Creative Woodworks & crafts 2005-06, страница 67

Layout tools

AJl the tools used in this ph;j.sc of intarsia can he purchased from your local art supply dealer or by mail order. Pens: Both ballpoint and felt-tipped pens can be used. Genet ally, die finer the point the better. A variety of colors, particularly red or black, are preferable.

Pencils: Mechanical pencils in si?e .5nim are a good choice. The line is always a uniform width and if the point breaks while in use you can click out more le<id instead of stopping to make a trip to the sharpener.

Colored pencils: These work well on ihe darker woods and can be obtained in cither red or white. Avoid using colored pencils with clay-based leads as they are much too soft. They tend to smear, and the points break too easily. 1 recommend the Stabilo™ colored pcncil. It maintains its shiirpness and marks very well on wood.

Tracing paper: Tracing paper comes in a variety of sizes. It is transparent enough lo enable you to see through the pattern to utilize the grain of the wood when laying out the pattern. Transfer paper: Transfer paper is graphite-based and erasable. It comes in a variety of colors that include red aud white, the two colors I find most useful. Red works well on light- to medium-colored woods while white works well for the medium to darker woods. Carbon paper, and yes. there is a difference, could also be used for this purpose. It can, however, be difficult to erase, and your pencil lines will be difficult to distinguish from the carbon paper lines.

Stylus: This is a very handy little tool to have around. It is used when transferring a pattern with transfer paper. Its advantage is that it helps preserve your original pattern as it doesn't mark it up. The downside is that you can't see where you've (raced so you may have to lift the pattern periodically to make sure you haven't missed any parts. A line ballpoint pen serves the same purpose, and it's chea)>er.

Temporary-bond spray adhesive: Spray adhesive is used when bonding pattern pieces to the wood. A low-tack, low-mist type is recommended. The trick with spray adhesives is to spray just enough to adhere to the wood, but not overspray as it will cause the pattern to stick too tighlly and may leave a glue residue.

Transferring the pattern

The approach to the transfer of the pattern to wood is strictly a personal pr eference. There arc several ways to accomplish this task, hollowing arc symbols I use, but feel free to use whatever symbols you are comfortable with.

Fitted cut Hnes: Fitted cut lines (^A) indicate those lines and/or points wher e another picce of wood will be fitted to that section ol the line. This is an area that requires as precise a cut as possible.

Relaxed cul lines: Relaxed cut lines (~) indicate lines that are exposed outer edge lines of the project. These lines need not I* as precise a cut as they arc not fitted to an adjoining piece of wood. Therefore, you can relax a bit during these cuts.

Enumeration: I assign a number to each picce of the pattern. As you cut each piece, transfer thai designated number to the backside of the cut. piece of wood. This is helpful in a couple of ways: it allows you to keep trade of everything and facilitates fitting all tbe pieces together, avoiding a lot of confusion. This is especially lienelicial on projects having numerous similar and small pieces.

Methods of transfer

After the selection and careful inspection of the wood for grain direction, color, and diserejwmcics. the transferring of the pattern can begin. Breaking the pattern down into manageable units or portions makes it much easier lo handle large pat (ems. This works particularly well with things like bird wings for example. lasted below arc two ways to transfer patterns.

Cut-out method

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'Ihe first method is to simply make a pholocopy of die pattern, then carefully cut it apart and glue the separate pieces to a sheet of paper with rubber cement. When you want to make the project, cut the pattern pieces apart arid glue them to the wood. You can use temporary-bond spray adhesive or rubber content for this step. This method works best for projects that do not have a

lot of pieces. .. ..

continued on page 68

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