From WoodworkersZone WoodWiki

Current revision

Created by Mike Mathieu, aka wdkits1

More of Mike's work can be seen at his website: Midlothian Woodworks

Part 1-The pattern

It is my intention by doing this series that many of you that have not tried intarsia will get a better understanding of what is involved in creating a piece of woodworking art. I have developed my techniques over many years and although this system works for me, other artists may have their own style with the results being the same.

I got the picture for the project from my buddy Art in Texas who wanted me to design a kit for him. Art is 93 years old and still scrolling strong. It is a picture of a 1953 Ford F100 pickup that belongs to a friend of his. I designed the pattern with a background to look like a scene from a Texas farm. I'm using an 11"x14" walnut frame with holly accents and 13 different woods ranging from 1/8" – 3/8" in thickness.

Hope you all enjoy seeing it come to life.

This is the photo of the 1953 Ford F 100 pick-up that I will use in this project. It shows that I have traced the outline using carbon paper onto regular paper.

This next photo shows the outline of the truck but not all details have been added yet.

This next picture shows that I have cut the outline of the truck out and pasted it to my new pattern sheet. It also shows that I have drawn the frame perimeter lines.

This is what the finished pattern looks like after I have drawn in the background and added all of the details that are needed to do the intarsia including the woods list.

This next photo shows the woods that will be used to create this intarsia.

Part 2-The Frame

Before I start the inlay work I have to make the frame so these are the steps required for this process. My walnut frame stock has been sized to the inside perimeter of the pattern. In this photo I have set the router to make a 1/4” groove 1/4”deep,1/8” from the back to accept the 1/4” luan plywood backerboard.

In this next photo I have set the router to make a 1/4” groove 1/8” deep in the center of the frame face for the accent strips.

This next photo shows the frame dry fit to check for fit and square.

The next photo shows that I have glued the holly accents in and cutting flush with miters.

Photo of glued up frame

This next photo shows the finished frame after finish sanding and first coat of wipe on poly. I like to cut a pattern and lay in the frame to use as a reference as I add the cut pieces of the intarsia. Now we’re ready to have some fun.

Part 3-Tracing, Cutting and Shaping

I managed to get a few pieces done today so I’ll begin by showing the steps needed to begin the intarsia process. This photo shows the set-up to trace a section from the pattern onto sticky back label paper. I have taped the pattern down and have slid the carbon paper and label paper under the section I am tracing.I use a fine point mechanical pencil to do the tracing because it gives a crisp consistent line. Use a straight edge to trace any frame border lines.

Once the tracing is complete I cut the section of label paper out and peel off the wax paper on the back and place the section onto the wood blank paying attention to the grain direction as indicated on pattern detail

This next photo shows a simple zero clearance jig that I use on the bed of my saw to cut small pieces. Simply a piece of 1/4” plywood run through to the center of the jig. As the hole becomes wallowed out I just make a new cut and am good to go again.

In this next photo I’m cutting out the section on the scroll saw.I’m using a #5 double tooth blade which is a good all-around blade for the thicknesses of the woods used for this project. Where the bush is, I drill a 1/8” pilot hole to insert the blade ,always cutting on the center of the lines.

Next 2 photos Once a piece has been cut out of the blank it needs to be sanded along the edges to remove any burrs and to give it a more finished look. For this I use a 3×18” belt sander and lightly work it along the edges just enough to round over. On pieces that are too small to use the belt sander I use a 1/4” or 1/2” drum sander mounted on my rotary tool with a 36” flex shaft. I finish by hand sanding with 220 grit sandpaper and apply a coat of spray-on satin poly and wipe off. This lets me see the true color of the wood plus shows if any more sanding needs to be done to remove scratches.

Using 1/2” drum sander to round edges.

I like to assemble the pieces into the frame from the bottom; fitting, sanding and first coat finishing as I go. As you can see in the next photo, having the pattern in the frame makes it pretty easy to see the progress of the intarsia and to make any necessary adjustments in fitting ,sanding or contouring. Woods used so far: grass-heart poplar, road—mahogany, bush—blue mahoe.

