To fill that need, I have contacted a woodworking acquaintance named Paul Miller, a retired boat builder from Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island, who has devoted his retirement to mastering and teaching the art of French marquetry. What will be missing in those presentations is the art of marquetry, a natural extension of those two skills.
#Woodworkers guild of america worth it how to
In the fall of this year, we plan to have demonstrations on hammer veneering – using hot hide glue – and a presentation on how to cut and inlay mother of pearl. If you would like to explore a little and get a feel for prices and availability, here are the top US suppliers of mother of pearl, in order of my preference. Reconstituted stone, available in sheets: Mother of pearl and paua abalone by the piece, referred to as blanks. I use T-88 from System Three, a company that also supplies epoxy pigments that come in handy if you tend to make overcuts.Ī small, inexpensive set of needle files goes a long way toward correcting poorly cut pearl edges.Ĭutting and inlaying mother of pearl – Part 1: Materialsįor both the artistic and not-so-artistic woodworker, mother of pearl and inlay materials come in a variety of selections: No more profane diatribes can be uttered than when 5-minute epoxy or super glue sets before the inlay is properly placed and inset. Walgreens (and any store with school supplies) carries it.įor inlaying, long-set non-brittle epoxy is preferable to 5-minute epoxy unless the inlay is 1) simple and 2) easily fitted.
Using Elmer’s stick glue is one good way to secure your inlay to the wood before scoring around it and marking the area for routing. Here’s how it’s used to support the pearl from breaking as you cut (sometimes I use a small clamp to hold the pearl down on long cuts). Some people call this a doe’s foot, some people call it a bird beak, but can be made from scrap wood and is necessary to have if you plan on cutting pearl. My setup is over ten-years-old, and I’m sure someone has developed a more glamorous method of doing this, but it works for me.
#Woodworkers guild of america worth it mac
But if you are looking for something like that, again, Stew Mac to the rescue. A single outlet pump doesn’t generally push enough air to keep the line clear unless it is immediately close to the work, which I find to be too close. Petco and online stores provide a plethora of reasonably-priced double-outlet aquarium pumps and tubing. Keeping the cutting line clear of pearl dust is necessary for making good cuts. These blades are super thin: from .0120” to .0070” and they snap easily from overheating or too much pressure. The blade size most commonly used is the medium # 3 the #1 fine is good for more detailed work and the very fine 3/0 blades are good for cutting accent lines. I’ve tried using my Knew Concepts coping saw and found it difficult to maneuver around tight cuts. One of the assets of using a jeweler’s saw is the narrowness of the throat, which lessens the unwieldiness of a saw with a large opening. A preferred option for a less expensive saw and buying high-quality blades by the gross is PJ Tool and Jewelry. Stewart McDonald also supplies a good quality jeweler’s saw and jeweler’s blades by the dozen, but they are expensive. The black router base provides a way to easily make controlled, progressive depth settings based on the thickness of the inlay material. The smallest of the bits are delicate and snap easily (oh, so easily) when forced to cut too much material. At $20 each, they make the more expensive Dremel router base worth the price. Their video is worth a look.Īgain, Stewart McDonald is my go-to for excellent quality 1/8″ shanked carbide down-cut bits that fit in the Dremel keyless chuck. Stewart McDonald, a luthier supplier, offers two specialized router bases that hold any Dremel tool, new or old:Īnd a lighted, souped-up version that does everything but cut the pearl for you.
Cutting and inlaying mother of pearl – Part 2: Tools of the trade
0 kommentar(er)
