Inlay made with no jigs using Band Saw and Disc Sander.

[nickao]

I make what ever thickness they need by sanding off the back ply or adding more ply. I can even use fiberglass mesh and epoxy for the backer on the super thin floors.

The inlays go in prefinished floors 50% of the time and in those floors the installers do not sand the floor.

The shellac and wax is an actual floor finish and is complete, no sanding required. It is a very beautiful finish much better than varnish or polyurethane. I would never wax the inlay just to have it sanded over. The wax could mess up the floor finish on the main floor. If the wax gets on the sanding pad the other parts of the floor can get contaminated with wax as the rest of the floor  is sanded.  I rarely do any finishing at all anymore.

For a floor that requires sanding, the inlay is installed and sanded right over with the big floor sanders. I use only a shellac sealer coat when that is the case, no wax. The shellac sanding sealer(just a 1lb to 2lb cut of shellac)  prevents blotching and helps fills the pores of the wood. It is the first step the floor finisher will do after sanding the entire floor  before the finish coats anyway. The installer will usually use a sanding screen over the sealer coat and between finish coats, not sandpaper. The sealer also brings out the colors so the client can see what the inlay will look like after the finish is applied. The Inlays with no clear sealer look completely different then when the sealer is applied, especially if you are using woods like Padauk, etc.

Nickao

 

[Eli]

So I suppose we get pictures of how you make the curved pieces next? 

 

[Les]

That helped bring things together in my head. Thanks.

 

[Bill Wyko]

Those turned out absolutely stunning! what a fantastic technique.

 

[nickao]

Thanks Bill. Here is a picture of the second unit that is slightly different, not as curly wood and more busy in the center.

I will post a more coherent picture sequence from start to finish like you did in the gallery on your fantastic dovetails!

Nickao

 

[nickao]

So I suppose we get pictures of how you make the curved pieces next? 

Well, a fairly simple technique was used on this Inlay as shown below.  You really need only get the inside curve accurate. After each ring is attached I just pass the outer edge over the disc sander using a circle jig making the outside curve perfect.

I also use a router jig on a dedicated mft to make all the arc cuts which I will show on a different project.

 

[Les]

More great info Nickao. Are you self taught? How many years have you been doing this? You have a good eye for design which can't be taught.

Did you make the circle jig for the sander?

 

[EricL]

Awesome work.  Thank you for sharing!  Do you sand the pieces on the disc sander by eye or with a jig?

 

[nickao]

More great info Nickao. Are you self taught? How many years have you been doing this? You have a good eye for design which can't be taught.

Did you make the circle jig for the sander?

The circle jig is a Delta store bought, I do not think they make it anymore. I modified it slightly to work for me. The Delta Circle jig  actually comes with a leg that I use sometimes too.

I had to stay home to take care of my son for several years because he was born with only one kidney and that one kidney was bad. I had to do something so I just taught myself to make these with no instruction at all except for my experience doing hobby marquetry that I learned from books. I have been doing it almost 5 years now.

 

[nickao]

Awesome work.  Thank you for sharing!  Do you sand the pieces on the disc sander by eye or with a jig?

For the spindle sanding of the inside curves I used to use a template and had a bearing on the bottom of the spindle to press the template up against while the needed piece was taped to the top of the template.

With the disc sander(for the outside curves) I always free handed as after all the rings are on I use the circle jig on the disc sander to make the outside radius perfect, as pictured in a previous post. Which really means you do not have to sand the outside curves for each individual piece on the disc sander at all.

Now after so many times making the curved pieces I can free hand by eye just as fast so I free handed everything on this inlay for the inside and outside curves.

I do use a router circle jig to cut the curved piece sometimes. I made the router based circle jig on a dedicated mft 1080 and I will post it in the future.

 

[nickao]

Some people do not want to mess with the curved pieces at all, here is an inlay I made last week with only straight pieces.

Nickao

Here are some more pictures of some inlays I have made:

More Inlays

Nick

 

[Eli]

I love this thread Nick. Thanks again for sharing all this stuff.

 

[mhoy]

Beautiful work.

BTW: The link doesn't seem to work for me, I hope you don't have to subscribe, I've already got way too many forums and such I belong to.  8)

Mark

 

[nickao]

Try refreshing your browser when on this page, then click the link again.