Eric Marczak was the featured speaker in September. Eric demonstrated inlay techniques which could be adapted to turning projects.

 Using guitar construction as the example, Eric showed how inlay techniques of used in guitar fabrication can be used for bowls and other turning projects.

 Eric builds up micro stacks of inlay material from selected veneers. Thin purfling rods (approximately .8 mm thick) of veneer are individually glued together to construct wider strips. The strips are in turn are stacked into “logs”.

The process of building the logs (essentially a bundle of very thin rods) from differently colored wood produces a pattern on the end grain. The logs are sliced across the end grain – and the slices become the inlay material – a technique known as Tunbridgeware. Building the patterns is limited only by imagination. Bill Westlake’s first attempt for guitar inlay is pictured.

 A variant of this process – oyster shell veneering – can be used to slice branches of wood across the end grain, so that, when laid side-by-side, the growth rings seen in the slices resemble a spider web pattern. Thin slicing of the material (1mm thick) – for either logs or branches -- can be accomplished with a thin kerf Diablo 40 tooth blade. Eric uses a 7 ¼” blade and de-gums the blade frequently (Easy-Off oven cleaner works well).

Generally, PVA glue is used create the logs, in order to reduce discoloration of the wood. CA glue is used to install the slices or purfling rods in the grooves created for this purpose.

 Small grooves in a turned piece can be created with a homemade tool – an Allen key ground as a square edge scraper to the desired width of the groove.

 The next meeting is scheduled for October 12 with Steve Sherman demonstrating turned and hollowed Christmas ornaments. A Learn’n Turn session will also begin on Saturday, October 1 and conclude with a second session on Saturday October 22. Contact Stan Rosenberg to sign up.

 

References for Inlay Material and Information:

http://www.lmii.com

http://www.stumac.com

Courtnall, Roy, Making Master Guitars, Robert Hale & Co., 2002