On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 10:13:54 -0700, "James \"Cubby\" Culbertson"
calmly ranted:

Hiya,
Considering adding inlays to my toolbox of skills. I've never done them
before so have a few questions. I see David Mark's approach
on DIY is to cut them with a scrollsaw and rout out the receiving wood with
a 1/16" router bit. I'm wondering if other's use a different
approach (ie. dremmel tool to remove waste, coping saw to cut the inlay
etc....). I'd very much like to try this but don't want to pony up to
buy a scrollsaw that will probably get used twice a year. And quite
frankly, the thought of using my router to do intricate work like that
scares me a bit

Coping saws work just fine, but I hope you have a router base for the
Dremel. Inlay works best with a flat field, though it's been done by
hand for thousands of years. A Stanley #271 router plane might help
there, with a very small iron installed. It depends on the size of the
inlay piece you're routing out.

http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan14.htm

Bottom line: Yes, you can do it with hand tools. Give it a go.

P.S: Guess how long a 1/16" router bit lasts in hardwood before
smoking/melting down? (No, I've never used one that small. I
can smoke 1/4-inchers just fine.)


-- Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Turkey and Drive --