An easy way to make inlays using V Carve

[paul_z]

I have wanted to make some inlays with my shopbot but there were two issues:
1. the artwork has to be revised to accommodate the bit size and that would require a fair amount of CAD work for each inlay
2. the resulting inlay would have rounded edges.

I remembered that people who do intarsia will often angle their blade and rotate the piece as they cut to make up for the thickness of the blade. The resulting pieces fit perfectly even though they fit on a bevel. Could one achieve a similar effect using v bits?

It came to me that I might already have the necessary tools, both hardware and software (V Carve). Here is the process that I used:

1.

[rookie432]

impressive!!
Inlay with "sharp" points. Good thinking Paul.

Forney does this with tapered flutes but you still run into rounded corners.

Good Idea and another great use for VEE Carve Pro

[evan]

Wow. The folks at Vectric will be pleased, another use for their already versital product. It's worth saying again; Good Thinking.

[patricktoomey]

Nice work Paul! I'm going to try this myself, sharp edged inlays would be great to add to our arsenals. I've been using ArtCam for inlay work but having to drop to 1/16" bits to get semi-sharp corners is a pain in the butt. I like this idea much more.

What about using double stick tape on the bottom of the piece you cut the parts out of? That way you could cut all the way through (barely) and then peel the part off the tape instead of having to sand through the back of the board to free them.

[paul_z]

Patrick,

I didn't even think about using tape ... what a great idea! It might cause a fragile edge to break off, but it's all about to be glued together anyway. I'm going to try it!

Thanks,

Paul Z

[mikejohn]

Paul
That is really innovative thinking, well done!
Tony, slip the lad a bonus from Vectric


...........Mike

[tony_mac]

This is a great piece of lateral thinking by Paul and his 'Beer Token account' at the Bank of Vectric has been credited!

Tony

[mikejohn]

I have been thinking about this bit of wizadry all day, and Paul has really come up trumps.
I think a few of us will want to add to his beer token account.
It makes you wonder what other magic the Shopbot/Vcarve wizard is capable of


...........Mike

[paul_z]

I forgot to mention that because one is using "normal" size bits the cuts can be made very rapidly compared to using small bits. I used a 1 1/4" V Bit and a 1/4" end mill and cut at 1.5"/sec with both.

Paul Z

[patricktoomey]

Paul, that is a good point about bigger bits. I don't even want to think of all the 1/16" bits I've broken and the time I've wasted slowing down enough to not break them. Plus all the rounded corners that could have been sharp. I'm getting mad just thinking about it now

[tim_in_mn]

As usual, the answer to a complex problem is simple. Just a fresh look from an inquiring mind to find it. Paul, thank you for sharing!

I haven't tried it yet, but any of our software should be able to cut these. (I use Insigia) If you just profile the line, "inside" and "outside", you should get the desired results.

Tim

[pfulghum]

Great job....running to the shop to try...
-- pat

[paul_z]

Tim,

I don't think profiling the pocket works. You have to V Carve it. (If I remember correctly, Insignia has V Carve capability ???)

Paul Z

[tim_in_mn]

Paul,
I knew that! I just can't spell??

Thanks again

Tim

[kfitz]

Paul; YOU DA MAN! Very creative!

[jeff_rowley]

Another way that works well for cutting the inlay pieces is to just carve them into your block of wood, say 1/8" deep into a 1" block. Then just run the block through the band saw to remove the parts. Just put a piece of newspaper or something down to help catch any pieces that may fall out as you resaw them. I've cut inlay pieces no bigger than this exclamation point (!) that way, it's much easier than trying to not break them while peeling them back up off the double-sided tape.

One thought with using the bigger bit is you end up with a lot more wasted space between parts. I end up doing most of mine with a 1/32" bit, goes slow, but I can cut 50 logo's worth out on a single block of wood, run it through the bandsaw, and get busy piecing together the parts. I guess it all depends on the size of the inlay. Seems like a great way to get truly sharp corners!

