A simple way to make inlays

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Jayhawk714
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by Jayhawk714 »

Very good information. Will help this newbie a lot!

wb9tpg
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by wb9tpg »

I thought I’d pass along the best inlay method and demonstration video I’ve seen. It used a tapered ball mill.

Gary Mitchell
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Aussie
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by Aussie »

Hi guys,
It’s not that hard to get “perfect inlays”
I know that Steven will give you all the mathematical and geometry of using certain tool paths and bits which I can’t argue with as he is way above my level.
My advice is the only way for you to get your own perfect inlays is to experiment, spend the day using various SD and FD and various toolpaths.
There are no magic numbers that will work for your machine and bits, I have found through my testing what works for me and the fit I achieve.

When I am happy with the results I set aside the clearance and final tool and keep these for inlays only, when it’s time to change either of these bits it’s necessary to go through the testing again as there can be slight variations with the new bits.

Make sure your material is FLAT both female and male!!!! Close is not good enough, flatten your spoilboard before doing any inlay work.

My 2 cents worth.
Ron
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stratman
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by stratman »

This is information to have thank you for putting it together. I have a question for the experts. I have a project where I want to have an inlay where it will be a darker wood or stained and the inlay will be raised from the main surface. I need to make the numbers roman numerals. The numbers will be about 2" ~ 2.5" high. The roman numerals will be recessed 1/8" . Does the experts have experience with what text font would be the best to use? Both woods will be hard wood for better cutting.
Thank You :?:

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Aussie
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by Aussie »

Ok why are you using an lnlay if you want raised letters ?
What I would do is glue two contrasting species of timber together and use a vcarve and clearance tool path to remove the unwanted top surface material to expose the text.
I do this with a raised 3d model with contrasting materials.
Ron
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Aussie
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by Aussie »

Here is an example of using contrasting materials, while this is a 3d model you could do the same with text.
9E6F5392-F84B-4EC8-853B-05B5C9B386C1.jpeg
Ron
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LithgowShedder
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by LithgowShedder »

LithgowShedder wrote:
Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:23 am
I have been looking at some of the many posts in this topic, and many other items on line, but haven't found a good explanation of the whys and hows of setting the depths for the various cuts, especially for the male plug. Many thanks to the late Paul Zank for setting this great technique in motion, and here is may attempt to add to the knowledge base with my attempt at explaining how to derive the flat and cut depths given your choice of saw gap, glue gap and plug insertion depth.

Feel free to spread it around!
In light of some of the replies and comments on my post, I've corrected the spreadsheet - I'm pretty sure it is now correct, and I have used it for some inlays subsequent to revising it. It worked for them, so it should be ok now.
Just remove the .txt extension on the spreadsheet file to get back to the original xlsx file.
Attachments
VcarveInlaysV06.pdf
(281.84 KiB) Downloaded 133 times
VcarveInlayCalculatorV06 - Copy.xlsx.txt
(12.2 KiB) Downloaded 103 times

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martin54
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by martin54 »

stratman wrote:
Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:39 pm
This is information to have thank you for putting it together. I have a question for the experts. I have a project where I want to have an inlay where it will be a darker wood or stained and the inlay will be raised from the main surface. I need to make the numbers roman numerals. The numbers will be about 2" ~ 2.5" high. The roman numerals will be recessed 1/8" . Does the experts have experience with what text font would be the best to use? Both woods will be hard wood for better cutting.
Thank You :?:
I missed this at the time & no doubt the project is complete now but for Text that is to be raised above the material surface the inlay toolpath within the software would be a better option than trying to use the Zank Inlay technique :lol: :lol:

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Tex_Lawrence
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by Tex_Lawrence »

Aussie wrote:
Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:01 pm
... glue two contrasting species of timber together and use a vcarve and clearance tool path to remove the unwanted top surface material
Aussie, do you ever have problems with the 3D part separating at the glue line? I once added a 3D piece to the surface of plywood, and it popped off. It was displayed in an open garage, but certainly wasn't "rained" on. I assumed it was a bad glue joint, but perhaps not.

Also, I once did an inlay where the male piece was white plastic into purpleheart. I haven't see any separation with that, but I was concerned it would separate in time.

What do you think?
Tex — Crooked Wood Products
Now there's a man with an open mind – you can feel the breeze from here.

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Aussie
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by Aussie »

Hi Tex,

I have done several raised 3d models using contrasting Timbers over the last couple of years and never had a glue joint fail. The Timbers I use are hard wood and the two Timbers are glued and placed in my press overnight.
IMG_0276.jpeg
IMG_0487.jpeg
Ron
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by KevTN »

Doing an inlay with CUTE as a part of it. Vcarve desktop. 1/8 clearing bit with a 6.2 taper ball nose bit for the lettering. Female portion: Start 0 flat depth 0.11. On the E the middle outshoot(?) does not get carve at all, but it will show on the preview. In the Male plug the E is correct. Scratching my head on this. Any ideas? Thank you.

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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by adze_cnc »

Pictures would help.

quesohusker
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by quesohusker »

I've been making some very delicate inlays...some of the plug materials end up being as thin as .01". So I have a few questions that might help make this more successful

1. Is there a sweet spot for v-bit angles? I'm using a 22 degree bit now...would a 15 degree or even 6 degree tapered bull nose be better?

2. Does the maker of the bit matter? I'm using SPE bits from Amazon now. They are about $15 US. Would a much more expensive bit from Amana or IDC woodcraft matter?

3. The most impressive inlay work on YouTube seems to use endgrain carves exclusively. Is the endgrain more stable for the extremely delicate work? Do you get fewer fuzzies after the carve with endgrain?

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adze_cnc
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Re: A simple way to make inlays

Post by adze_cnc »

quesohusker wrote:
Sun Feb 11, 2024 1:54 pm
1. Is there a sweet spot for v-bit angles? I'm using a 22 degree bit now...would a 15 degree or even 6 degree tapered bull nose be better?
You might be chasing unicorns looking for "the perfect bit". You can get some intricate and tiny inlays using just a 60-degree v-bit, a well-tuned machine, and dead flat material: see this post for an example.
quesohusker wrote:
Sun Feb 11, 2024 1:54 pm
3. The most impressive inlay work on YouTube seems to use endgrain carves exclusively. Is the endgrain more stable for the extremely delicate work? Do you get fewer fuzzies after the carve with endgrain?
Certainly they garner the most views. Whether they are the most impressive is debatable. See this page.

There are some images near the bottom of this post that compare the depths and widths possible for tapered ball-ends and v-bits. Remember a tapered ball-end does not come to a point and even at 0.25mm radius it can be quite blunt.

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