue has cured, plane your inlay piece down flush with your work surface.

To take your work one step further and apply another fine border around your inlay piece, first make some stringing stock (as described last issue), but do not taper it. Scribe and cut to length each piece to fit the walls of your mortise. A simple way to cut the mitres is with a 45° guide block and a chisel. Be wary of this method when using Gabon ebony or any other brittle species as the cut-off will fly off at great speed, presenting a potential eye hazard.

8. Using a wooden chisel to hold part of a border piece in place during glue-up.

Apply a little glue to one wall of your mortise and lay your first border piece in place. Take a small wooden scrap with a 45° bevel on the end (like a chisel) and use this to hold the border piece in place against the wall (photo 8).

9. Maple and ebony infil example.

Repeat for the remaining sides and then fit and apply your central feature piece as already described. You can achieve dramatic effects with the right colour contrast, such as in photo 9.

Inlay method 2

Make your desired inlay piece, ensuring it has edges square to the face, otherwise you will transfer inaccuracies to your mortise when scribing. Apply a small dab of glue to your piece and push it in place. This is to provide just enough shear strength so it is less likely to slide out of place while you are scribing.

Hold the piece in place with one hand and scribe around the edge with a good marking or exacto knife. Remove the piece and wipe the still wet glue from it. Remove the waste from your mortise, glue the piece in and flush down as already described in the first method.

Decorative fan

Box with fan motif. Photo: Frank J.Pronesti

The fan was the must-do of Garrett Hack’s course for most of us and I would highly recommend using method 2 to inlay it. First decide on the angle you want it to span and the number of wedges it will contain. For a 90° span of seven wedges (four of one colour, three of another) divide 90° by seven to give 12.8° and jot this number down as you’ll need it later.

The key to a successful result is to ensure that face grain, rather than endgrain, is showing. This will ensure more even absorption of finish with the background timber of your project.

Start by laminating a long grain ‘chopping board’ from two timber species. This only needs to be long enough to be able to safely crosscut the chopping board into strips.

10. Strips crosscut from the laminated board. Note the grain direction has been boldly marked and the extra strips of scrap wood have been laminated on one side.

It is the ‘length’ (length being the long grain dimension) of these strips that influences the radius of your final fan shape. The radius of your fan will be slightly greater than the length of your crosscut strips. Plane your crosscut strips square and true in all dimensions. Gluing strips of scrap wood onto the width allows you to more safely cut the individual wedges away in the next step and maximise the yield of your precious wedge stock (photo 10).

Now head to the tablesaw, set a rip blade at half the angle you previously calculated and rip wedges from your strips. The first cut is waste and establishes half of your final desired angle. For each subsequent pass, flip the strip top to bottom—the second cut adds another half of your angle and you have cut away a wedge at the correct angle. Ensure you lay the strip down with the endgrain facing up. This will ensure you end up with long grain on the faces and edges of your wedges and endgrain on the ends.

11. The wedges need to be square to the sides.

It also helps to set a thin stop block on the fence of your mitre gauge or crosscut sled—just enough to grab a corner of your strip as you hold it against the stop block. This will prevent the wedges being trapped between the stop block and the blade as each cut is completed. Some form of zero clearance is vital for this step. I’ve since made myself a dedicated crosscut sled and it has worked brilliantly thus far (photo 11).

12. The author’s dedicated wedge-cutting crosscutting sled.

13. Aim for wedges that come to a knife edge that is square to the sides.

You should be aiming for wedges that come to a knife edge that is square to the sides. Adjust the position of your stop block until you have it just right. It may pay to have a few extra strips on hand to ensure you make enough wedges (photos 12, 13).

14. A square notch cut in some stock makes a handy jig for gluing the fan stock together.

Once you have enough good wedges, arrange them together to make thick fan shapes. To glue them up, grab a scrap piece of wood and cut a notch in it matching the angle of your fan. Apply glue to the faces of your wedges, assemble your fan and press the assembly into the notch with your fingers (photo 14).

15. After the glue has dried, plane the faces of the stock and round the curve. Thin slices can be sawn off with a fine saw.

After 30 seconds or so it will be bonded enough to allow you to lay it aside and proceed to the next one. Once the glue has cured, plane the faces of your fans flat and round the curved profile with a rasp and/or sandpaper. Take care to push the rasp onto the workpiece to avoid breaking out the fibres at the edges.

Clamp your laminated stock into a vice and slice off thin fans with a fine saw (photo 15). These are your final inlay pieces.

16. Method: scribe around the inlay to mark the recess.

17. Planing the inlay flush to complete the job.

Choose a face side and mark the grain direction on it and use inlay method 2 to achieve a beautifully contrasting result (photos 16, 17).

Don’t overdo it!

Now you have the knowledge to go to the workshop and start applying some of these techniques. Just be careful of overdoing it and making your piece visually overwhelming. Subtle use of these details will draw the eye to certain areas of the piece and allow the eye to follow a certain line of your choosing, such as around the border of a tabletop or up and down a tapered leg. Choose your inlay materials carefully. A species that may look white at first may in fact yellow over time or with the application of certain finishes. To see a master at work and how he applies these techniques, go to www.garretthack.com and prepare to be amazed.

First published in Australian Wood Review magazine issue 78, March 2013.

Damion Fauser @damionfauser is a furniture designer maker and woodwork teacher in Brisbane.