Live edge coffee table with router inlays - Part 2 of 3

Part 2

Continuing from Part 1, I will go into the design and inlaying of the coffee table. After the dry run to make sure the parts fit together, I sketched out a design layout of how I wanted to arrange the bird inlays


For inlay models, I used photos from the internet and bird photos that my brother photographed. The centerpiece bald eagle was from an internet photo



My process was to print the bird photos at the same scale as the inlays. Then I used carbon paper to trace the bird images to the inlay material. I cut the inlays using a 1/16" Amana router bit. I found that I could carve more intricate pieces with the router than with a scroll saw. Once the inlay pieces were cut out I set them on the table top and used a fine pencil to draw the figure onto the table. Then, I routed the outline into the table with the 1/16" bit, and hogged out the big areas with a 1/2 bit. The inlay pieces fit in like a puzzle. Most of my inlay wood was 1/8" thick, and it fits into the tabletop about 1/32" proud. Then I sand it down flush with a Hutchins air sander, and the inlays look like they grew there.




I used wenge for the dark part of the wings; black walnut for the lighter area on the back; eastern white maple for the white feathers and blackwood for the eye. I try to use various woods to achieve the colors needed, but I had to cheat and use a yellow highlighter for the eagle's bill. Here is the finished eagle, glued and sanded flush. I used a very small curved V groove router bit to carve detail into the feathers.



Rufus hummingbird photo on the left. Center; the pieces cut out, and right; the final inlay. Note the quilted grain in the big leaf maple top.

I used blackwood, white maple, eastern redcedar and purpleheart to create the hummingbird. With the hummingbird colors I was not trying to capture the actual colors of the real bird.


I ground the end of a nail into a feather shape, and used a hammer to pound feathers into the hummingbirds. Also some of the feathers are carved in with the V shaped router bit.



On the left an Anna hummingbird photo that I used to create the two inlay versions (center and right). I dyed a clear stain gold/green (paint would hide the grain) to add colors to the bodies of these two inlays.


Rufous hummingbird photo and my version with zebrawood wings, purpleheart tail, eastern redcedar head and blackwood beak and eye.


Great blue heron photo that I used as a model for the insert. On right, I have routed the inlay pattern onto the outer face of a table leg.


I used wenge for the dark areas of the heron, white maple, and zebra wood with a light blue/gray clear stain.



Red tailed hawk photo and my inlay. Of all of the birds that I inlayed, the hawk was the hardest to colormatch. I used wenge for the wings (with white paint highlights, which I hated to use but I was trying for some accuracy. The tail is eastern redcedar and I used padauk around the eyeball and on the beak.


Continued from last night:

Raven photo on left and inlay on right. I used African blackwood and the inlay is on the inside of one of the legs.

Pileated woodpecker photo on left and inlay on right. This inlay is on the inside of the other leg. I used African blackwood, eastern redcedar, eastern white maple and American black walnut..

Snowgoose photo on left and inlay on right. I used eastern white maple for the goose's body. Note how well the eastern white maple contrasts against the bigleaf maple tabletop. The wingtips are wenge and the orange beak and circle around the eye is African padauk. This large inlay is the centerpiece of the shelf.

The snowgoose is finished and the clamps are set on inlays of ducks and geese that surround the shelf. Note the steel square stock that is clamped to the ends of the shelf. The shelf is only 3/4" thick and I considered that too thin to install C-channels. Once the ends are glued into the mortises of the legs, that should keep the shelf flat. Two years later and it is still flat.

Canada geese photos on top with inlay versions below. The wings are zebra wood. African blackwood and eastern white maple for other parts. These small inlays are on the shelf below the large snowgoose.

Photos of bufflehead ducks with the resulting inlays below. I used African wenge, eastern white maple and African padauk (for the feet). These small inlays are on the shelf.

Tufted duck photos with inlays below. African blackwood and eastern white maple were used for the inlays which are on the shelf. Note the quilted grain on the big leaf maple.

Redhead duck photos with inlays below. Wood used for inlays were African blackwood, African padauk and eastern white maple (dyed gray) for wings. Feathers were carved with small curved V groove router bit.

This part is done. Part 3 will cover finishing and assembly.