[mziegler]

I like to second what Jeff said, that reawing is a great way to remove the parts. The table saw also can be use for resawing. On the table saw I like to place the end of shop vac hose near the blade to catch the parts. Place a wire mesh over the end of the hose to prevent the parts from being suck up inside. I can cut much smaller parts this way when what I could with carpet tape.
Paul is right about a large bit cutting out the inlay faster and in one pass. Mark

[mziegler]

Here’s a inlay I did by Paul’s inlay method. Use a 45 degree v bit. Remove the parts with a drum sander. The capital letter is 1.5 inch high an the lowercase letters are 1 inch. The fit was rather sloppy. I was a bit surprised. Probably cause by round out or maybe the angle of the bit was a bit off? As can be seen in the picture there was number of places the wood chipped. Mark


2558

[rick_woodward]

Mark and all. concerning the chipouts. I was thinking a finish of some kind might toughen the wood fibers getting a cleaner cut. i havent used shellac but i think it might be easy to sand off after the inlay is done? I use oilbased finish and sometimes stain. I dont like sanding sealer, though i think it would really solidify the fibers, its terrible to sand off. I might try this with a thin coat of poly, thin , and then sand the inlay down along with the whole surface. A sharp bit an maybe 2 passes might help? just thinking out loud. rick

[paul_z]

Here are the modifications of the previously posted procedure. The modified procedure insures a better fit of inlay to pocket by accommodating the inevitable inaccuracies caused by both the machine and the materials.


2559

Note that the inlay is upside down in the diagram as compared to when it is cut. Also note that all cut depths are measured from the top of the materials.

Both the pocket and the inlay are V Carved. The flat pocket depth should be a little deeper than the inlay start depth to make sure that the angled sides contact before the flat portions of the pocket and inlay contact. The inlay flat depth provides that extra margin should the pocket be a little larger than intended or the inlay be a little smaller than intended.

If the overall project is complex, one could cut matching numbers in the inlay and pockets to identify what part goes where.

By the way, I have cut all of the pockets for a project at one time and then cut all of the petals of a flower as a single inlay piece. This does make the wood grain go in just one direction; however, it can speed up the process quite a bit at the expense of the inlay material.

Hopefully this will eliminate the sloppy fit that Mark experienced.

[paul_z]

There are some addition refinements and test cases posted here:

http://vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=564

[dman]

Paul thought you guys would like to see these examples.
2560
2561
2562

[paul_z]

Another test case


2563

[paul_z]

Here's the latest test case. The inlay is about 5" tall. I bonded the inlay to the pocket with superglue. It took less than 50 minutes from two scraps of wood to the first coat of varnish.


2564


2565

[patricktoomey]

Paul, the inlays just keep getting better! I have yet to try it but I'm hoping to over the weekend. I just upgraded my controller to the Ascension 1000 and I'm stiffening up my table and x and y cars now to get more vibrations out. After that and with the increased resolution of the Ascension I'm hoping to be able to make some very detailed and smooth inlays in Corian. As soon as I get around to it I'll post some pics.

[paul_z]

Patrick

What do you use as glue in/on Corian?

Paul Z

[patricktoomey]

Paul, I use solid surface adhesive. Since I end up with various solid surface materials like Corian, Formica Solid Surface, Gibralter, Hi-Macs, Etc. I use a universal adhesive from Integra -
http://www.integra-adhesives.com/solidsurface/index.htm
These work on any major brand acrylic or polyester solid surface material. You need to get the color that is appropriate for the color of the parts you're working with but they have hundreds of colors and have charts to match every color in every brand. The nice thing about them is that you don't have to be certified, you just but them direct. For Corian and most other brands, even if you can buy or get free scrap from local top shops you still can't buy the adhesives. There are several options from small cartridges that use a cheap plastic caulking gun type of setup to big cartridges that require expensive guns. For inlay work the smaller ones are better anyway. The adhesive is a 2 part mix but they auto-mix with special spiral mixer tips that you screw onto the cartridges. Once you dispense it you have up to 10 minutes to work it before it starts to skin over and set. After 15-20 minutes it's at handling strength and after an hour or so you can sand it down and buff out the piece. The other nice thing about solid surface is that if you just want a solid color inlay you can just cut the pocket, flood fill it with adhesive and then sand it down and you're done.

[dmidkiff]

Patrick,
I have tried this solid color inlay. It turned out good but had to refill 3-4 times to get the air bubbles out. I was using Gibralter adhesive and solid surface. Will the integra adhesive fill without air pockets?
Thanks Dave

[rick_woodward]

Patrick, i had a thought/question. I wonder if this integra adhesive would bond real strong with various woods. I'd like to find a colored adhesive/epoxy/fill for inlays in wood, thats quick and easy to use.Like Dave Midkiff, doing it one shot without bubble issues would be nice.I went to the site and found out they are in Canada. Its saturday morning so i cant get answers from them yet. Plus you might have experience in this that i want to do. I have more ideas i would like to develop. Thank you for your time. rick

[paul_z]

Rick,

Minwax wood filler is (in essence) wood colored bondo. It’s setting time is controlled by how much hardener is added and, to a lesser extent, ambient temperature. It adheres very well to wood and it sands very nicely. It is also very reasonably priced.

