surface prep for inlay

[ryanthefloyd]

Hey all,

I am working on my first attempt at a router-based inlay and I'm running into some problems getting the surface ready for finishing. I have used a scraper to bring my individual inlaid pieces flush, but with the grain from all the parts going in crazy directions, I'm getting a really rough surface. Could this be because my scraper is not sharpened properly? I get great results with my scraper when i use it on a single piece of wood. Should I just hit the whole thing with a random orbit sander at the end?

thanks!

[bois]

You got it. Random orbit sander is best any time you have intersecting grain directions. I've tried every hand tool method known to man and nothing works as well.

[ryanthefloyd]

thanks for the help! Is there any concern with the sawdust from all the different types of wood tainting each other? I've had an issue like this before when i sanded a coffee table made walnut and poplar. The walnut dust made the lighter poplar have a brownish tinge. The inlay im working on has walnut, cherry, maple and purpleheart.

[bois]

thanks for the help! Is there any concern with the sawdust from all the different types of wood tainting each other? I've had an issue like this before when i sanded a coffee table made walnut and poplar. The walnut dust made the lighter poplar have a brownish tinge. The inlay im working on has walnut, cherry, maple and purpleheart.

The purpleheart may be a problem for you. I've used walnut, cherry, and maple together without any ill effects but purpleheart dust could taint the lighter species. At least the cherry and maple are closed pore so you won't get purpleheart dust settling in the pores. The walnut should be dark enough that it won't be a problem. But as always, do some test samples before you go through all the work of cutting the various inlay. You may also want to consider that the purpleheart will turn more brown over time, so any contrast you might see now against the walnut for instance, might get more muted.