"The black crow" (Tutorial complete)

Dewey Torres

Member
Messages
81
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Here is another bottle stopper in my ongoing practice.

This is the first among a gifted batch of wood from another FWW member.

I love the turning community in that there are so many unwritten laws that make it great. You don't get to find out what they are until you start turning.

Spalted Box Elder with ebony/ca inlay.


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Looks like you're getting the hang of this lathe stuff pretty quickly, Dewey. Great job on the stopper, and I'm looking forward to learning how you do the inlay. :thumb:
 
he does learn quick doesnt he:D one time of gettin him some harassment and now hes showing his trademark and pics all the time.. now just need the tutorial:)
 
he does learn quick doesnt he:D one time of gettin him some harassment and now hes showing his trademark and pics all the time.. now just need the tutorial:)

Larry,
A question on that. I am not used to the TOS here. Does that go here in this furum or in the tutorial forum? I should have it ready tonight.
 
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Larry's right...post it in the regular forums, and a Mod or Admin will copy it (not move it) to the T&T forum. That way there are two copies...one with all the discussion from other members, and one that's just the tutorial by itself. :thumb:
 
Tutorial

As with any inlay project, there are many ways to get to the finished
product.
The basic form of inlay is really a 3 step process:
1) Come up with a design
2) Create a recess
3) Infill the recess with another material

The part that differs in most cases is how the recess is created and what
material is used to fill it.

These two stoppers where my first attempts at inlaying curved surfaces and
two different methods were involved.
100_1127.JPG 100_1140.JPG


For the shark inlay I first needed to come up with a way to create a recess
on something round while keeping it steady enough to be accurate.

I came up with the jig seen here which is the most basic of basic. 2 pieces
of MDF screwed together at a right angle. One side gets clamped to the tool rest.
100_1136.JPG 100_1135.JPG

The height was made such that I can slide my Dremel tool (equipped with plunge base) over it.


I have it
equipped with a special micro bit. It is a solid carbide down cut spiral.
Before I got this bit I was using a 1/16th inch grout bit that you can pick
up at the one of the BORGs.
(note: I f you start turning with a jaw chuck you will need to switch to a
drill chuck for the inlay excavation to allow clearance for the router base
to travel over)

At this point I lock the indexing head on the lathe, transfer the pattern
with an Exacto (with new blade), and cut the recess close to the scribed
line with the Dremel.
100_1133.JPG 100_1134.JPG
The tricky part is watching the depth of cut. This
had to be done via "deep inlay" so that I could get enough material below
the shallow part of the curved surface. This was made easier because I kept
the shape where the inlay was planned fairly linear and the length of the
inlay goes up and down. Had I tried to "wrap" the shark around the stopper
it would have been far more difficult.
100_1138.JPG
(more on that challenge below)

Then I go back with a micro chisel set
View attachment 29508
and pair the remainder of the recess
to the line. Test the fit and try again until you can get 1/16th of the
inlay to fit down into the hole. Once it fits, glue it with some thin CA
and sand the excess flush, going through all of the grits.

For the Crow I ran into the difficulty of trying to wrap the inlay around
the piece. I tried it with flexible veneer which I had planned to create a
recess and then bend it around and glue it. It was going well but about
halfway through the veneer broke right at the legs because they were so
small. Here is what is looked like when I took it from the scroll saw.
100_1130.JPG 100_1131.JPG


Not to fear. half of woodworking is figuring out something that will work
even when I first thought about throwing this one in the trash at this
point. It was at that moment that I remembered a technique of infill using
mica powders and CA glue.

http://content.penturners.org/video/inlay_01.mpg

I used this method successfully with using ebony sawdust, scoop a small
amount into the recess and then let the thin CA glue wick into it. Spray
with CA accelerator, sand, check for voids and repeat until the inlay is
smooth.


Shopping list:

Dremel plunge base http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-335-01-Plunge-Router-Attachment/product-reviews/B0000DEZK4
Micro bit set http://microfence.com/micro-bit-kit-p-110.html
Alternative to Micro bit set http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-569D-16-Inch-Diameter-Removal/dp/B0000302ZY/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_c
Micro carving set http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=17K41&FamilyID=1361
Thin CA http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=149430&FamilyID=21102
CA accelerator http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=149443&FamilyID=21102
Tool for sawdust scoop 100_1147.JPG
 
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Thanks much for the tutorial, Dewey. :thumb: Your little router platform is simple but effective. I never thought of having one that attached to the tool rest. (Mind gears are spinning...)
 
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