Intarsia Video

[troy_curtis]

I would love to see a good video on cutting intarsia. I have done a few projects but no matter how good I cut my pieces do not fit as nice as some of what I see on here. To see someone cutting different woods that fit perfectly together with some advice on this process would be super.

[don in brooklin on]

I am fairly new at Intarsia but here are a couple of tips I have found work plus a link to a video. 

At a recent seminar, Judy Gale Roberts recommended that you use a magnifying glass to cut all adjoining pieces.  She then cuts to the line exactly.  I have tried but every magnifier I tried duplicates the line instead of enlarging due the astigmatism in one eye.  I therefore go real slow.  Also, I find it easier to cut red lines versus black.

Also, it is very important the your blade is exactly 90 degrees and when you cut corners that you do not let the blade bend.  Recently I got a flat master (similar to a Sandflee)  and found that a lot of boards that I thought where flat had a slight warp and a couple of passes on the flat master made it perfect and made the match even better.

There is a video series listed below that is fairly lengthy but part 5 talks about repairing gaps.  It works quite well.

https://youtu.be/npTeGSGGxjY

In all it takes lots of practice and patience.

Don

If all else fails a little glue and saw dust in the joint works too.

[troy_curtis]

Don,

Thank you for the encouragement, information, and the video. I will be watching the video in a bit. I have only made 4 things that I consider intarsia. Two of the projects were tiny little ornaments and the other two were pretty large designs I made. From a distance the larger ones look real nice, but the pieces didn't fit quite as well as I would have liked. They were both lighthouse pictures I designed and made for my wife and mother in law.

Here is a picture of the one I made for my wife. I came up with the basic pattern idea and Spirit horse turned my idea into a nice pattern. This picture has 2 layers. The back layer is blue pine for the sky and simple birch plywood behind the top layer. The top layer is all the design of the land, lighthouse, and boat.

[troy_curtis]

I found the one I made for my mother in law. It is all one layer. I designed it myself on my computer. This was made when I was first new at scroll saw work. The pieces didn't fit all that well, but good enough for it to hang on her wall.

[Brian Pardue]

On a video Check out Kathy Wise's or Judy Gale Roberts websites, Both have information on fitting pieces. Kathy Wise has a how to video on CA glue and it shows what i am mentioning below.
Couple of things to keep in mind, make sure the blade is square to the table and let the blade do the cutting. If you are having issues with pieces fitting together and leaving gaps, what I do is:
1. install a new blade & check for square
2. Use CA glue (a couple of dots) to hold the pieces together
3. Slowing slice the pieces apart through the cut line. (may have to do this a couple of times)
After each cut the pieces should fit together better. Just be careful you could end up with other surrounding pieces not lining up correctly.
Biggest issue I have seen is folks that do Fretwork think they can cut intarsia pieces just as fast as they cut Fretwork. Slow down and let the blade do the work.   

[spirithorse]

Hi, Troy,
Oops! I sent you a PM and then realized you had started this thread so it was okay
to answer here.
I really like the lighthouse project you did and appreciate that you gave me credit for
helping with the pattern.
I don't know what method most people use for cutting adjoining pieces because some patterns
can be purchased with separate pieces printed and ready to cut out and glue to your lumber.
My prefered method is to cut one piece, and then use the edge that butts against the next piece
and trace around the first piece you cut. If your first cut was not near perfect, your traced line will now be more accurate for the adjoining piece. I continue tracing the edge of each piece because by
changing the pieces individually will change the over-all pattern. Any pieces that are still not as tight as I think is permissable is re-cut.

I looked at the video link which brought to mind another suggestion.
I normally use 3/4" stock for all my intarsia and I use a #5 blade for all my cutting.
The number 5 is small enough to help reduce the size of gaps in mistakes made in cutting and still large enough to handle 3/4" stock.
I would not suggest using any blade larger than a #5 if you are using 3/4" stock.
God Bless! Spirithorse

[ChuckD]

Good answer Spirithorse, that is the smart way to do it and it does work.  Sometimes you have to put three or more pieces together to get a good fit but that is part of the Joy of Intarsia.  I have used tape to try to do this but I may try the CA dots.  I can see where i small dot may hold the wood enough to keep together but still come apart without breaking the cut piece.  Live and learn..  Thanks 

[Claymore]

Love the landscapes Troy and haven't seen many Intarsia Landscapes over here in the UK, we tend to make critters or flowers  or Motorbikes.
The tip about CA glue works really well and I used the thickest CA glue i can find so it doesn't spread out and glue the pieces too good (don't ask lol) 
Keep up the great work
Brian