Hi all;
Recently I needed to cut some wenge veneer to inlay into a Demilune table. The table is part of a private veneer course I’m teaching, and will be included in either an e-book, or a printed book. The fellow is writting it as I’m teaching, taking pictures as we go. One of the projects in the book has an wenge inlay.
If you’ve ever worked with wenge, you know it’s a bit of a nasty wood to work with. Cutting it with a knife is difficult, as the wood tends to split. Since I’m doing a 1/4” wide inlay on a half round, and my usual tools weren’t working out too well I had to come up with a different way.
I got to thinking a router would be a good way to go. I decided to make use of a Dremel set I got a few years back, since it was small and easily managed. It did have an edge quide, which doubled as a circle cutter but it was a bit cumbersome to use.
I decided to make an adapter to fit the base of the router, using a piece of 1” thick lexan. I threaded it to accept a Veritas compass beam.
The compass beam is very nice, and will making circles as small as 1”, and as large as 40”, with the pieces that come with it. It has small sections of rod that screw together allowing different lengths.
Using a jig and laminate trimmer, I routed a ledge to sit on the router base, giving it a bit more stability.
Then I drilled and tapped the edge for the compass beam.
I then mounted it to an existing hole on the base of the router. The lexan fits tightly against a piece in the casting, so it doesn’t pivot. I’m happy to say it was worth the effort, as it worked quite well.
The woods are Figured Black Limba, Swiss Pear, and Wenge
Thanks for looking.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
34 comments so far
bigike
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4055 posts in 3616 days
#1 posted 05-13-2011 03:17 AM
saweeeeeeeeeet looking table.
-- Ike, Big Daddies Woodshop, http://[email protected]
tenontim
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2131 posts in 4072 days
#2 posted 05-13-2011 03:29 AM
Thanks for the tutorial, Lee. That’s a nice adapter for the router. I guess most of what I know about veneering, I learned from you. Beautiful table. Thanks for the post.
Dan'um Style
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14181 posts in 4311 days
#3 posted 05-13-2011 03:34 AM
very nice. the colors work very well together.
-- keeping myself entertained ... Humor and fun lubricate the brain
shipwright
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8269 posts in 3126 days
#4 posted 05-13-2011 03:46 AM
Nice work Lee.
-- Paul M ..............the early bird may get the worm but it’s the second mouse that gets the cheese! http://thecanadianschooloffrenchmarquetry.com/
Patrick Jaromin
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406 posts in 4160 days
#5 posted 05-13-2011 03:58 AM
Absolutely beautiful work, Lee. Thanks for sharing!
-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog
savannah505
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1831 posts in 3914 days
#6 posted 05-13-2011 04:04 AM
You know I love your work Lee, this is no exception, how are you, I need to call and say hi. It’s been awhile.
-- Dan Wiggins
Karson
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35166 posts in 4728 days
#7 posted 05-13-2011 04:38 AM
Lee Beautiful and a great jig tip.
You da man!!
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Appomattox Virginia [email protected] †
Grumpy
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25096 posts in 4179 days
#8 posted 05-13-2011 05:00 AM
Lee, there is nothing like a great jig that works well. An excellent result on the table buddy.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
grizzman
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7836 posts in 3631 days
#9 posted 05-13-2011 05:07 AM
oh come on lee, couldnt ya just slap this table together…ha..great job and a great way to figure out your inlay…its a beautiful table…
-- GRIZZMAN ...[''''']
CharlieM1958
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16282 posts in 4546 days
#10 posted 05-13-2011 05:09 AM
Great idea, Lee, and stunning work as always.
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
Jack Barnhill
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366 posts in 3694 days
#11 posted 05-13-2011 05:16 AM
Thanks for the information about the technique, the adapter, and the compass beam. All very useful. The table is pretty great too. Nice job!
-- Best regards, Jack -- I may not be good, but I'm slow -- www.BarnhillWoodworks.com
GaryK
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10262 posts in 4316 days
#12 posted 05-13-2011 05:17 AM
More than one way to skin a cat, huh?
Great looking table. Swiss pear is a great wood to work with, isn’t it? I wish I could afford it to use it all the time.
-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX
lanwater
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3111 posts in 3262 days
#13 posted 05-13-2011 06:35 AM
Great looking table. Very nice work.
-- Abbas, Castro Valley, CA
patron
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#14 posted 05-13-2011 06:42 AM
excellent work as always lee
and a great trammel
and adaption for it
-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle
Sheila Landry (scrollgirl)
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#15 posted 05-13-2011 11:06 AM
As everyone said, it is certainly a beautiful table. Thanks so much for the tutorial on how you accomplished it. It is absolutely gorgeous! Your work is always top notch!
Sheila
-- Designer/Artist/Teacher. Owner of Sheila Landry Designs (http://www.sheilalandrydesigns.com) Scroll saw, wood working and painting patterns and surfaces. "Knowledge is Power"
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