: Hi all,

: This is how I am installing my Ram Head inlay. If there is an easier way,
: someone tell me since this takes a lot of time. First I layed out the head
: on the deck and then rough routed it out and finished with sandpaper and
: files. Next I layed a walnut strip over a section of a cutout and traced
: onto it from the underside. Then I sand it very carefully on the sander
: drill you see in the picture. I put a light under the cutout as I am
: fitting so I can see to get an exact fit. I sand a slight taper on my
: inlay and when it drops half way down into the cutout I apply glue and tap
: it down tight with a mallet. If you try this remember the sander is going
: down on one side and up on the other and so you have to get this into you
: mind when you touch you piece to the disk so you don't get suprised. And
: watch your fingers.

: John

Hi John

I had some repetitive large shapes to place, so I made a shape template for the router to route the yak. Then routed the yak, cut and reglued the template for varying sizes, rerouted, cut, rerouted etc, etc.

Then I tightly stretched and taped thin tracing paper over ea hole and ran a pencil lead held sidways around the hole. the sharp edges of the hole pressing against the sideways pencil lead made a very very good impression on the paper.(for my level of woodwork anyway) Then remove the paper and lightly glued it to ea appropriate blank and tiny bandsawed to the line. Then file and fit, file and fit, file and fit etc etc nausea etc. snore. GOt some ok fits, some semi ok.

I moaned and groaned that the shapes I was using wouldn't allow simple double router passes(this is a guess by me), but some simple large inlays could be done using an outside template to cut a new outside and inside template at the same time.So the 2 templates now differ by only the bit diameter. Use a template follower w/ an offset thickness 1/2 the bit diameter and route out the hole - the hole is half the bit diameter smaller. Use the same follower to cut the positive - the positive is half the bit diameter larger. Now if we're lucky, the 2 pces should come close to coinciding. might work for some situations, check it out first - wouldn't have worked for me, too bad. Idea anyway.

-mick

ps remember w/ the router to carefully watch that it doesn't jump the template. I had to commit suicide one evening when I realized the router was about 2 inches past where it should be. (this is not really me talking - just bits are left)