Thread: How Thin Should An Inlay Be?

I have only ever done banding inlay, but mine usually end up 1mm or under in thickness. I'm fortunate enough to own a great drum sander, which very accurately sizes the inlay. I'd be trying to get it down to 1mm.

Originally Posted by Pariss

I have only ever done banding inlay, but mine usually end up 1mm or under in thickness. I'm fortunate enough to own a great drum sander, which very accurately sizes the inlay. I'd be trying to get it down to 1mm.

Thanks for the reply Pariss.

A drum sander would be nice. I'm 'lapping' it by hand with paper on a flat surface, using a vernier for measurement to keep it even. Ground away a lot of fingertip until I thought of using Blu-Tak stuck to the back as a handle.

I'll whip it down to 1mm and see if it's more flexible.

... Nope - it's now 0.9mm to 0.95mm and flexes a little more, but not enough. It's still pretty solid.

I have a commercial one here that measures 0.5mm - 0.6mm, but seems a little too thin. I can see through it in a number of places.

I glued mine up with PVA and it has pretty tight joins with few gaps, so I'm thinking of going down to 0.7mm-0.8mm.
A pic at 0.9-1.0, sitting next to the commercial inlay:

... Steve

The only other thing I would try is steaming it for several minutes, then place it on the curve and apply a weight till it cools. Some damn wood just wont bend without steaming.

Originally Posted by Pariss

The only other thing I would try is steaming it for several minutes, then place it on the curve and apply a weight till it cools. Some damn wood just wont bend without steaming.

I thought steaming might loosen the PVA that holds the inlay together.

Incidentally, my Blu-Tak sanding method wasn't as good as I thought it was. It caused increased pressure on the middle of the inlay, so it's pretty thin in the centre. A lesson learned. I might get away with it. If not, I'm already mentally prepared to re-make the inlay if I sand through. Next time I'll use double-sided tape to hold the inlay on a flat piece of wood for sanding, to keep a constant thickness.

... Steve