I have a client who wants me to build a version of this Mission cabinet/desk…only one problem. I’ve never done a Mission piece that had carvings in the door like this one does.
Has anybody done this technique before? It doesn’t look like an inlay, perhaps just an unfinished groove in contrast with the rest of the piece which is stained? Any hints or places to look for more information? I can’t even find a good picture to see the design up close.
Justin Fink – FHB Editorial
Replies
I don't believe those are carved, but are inlays. Here are the links to a couple of books at Lee Valley, but you should be able to locate them locally. I'm pretty sure that there are some drawings in one or both of the inlays. I just can't lay my hands on them at the moment to confirm.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=48610&cat=1,46096,46105&ap=2
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=50749&cat=1,46096,46105&ap=2
Fine Woodworking #180 (Nov/Dec 2005) had a Federal Card Table which detailed the installation of inlaid materials.
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/fw_180_054.asp
Hi Justin,
Yes, they're inlaid. - using dyed veneer cut to pattern - here locally it was a different species to the oak door material.
I tried googling up a link to help you but couldn't find one - if I do, I'll repost it later.
Cheers,
eddie
Hi Justin,
A few links that I started typing up last night, so this info may be duplicated:
http://www.technicalcollectibles.com/crafters.htm
http://www.strictlymission.com/OLDDESKS.html
Doesn't look as though there's anything on-line to help you with how to make and lay a complicated inlay like this one - just one piece at a time. Depending upon the design, it may be easier to make the inlay separate and cut it in as a unit, or to do a full marquetry job and inlay one piece at a time
Cheers,
eddie
Edited 1/26/2006 2:54 pm by eddiefromAustralia
Guess I'll have to toot my own horn. Look for the book "Shop Drawings for Craftsman Inlays & Hardware" published by Cambium Press. You can get it on Amazon, or my website.
Bob Lang
http://www.craftsmanplans.com
What would be very, very cool would be if you could do an inly with the client's initials or a special mark he/she might have, like a family crest.
Looks like I had it half right. Wrong books but the correct author. I got my copy at Rejuvenation Lighting & House Parts in Portland.
Not only are those inlays, but they are probably metal inlays of pewter and copper. Actually the best way to do these is with a laser engraver, which would be done by someone who does this kind of work for hire. There are several of the places here in the Chicago area. They cut the material for the inlay and the piece to be inlaid itself. I would think that this would be prohibitive in cost for one piece. CNC shops are geared to production generally.
Search these forums for information on pouring melted pewter into carvings that you have made. There is some information here somewhere.
Edited 1/28/2006 10:55 am ET by Vicejaws
Actually I think your response was directed at JFink, but I don't mind.In the original's. The veneer and sheet metal, would have been primarily cut with scroll saws. The field would have been incised with knives, and the waste removed with router planes and chisels. After the inlay was glued in, it would've been leveled with scrapers and maybe sandpaper. I'm kind of curious to know if JFink is going to attempt the inlay's or do something else instead.
The high tech way is with laser carving but it isn't necessarily the best way. Decorative inlay has been done for well over a thousand years and a lot of it is exceptionally well done. There's no reason is can't be done this time, too. Routers, chisels and gouges, soft metal and patience are about the only tools needed.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
......and a great deal of skill, I would think. I personally would not try this without much practice on scrap first. I can't imagine crafting a beautiful quartersawn door and than trying to incise a very delicate carving, without much prior experience. Remember that this poster was apparently doing a commission piece here.
This is a technique I plan to learn....just as soon as I have mastered the dovetail joint, lol.
If you have ever taken a drafting course or actually done drafting, you probably know what a French Curve is. You would be able to make or in this case, cut just about any shape you can imagine by following the edge with a fine tipped razor knife. If you cut the outlines first, you can chisel the material out from between the lines and it really doesn't matter if you go too deep since you're scraping, planing or sanding it flush anyway. The main thing is cutting to the line accurately.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
If you get/download photo software that has an enlargement feature, you can get your closeup. Charles Rennie MacIntosh designs frequently have inlays similar to this one and those are from the same time period.