Down side is that I think it comes in only one color.

Paul Z

[patricktoomey]

Ah, the old bubbles, they are a constant nuisance. I can't eliminate them all of the time but I've gotten to where they happen fairly rarely. What I do is this...

1. Route the inlay pocket with a round bottom bit or at least a bit with radiused edges so that the pocket does not have square bottom corners. These corners is where most of the air will get trapped and then cause you problems.

2. When dispensing the adhesive, first be sure to run enough through the tip to get all the air out before starting to put it in the pocket.

3. When putting the adhesive into the pocket, hold the gun almost straight up in the air, about 90 degrees to the work and put the tip down in the pocket slightly (but don't touch the bottom). Dispense it slowly and allow a good bead to build up over the tip and then flow out and over the surface of the material, then slowly move the gun to keep the flow even and always leaving a mound of material over the surface of the work piece. This will minimize air pockets.

4. (the trick) Take a pad sander with just the bare rubber bottom (if you have a velcro pad on the bottom, put something under it like a piece of dense foam or rubber. Run the pad sander on the top as quickly as possible after putting down your adhesive. Don't touch the adhesive, just run up close to it and try to vibrate the piece, this will cause any bubbles to rise to the surface. This is also why you want quite a mound of ahesive up over the surface, so that bubbles that make it to the surface and leave craters will leave the craters up over the surface of the piece.

5. Do your inlays in stages if necessary, you will use more adhesive and disposable mixing tips this way but it's cheaper than having to go back and fill bubbles. Doing it in smaller stages will let you get the pad sander on there before the ahesive starts to skin and set because at that point it's too late.

[rick_woodward]

thanks for the reply,paul. I have extensive experience with Bondo , minwax version, and others. I'm looking for something more fluid i can fill with and possibly use in a syringe.

[patricktoomey]

I don't know if the solid surface adhesive would work as a wood inlay or not. I see a few problems that would limit its use I think. First, it take some pretty aggressive sanding to take it down to the surface, not a big deal if you're going down to something as hard as it is. But if you're sanding it down to a much softer surface like wood I would be worried about dishing out the wood trying to get the adhesive flat. Maybe a large flat sander like a big inline sander for auto body work? The other issue would be that the adhesive will grow and shrink at a much different rate than the wood when you change humidity and/or temperature. If you're doing small areas and shapes it should be fine but long lines would most likely hump or crack and separate over time. I would be happy to try a sample and post the results to see what happens.

For wood inlays I've been using a product called Inlace...
http://turtlefeathers.com/text/inlace/inlace-main.html
Check out the links at the top of the page for the powders, dyes, etc. You can do just about anything with them.

Some sample of what the inlays look like from the same site...
http://turtlefeathers.com/gallery-text/inlace.html

I believe its coefficient of expansion is closer to wood than solid surface adhesive is. Also, they have cool granules and nuggets of different color that you can put into the inlay material. You can also mix colors and its viscosity is a little better than solid surface adhesive so you get less bubbles.

[paul_z]

Rick,

I asked some guys at a local hobby shop if there was a low viscosity epoxy. They said they thin epoxy with no more than 10% denatured alcohol and that they apply the epoxy with a brush as if it were paint. They said that it lowers the viscosity enough that there are no bubbles when it sets.

I would certainly test this before using on something important, but it might be useful.

Paul Z

[rick_woodward]

Thanks Guys. I'll check out the inlace. Yep, your right about the softness of the wood versus the epoxy. Forgot about that. I'd imagine there would still be an issue even with a widebelt sander. I used to work in the dental lab business. There was a German product that i used to inlay names on deer antler handles. These were on custom knives i had made. It was a UV cured epoxy in a syringe. Worked real slick, the outside of the needle was about 3/32". These were thin lines about 3/32" deep. I cut in the names in hand written script. Filled it and used the UV light on it and presto, it was hard cured. No bubbles and i sanded it down immediately. But that was deer antler and one was highly figured hard walnut. People that seen them really liked them. Bond was amazing. But being for the dental trade the cost was also amazing.....

[dmidkiff]

Patrick,
Thanks, for the process. I used v-bit and just squeezed the adhesive in and repeated until bubbles were gone. Will try your technic next project.
Dave