Wood inlays and Metal inlays
Detail of wood inlays on a cherry end table
"Inlays" are flat designs that are actually inletted into the piece of custom furniture itself. That is, a recess for them is carefully carved into the wood. Inlays can be crafted from either metal or wood, or even a combination of the two. Where appropriate, inlays serve to highlight and draw attention to a particularly beautiful piece of custom handmade furniture or a part of that piece. In the sequence of images below, a small brass leaf has been decided upon to accent the beautiful dark medullary rays of a fine quartersawn oak rocking chair.
In this image the stars are made from curly or tiger maple and highly figured black walnut to contrast with the black cherry end table base.
Virtually anything that can be drawn can be cut from a contrasting hardwood, metal, or even ceramic, and then inlayed.
These wood inlays and metal inlays have become an increasingly popular option on my furniture as you may have seen from the pieces in the Gallery Section. Examples include the quartersawn oak trestle bench, trestle dining table with bar rail, star table, quartersawn oak rocking chair , my radiator covers, and even the doors of the radiator covers!
Additional detail of the construction of this black cherry "Star" end table can be seen here.
Brass leaf inlays
This three-leaf motif is being inlayed into inlayed into quartersawn oak (as yet unfinished). The long surface is the top of a beautiful radiator cover.
How is it done?
Brass leaf inlay in the process of being handcut
1. After the design has been drawn on the brass, a jeweler's saw is used to cut away the waste from around the leaf. The blade of the jeweler's saw is so delicate that it is not uncommon to break three or four blades while freeing an inlay such as this one.
Here, a quarter helps provide the actual size of the inlay.
Brass inlay is finally "freed" and ready to be beveled prior to inlay
2. Particularly small or intricate aspects of a design (as in the case of the leaf's stem) are prone to break and must be handled with care. If the stem breaks there is no choice but to start from scratch.
Brass leaf ready to be inlayed into a custom rocking chair
3. In this image the outline has been cut and the leaf has been pushed aside in preparation for removal of the wood.
After the edges of the inlay have been filed to a 2 degree bevel it is placed on the wood. A sharp knife is used to very carefully scribe a deep outline around the inlay. This prevents the wood fibers from tearing as a shallow depression is carved into the furniture. This depression must be no deeper than the thickness of the brass itself in order to hold the inlay securely.
More on this process elsewhere on the website can be found here in a discussion of wooden radiator covers.
Finished inlay
4. This is the final result. An inlay that blends into the surface of the surround wood, visually and to the touch. The inlay should beg to be caressed and I often put them in the arms of my chairs.
Though this leaf does not require it, many metal inlays are later engraved, adding additional detail. Each handcut inlay, such as the one shown here, can add as much as $200 to a piece of custom furniture.