Depending on the inlay material you want to use, you can come up with the design on paper and transfer it to the wood. For the first time, I would think about practicing on scrap before launching into the finished piece. Chisels, gouges and knives are typically used for this kind of work. The inlay material can be solid wood, metal, thin wood strips or anything you want. FYI- if the inlay looks like thin wood strips, you can make your own by laminating whatever kind of strips you want in the shape of the actual inlay if it has curves in it. Make them wider than needed and once it's glued up, you can cut it so it will be higher than the groove, planing or scraping it to the desired height. That's the way musical instrument makers do it.
I almost understand what you are describing, but not quite. I got lost at the laminating part. Sounds like you are onto something there, though. Hey, I'm old and you have to make allowances.
This would be for making curved inlays with moderately tight radii and will work whether you use one or more species of wood. Make a pattern that you can transfer to the doors, sides or whatever you're applying the inlay to and make a form for the inlays. Take some 1"-2" wide strips of veneer, glue them in a way that gives you a direct match to the pattern and let them set. Depending on how many pieces of the same shape you need, clean up the glued edges and cut them so they'll be just higher than the grooves in the panels so they can be planed or scraped flush. You can do this with thin metal, too. Small bar or wire would work well and can be sanded or scraped so the top is flat and flush.If what you're inlaying will be straight pieces or won't have tight curves, you can cut small strips of whatever material you'll be inlaying. Then, you transfer the pattern to the pieces receiving the inlays, cut out the material so it follows the lines accurately and make the strips fit the grooves. Hide glue works well for this and the squeezeout can be cleaned up easily. If you have cable or satellite TV and the DIY network is available, look for a show called Handmade Music. Occasionally, they have episodes where someone is making an acoustic guitar with inlaid binding. This will clear up a lot of questions you have because you can actually see how he does it. This particular show also shows him bending thin wood with a propane torch and a piece of aluminum pipe that has a cap on the end. Bending the strips would make the form unnecessary and speed up the process.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Sorry for the ridiculous lapse of time between my first post and now, I've been busy working at the other magazine (Fine Homebuilding), trying to get the latest issue out the door.I neglected to give some history here: I have take an inlay class with Garrett Hack, done inlay on a few pieces of furniture, a couple of guitar headstocks (mother of pearl, in those two cases), and I feel relatively comfortable with the process. Yet, I've never attempted a curved design...and that's what I will do this time around. Highfigh, your idea of bending veneers around a form (or to a set curve) is genius! I've always worked with 1/8-1/4 solid wood, but the veneers is an excellent idea. I will post more in this thread as I progress, and a finished picture when all is said and done.Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
That desk is sitting in our entry. It's a new Stickley piece that my wife couldn't live without. I didn't feel I could do as good of a job as they did. The craftsmanship is beautiful, ours is in cherry. I don't know how they did the inlay either, but I suspect it's laser cuts in a veneer. To my eye the cut's and design is perfect, but not "fake perfect" like some laser cuts look.
The inlay is what sold her on the piece, and made me say "OK".
I have to hand it to Stickley on this collection. It is a superior product with inovation in the design. That is what is needed to keep the furniture manuf. business in the US. (Although, I wouldn't be surprised if the inlay was imported)
Bob
I personally talked to the person (from Sycamore, IL) whose company is doing much of this type of inlay work with a laser CNC technique. He spoke at our Fox Valley Woodworker's Club. He didn't mention Stickley by name, but said he was doing tops for small tables that retail for $7000 from Baker furniture. Sadly, one of his best customers is Batesville Casket Co. They use dyes to color the veneer, and use some metallic effects on wood to duplicate metal inlay. They also are using a new doubled sided tape that makes the assembly process more accurate than gluing the inlay. Actually, the biggest problem is avoiding sanding through the veneers in the finishing process. He also said we could dive in his dumpter for veneer scrap!
Thanks for the detailed explanation of the luthier's inlay process
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