Inlay Tools #2: Radius Cutter complete

Cut off and mounted, the brass point actually looks kind of nice. I’ll just be a little less generous with the epoxy next time, so I don’t end up with that overfill bead.

I mounted the radius cutter, going about 1/16th to 1/8th deeper than the brass pivot point, so that the cutter will remain as perpendicular to the work as possible. Since the holes in the cutter to attach it to the tool are oval, there is some room for adjustment later on.

It isn’t perfect, but my version bears a faint similarity to the wholeheartedly cloned L-N/Latta version. (Cheesy pixelated/resized Internet photo in the background there!) Based on my eyeball sizing, I made this tool oversized, much like the others will undoubtedly be.

I have to admit though, aesthetic concerns aside, the tool cuts a pretty neat curve. I can tell that this tool is one that will definitely require some practice to master. While this circle looks good, there are some areas where I could tell that the depth was uneven. I think I might create a small depth stop gauge to slide onto the cutter, so that I can do a ‘final pass’ against a depth stop and make sure that I have a nice uniform seat for the inlay strips to register against.

Also, I’ve discovered that I should make the head as small as I can, and get the pivot point moved up as far as I can. This tool limits my ability to make small circles somewhat. I think my minimum is about ~2 inches, which is OK, but I may choose to make a second one in smaller dimensions to insure I can make smaller circles. The thing to keep in mind, is that the distance between the pivot point and the cutter is the final circle’s radius, not it’s diameter! We’ll see how it works in practice.

Now, in order to make the inlay, I’ve got to create the other tools so that I can test out my circular cutter!