Shopsmith Forums

Any scroll saw experts out there?

This is a failed experiment using a tool I rarely use, the scroll saw. I tried to inlay my initials (ASG) using the double bevel method, which I had read about, but something(s) went wrong.

1. After putting the pattern on a piece of walnut roughly 1/8 thick, I taped it on top of a piece of roughly 1/8 maple.

2. I tilted the table 5 degrees (left edge of the table higher) and rotated the work clockwise. I expected this would result in the walnut being the background with the initials in maple. But the reverse happened. The maple letters were far too narrow to stay in place in the walnut background.

3. Trying to salvage the experiment, I tried putting the walnut letters into the maple background. They were very tight and stood proud, but at least could be sanded flush.

4. But the interior of the "A" was far too small. In retrospect, I think I should have reversed the table angle when cutting out the interior of the "A". Is that right?

5. Obviously I need to use a smaller drill to make starter holes and to put them in a less conspicuous place.

6. Boy, I have a hard time follow lines on a scroll saw. The blade seems to wander even though I tensioned it up as much as I could (was using a no. 5 ultra reverse flying dutchman blade). This was on a Mark 5 mounted scoll saw (teal) with the speed set to F.

Feel free to tell me everything I've done wrong here!

Al

Boy it has been years since I last did this, well before my scroll saw days. Jig saw does this as well so I will share what I remember. First 5 degrees is not necessarily the right angle, you need to do a test cut with the blade you plan to use, width of blade cut and material thickness determines the angle.

The top of the background cut out dimension should equal the top of the inlay.

Back piece is on top, inlay to the table.

Table tilt to the right cut clockwise, tilt to left is counter clockwise.

Once you have angle you can use that angle to drill starting holes. Use smallest hole blade will a!low.

Hope this helps, should be YouTube videos on this.

Ed

First, I haven't tried doing tapered inlay, or straight for that matter.

That said, I have seen some of Shipwrights marquetry. The veneers are stacked together in packets and sawn straight through, then the colours are interchanged and re assembled giving a positive and negative picture. With the very thin blades available now, the kerf just gets lost in the glue up process

He also uses a French 'horse' and extremely small blades to do that intarsia.

I decided to try my luck at making a drawing to illustrate how this might work or not work.

So in this first image I have the "blade" set at 5 degrees, the blade width is 1/64" and the both pieces of stock are 1/4".
The background is on the top and the insert is on the bottom. The background cut line is a line as is the insert cut line that we are concerned about. The vertical guide line shows the location of the cut on the insert and as you follow it up you can see that it is not going to fit.

Next we have one at 4 degrees.


It is closer but it will need some sanding to fit, not a bad thing but we still have to account for the glue. So lets see what happens if we go to 3 degrees.
I'm not recommending anything other then the thickness of the material combined with the blade kerf give variability to angles.



Ed

Forgot to post the drawing with 1/8" parts, same 5 degree angle and same 1/64" blade thickness. Notice how different that is then the 1/4" parts.
Ed

Thanks for the sketches, Ed. I think I need to rethink this process and watch a few videos and experiment some more.

I picked up a small set of detail files and a set of exacto knives with all sort of different blades to use on inlay work ., maybe do your inlay with thicker pieces and then sand it down to expose the colors?

Better. Still not following the lines very well. Probably reduced the angle a bit too much. Hole placement suboptimal. But at least the interior of the A fits better and I've got the background/foreground issues sorted out.

Hey Al, all you need is a chevalet, some good classes and a steady hand. :-)

All of the posts above are good but if you just want your initials to inlay somewhere ...... ask a friend to cut them for you.....