On Fri, 28 Jun 2024 at 19:52, Esther via groups.io  wrote:

> Gentle galoots!
> I spent a full and interesting week (Mon-Sat 8 hours a day with some
> time off for lunch) learning to make inlays with Steve Latta


Wow! That sounds like fun.
I think the Woodwright's Shop has an episode or two with Steve.
That was probably where I learned about the thicknessing scraper
tool for stringing.

Steve described having taught a weekend class, first day hand
> second day powered.  One student said, "I liked the first day why did we
> need the electrical junk", while another said "why did we waste all our
> time the first day".
>

There's the bit that separates the Galoots from the average woodworkers.

Big trick is making a cutter that is
> essentially 2 crosscut teeth,
>

I made something like that only upside down in reverse to cut the
bottom croze in shrink pots. The cuter is mounted on the end of a shaft
that protrudes from a board. You adjust the projection of the shaft to
place the groove where you want it and set the shrink pot over the
end of the shaft and work it around to cut the croze. I need 900 more
words to adequately describe it.


> ovals get traced with an Exacto knife and excavated, "berries" are
> drilled, and btw you can used brass tubing to make cutters for whatever
> size berry (plug) you want (cut across a few diameters with a triangular
> file).
>

Yes! I have used this trick on many occasions, including excavating
broken screws. Very handy to know.


> square of plexiglass with a divot in the middle to position the center
> of your radius cutter without leaving a divot in the work
>

Maybe for modern or high-end work, but one of the hallmarks of
vernacular inlay decoration is the presence of those divots.
Colour me curmudgeonly but I'll take divots any day over smooth
perfection.

Sounds like you had a great time Esther.

Darrell
PS see you at Pennsic!

-- 
Oakville ON
Wood Hoarder, Blade Sharpener, and Occasional Tool User