How to Put Wood Inlays in Furniture
Installing inlay into a piece of furniture is a way to add that personal, customized touch. Inlay consists of a contrasting material imbedded into the surface of the wood. The contrasting material can be another type of wood, such as ebony imbedded in maple, or a totally different material such as mother of pearl. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Inlay material
- Coping or scroll saw
- Files or fine-grit sandpaper
- Vice
- Scribe or X-acto knife
- Rotary tool with routing base
- Wood glue
- Painter’s tape
- Engraver’s putty
- Scraper or sander
Instructions
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1
Trace the shape of the inlay onto the inlay material with your scribe or X-acto knife. Place the inlay material into a vice and cut out the shape with a scroll saw if you're cutting wood, or use a coping saw if you're using another material, such as mother of pearl.
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2
File the edges of the inlay material smooth using a fine-tooth file or fine-grit sandpaper. Remove all rough edges before going on to the next step.
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3
Place the inlay onto the furniture, and trace around the edge of the inlay with the scribe. Move the inlay material aside. Cut a cavity into the furniture with the rotary tool at a depth slightly less than the thickness of the inlay, staying as close to the scribed line as possible.
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4
Place a thin coat of wood glue into the base of the cavity and insert the inlay, pressing it into place. Put a piece of painter’s tape over the inlay to hold it in the cavity while the glue dries. Allow the glue to cure for 24 hours, then remove the tape.
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5
Scrape the inlay flush with the surface of the furniture with the metal scraper, or sand the surface of the inlay material flat with a block sander. Fill in all gaps between the inlay material and the furniture with engraver’s putty and scrape or sand it flat after the putty has dried.
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