Conference Table for Local Church #11: Testing My Inlay Skills. (?)

I started testing my inlay skills tonight. I used a piece of 3/4 inch MDF and 1/4 inch Luan plywood with Delta’s router inlay kit to do the test.

I made the male parts with 45 degree cuts to form an “X” in the center. (See photo below)

Well, first the kit has an 1/8 inch downcut spiral bit. Have you ever used an 1/8 inch downcut with MDF?

“How’d that turn out, Sawdustonmyshoulder?”

“Not too good!”

That little puppy did cut the MDF alright, but it packed the sawdust back into the kerf so tight that I thought the bit had broken or wasn’t deep enough. After I used another bit to clean out the female part of the inlay, I had to take a chisel and cut out the original kerf.

The only trouble I had in cutting the male part of the inlay was when I was turning the corner in the center of the cross. The bit wanted to stray off coarse pretty bad. (See the detail shot below) I am glad this happens on the male part as opposed to the female. I can recut the male blanks. I can’t remake this table top.

_

The router kit really makes the inlay fit REALLY TIGHT!!!!

I think I will try this on another attempt at the male part. I didn’t cut all the way through the plywood the first time and I had to do a great deal of trimming. What I will do is cut the female part of the inlay then turn the template over to cut the male part. That way the male part will not have to be trimmed before I inlay it.

Has anybody had any experience with this?

-- Makin' Sawdust!!!