Part 4-Shaping & Carving

On the last segment I went over the basics of tracing, cutting and sanding so now I will go into some of the details of carving and contouring that make intarsia unique. After a piece has been traced,[including carving lines as per pattern] and sawn out, now is the time to carve in the details. In this photo I have placed a sheet of 60 grit sandpaper on the workbench and have placed the piece on it. Using a 5/64” high speed cutter I carve the lines thru the paper pattern at a 45 degree angle while holding it down with my thumb nail. When all lines have been carved I remove the pattern and check to make sure that all lines are uniform. I re-carve if needed.

Once I’m happy that the carving looks good I shape the edges with a 1/2” or 1/4” sanding drum then clean the surface with 220 grit sandpaper. I then check for fit and adjust if needed.

In the next photo the pattern calls for C9 Pau Amarillo which is 1/4” next to D9 Pau Amarillo which is 3/8”. The arrows on the pattern indicates that the D9 has to be contoured so that the two pieces are the same thickness where they meet. For this I use my 3×18” belt sander and work it down along the edges until the 3/8 is close to 1/4”. I do the final shaping with the 1/2” drum sander and 220 grit sand paper. Once I am happy that it looks good I spray on a coat of satin poly and wipe off. Check for fit and adjust if needed.

This next photo shows what the contouring should look like.

Well this has been a good day. I managed not to lose or break any pieces and things have fit together pretty good without a lot of adjusting. It is important to trace and cut the pieces accurately and not to get in any kind of a hurry when shaping and sanding.

Also please note that I don't glue anything in place until all pieces have been cut and shaped and everything fits to my satisfaction then I glue them in their final place which I will discuss in the last segment of the series.

Woods used so far: Poplar—grass ;Mahogany—road ; Blue Mahoe—bush ; Maple—Bumper, rims and headlight trims; Holly—headlights; Ebony—fender wells and front grill; Wenge—tires; Pau Amarillo—truck body

Part 5 "THE FINALE"

This photo shows one of the tricks to use when working with small pieces. If I have lots of pieces that have to be precisely placed together it is best to arrange them on the pattern as they are shaped and sanded and glue them together to form a larger unit. I start by taping clear plastic wrap over my tracing pattern and glue one piece over the corresponding section of the pattern. Apply white glue to the bottom edge of the next piece and place on the pattern. Do this until all the pieces of the unit are glued together within the lines of the pattern.

After the glue has set up, peel the completed unit from the plastic as shown in the next photo.

I have cut ,sanded, shaped and fit over 150 pieces from 13 different woods to create this intarsia. I still have more shaping and a few more pieces to cut and then go through and replace a few pieces that don’t fit quite right.

Well so far you have seen the progress of this project from the beginning. From the subject photo, to the making of the pattern, to the tracing and cutting and sanding and contouring and tricks and techniques that I use in the creation of intarsia. After cutting and sanding and fitting and cussing a few times I have finally got all 175 pieces from 13 woods in place and am now ready to finish it up. As you will remember I left the pattern in the frame to better keep track of the pieces so now it is time to remove the pattern and glue everything in. I begin by removing several pieces from the top of the intarsia and pull the pattern out, being careful not to disturb the rest of the pieces.

Now that the pattern has been removed and while the few pieces are still out I spread glue on the backboard then replace these pieces. I’m using CA glue so I remove only enough pieces that I can easily put back in 2 or 3 minutes as the next few photos show.

This is where making pre-glued units becomes important.

EUREKA—all the pieces are glued in ,so after cleaning any dust from the surface of the intarsia and also cleaning the frame it is time to apply the finish.

I like to use a spray on satin poly . I apply the first coat of finish to each piece as they are cut and sanded and added into the intarsia but I only apply the final coats after everything is glued into place. Setting the finished project on a flat surface in a dust free area I apply 3 coats using a sweeping motion coming in from all 4 directions to insure that all areas are covered including the sides of the frame.

Once the finish is dry I sign it and date it then install the custom name plaque. This was a fun project.

This is the list of woods used—Bush and tree -Blue Mahoe: Bumper, running board- maple ;tires -wenge; grill and wheelwells- ebony; truck body- pau Amarillo; grass- poplar; fence- cherry; treetrunk- fishtail oak; truck seat and windmill - walnut; headlights- holly; barn roof- bloodwood; road-mahogany; sky- tulip wood,