How To Inlay Wood With A Router: Four Easy Parts

Four Easy Parts To Inlay Wood With A Router

The inlay is one of the best ways that help to add charm and style to your wood-related products. There are many methods to inlay wood but it is mostly recommended to inlay wood using a router. So in order to inlay wood using router, go through various parts mentioned below:

First Part: Setting Up The Router

First of all, you have to find the guide bushing that has to be attached to your router base plate on your router inlay set.
Screw your bushing to your router by using the retaining ring, then press the sleeve but make sure to press it onto the bushing in order to get ready to route the pocket.
Next, set the depth cut before setting the router on a couple of blocks to leave yourself some space for the bit of the router & plunge down to allow this bit to bulge far enough to cut all the way through with the inlay material.
Be sure to have set the depth stop when you've finished.

Second Part: Routing The Pocket

Now for the smaller parts, use double-sided tape in order to attach a template to your stock & to keep your stock in the actual place as you route and then secure it to the workbench.
You can also even clamp it down if your workplace is large enough.
Once you've attached the template and the work secured to your bench, that means you are ready to start your routing work.
Set your router on your template and then turn it on & then plunge into the stock.
Try to make the shallow passes first & then plunge in the cuts(full depth) once you've to rest assured that you will get the best results.
Furthermore, earlier you start your work with the material in the middle and route around edges of the pocket.
Once you've finished with routing with the pocket now you need to take a look at your work for any places that may have missed with the router bit and then clean them up with the help of a sharp chisel.
Now you need to remove the template by using the putty knife.

Third Part: Routing The Inlay

First of all, you have to remove the sleeve from your guide bushing.
You don't have to make any other change to your router now.
Now you need to attach your template to the inlay stock with the help of the double-sided tape.
Taping Or clamping some kind of the backer board material underneath would be great for cutting all the way through with the inlay material.
Now you need to secure your workpiece to your backer board with the help of a double-sided table. Moreover, under the area where the inlay will be, then put some tape to assure that they stay in an actual place.
Now keep your guide bushing pressed rigidly into all the edges of your template all the time as they route the inlay.
This is where the plunge-base router is admirable to your fixed base router. This is because, with your plunge-base router, it is easier to keep your bushing pressed against the edge of your template when you start your cutting work.
Like routing your pocket, your need to start your work with shallow passes then you have to proceed to full depth cuts.
Remove all inlay and stock with the help of a putty knife but you need to be careful not to damage any inlay as you do so.
Next, gently sand the back edges & also around the corners to match the outline of your pocket.
Finally, try to find if the workpiece fits well if it doesn't then you need to spend some more time on all the corners.

Fourth Part: Assembling The Inlay

Now see that if your inlay fits well then you can start applying the glue to your pocket & use a brush to coat all the edges.
Put your inlay in your pocket and then you need to use a mallet or hammer with a scrap block to tap it the correct position.
Now you have to place a sheet of a wax paper on the top of your inlay and then clamp a scrap block over the top of your work. After the applied glue dries, then you can remove all the clamps.
You need to simply sand your inlay flush and you’re done.
You need to make sure that you do not have any small gaps. If there is any, you can also fill them with solvent-based putty finish. You can also use a soft wax-based putty after that.