Woodworker's Journal 1984-8-6, страница 25

Special Techniques

Inlays and Inserts

orative inlays were largely a form of artistic expression by the cabinetmaker; an embellishment used to distinguish or dress-up a particular piece. In a more practical vein, inlays of contrasting color were used along a border or parallel to an edge to accentuate or define the line and form of a piece.

Commercially produced inlaid banding and decorative inserts are available in many different patterns. Some of the more common applications of in-, laying are to form borders on cabinet doors, drawer fronts and tabletops, to highlight straight-tapered legs, and to decorate serving trays and jewelry boxes.

Basically, an inlay is a strip or section of contrasting wood that is "let-in" or "inlaid" into a larger section of base wood, commonly called the primary wood or "ground." Most experts agree that the three best primary woods for inlaying are mahogany, walnut and cherry. The relatively uniform grain pattern and dark color of mahogany and walnut make them ideal grounds for the inlaying of lighter colored woods.

There are three methods of inlaying: using the router, the scratch stock, and by hand. The special technique of inlaying is not so much a single special technique as it is a combination of

When archaeologists opened the tomb of Tutankahmen, in addition to the mummy and sarcophagus, they discovered a wealth of furniture, much of it featuring delicate inlay work. In the times of the ancient Egyptians, veneer inlays were laboriously cut by pit-sawing, a practice that continued well into the middle ages.

Inlaying is one of the oldest methods of decorating and highlighting furniture and small wooden objects. Although with modern tools the art of inlay is somewhat less labor intensive than it was during ancient times, the skills and artistry required are certainly no less demanding. Nevertheless, inlaying is a skill that appears to be far more complicated than it actually is.

At this point it is important to distinguish between inlay work and marquetry. Although some marquetry is inlaid, for the purposes of this feature we shall consider only decorative inlays and small pictoral inserts {rosette, clamshell, etc.) The great complexity and highly technical character of true pictoral marquetry mandate it as a subject that must be examined independently, in a future Special Techniques column.

Inlaid banding and inserts are used in a number of ways — some practical, but most decorative. Historically, dec

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