After using the fence and clamps to route to the edges of the inlets I finish routing out each segement freehand.

I previously scribed the curved segments with a compass and now I carefully cut around the curves with a knife. This is not a common X-Acto which would break immedietly on the ebony, but a hardened steel surgical blade I purchased from Micro-Mark.

I use a micro chisel to clean out the edges of the curves.

The same chisel is used to square the corners where the routing left an arc.

My next entry: the inlay work…

Anyway I was contacted by a potential customer who liked my newest board design (the paua rosa with maple burl board in my projects page). But he wanted it in gabon ebony with amboyna burl inlay. Wow. This would require a piece of ebony 6 1/4” x 20”. It’s rare to find good ebony beyond 5” wide. After several days of calling just about every wood supplier I could find on the internet I was about ready to give up. I decided to make a run over to Owl Hardwood in Des Plaines, though they seldom have decent ebony.

Well to my surprise I found the perfect piece of wood in fantastic condition. Almost exactly the right size… for $100. Good thing money is no object for this customer.

I fired up my miter saw, table saw and planer for the first time in months and that beautiful piece of ebony is now sitting on my worktable waiting for me to draw the pattern on it. This is going to be my best board yet.