Inlaying is often regarded by the amateur craftsman as a difficult process. This is because he has never seen how inlaying is done and, therefore, does not realize how comparatively simple and easy the process really is.

While inlaying is quite easy to do, it is a process that does not lend itself readily to machine production. Inlaid pieces of furniture command a good price by virtue of the handwork lavished upon them, while the painted imitations and plain pieces sell for very much less.

The home woodworker, who is interested and ambitious enough to experiment a little with inlaying, will be amply repaid for his trouble through the satisfaction he will experience in being able to make furniture not only of greater beauty and distinction, but also of greater intrinsic value - a value that can be measured directly in dollars and cents.

Inlay in general is made in two forms, lines or bands of varying widths and patterns, and inserts of a multitude of shapes and designs. This material is made by specialists. The lines are in pieces one yard long and vary in price from less than a cent to about twelve cents a yard. The inserts are sold by the piece; those described in this article cost from 50 cents or less to $1 each.

When lines are to be inlaid, a groove must first be cut in the wood of exactly the same width as the line and of a depth about equal to the thickness of the line. The tool for cutting such a groove (Fig. 33) can easily be made of an old hack saw blade or similar piece of thin steel. It is ground down on an emery wheel to approximately the right width, after which it is sharpened on one Bide only like a chisel. The more carefully this sharpening is done the better it will cut. The spur is removed from an ordinary marking gage and this piece of steel inserted in its place (Fig. 34).

Fig. 33. - Cutting grooves for inlays with a modified marking gage which has a cutter instead of a point.

A groove is then cut with this tool, and if it is too wide the cutter is ground down. For the best results the groove should be so narrow that the inlay must be forced gently in place. This tool will cut grooves across the grain, but corners and awkward places generally must be cut and cleaned up with a pocket-knife and a 1/16 in. chisel (sometimes ground down to 1/32 in., depending on the width of the inlay). It is recommended to make a cutter for the plain satin lines, 1/16 in. wide. For wider lines, two or more cuts can be made with this cutter until the desired width is obtained.

When the grooves have all been cut and the corners cleaned, the lines are cut to length and mitered in the corners. Thin glue is then run into the grooves and the inlay forced in place with the aid of a hammer. The surplus glue should be wiped off with hot water and the inlaid piece allowed to dry overnight. If an insert is to be used in the center, as on the serving tray shown in Fig. 35, it may be glued in place at the same time.

Fig. 34. - Tool for cut-ting, grooves made from common marking gage.

Inserts sold by manufacturers of marquetry are always glued to a piece of brown wrapping paper and set in a piece of mahogany veneer. This surplus veneer around the edges is first cut away with a knife. The insert is then placed face down in the exact center of the tray, and a fine line marked around it with a sharp pencil. Draw perpendicular center lines both on the tray and the insert. If the insert is of an oval or circular shape, the outline is cut down with a sharp penknife, after which the wood in the center is cut away with a router plane. Set the plane to cut only a thin shaving at a time until the desired depth (equal to the thickness of the insert) has been reached. If the work has been carefully done, the insert should fit in the recess that has been cut. It is glued in place face down, with the brown paper on top. and is held in place by a weight. When it has dried overnight, it is scraped with a cabinet or veneer scraper. This removes the brown paper and brings out the pattern of the inlay. The corner inserts are inlaid after the line inlay has dried.

Fig. 35. - Tray with border lines and corner and center inserts : note alternative designs for the corners.

A serving tray such as illustrated in Fig. 35 is a serviceable as well as beautiful addition to the furnishings of the dining room. Before beginning work on it, however, it is well to ascertain if the dimensions given are suitable for the stand or tea wagon on which it is to be placed.

Its construction is very simple. The bottom is made and inlaid as described above. The frame consists of four pieces put together with a rab-betted joint at the corners, as shown. The opening to form the handle is carefully laid out on one piece, after which the two end pieces are clamped together and a number of holes are bored through them with a ¾-in. auger bit. The bits of wood left between these holes are cut away with a chisel and smoothed with scraper, file and sandpaper. It is better to cut these holes before cutting the outside shape and making the joints, because there is less danger of splitting.

The frame is glued together, smoothed and sanded, after which it is either glued or screwed to the bottom. The writer has found gluing the easier, if enough hand screws are available. It is not recommended to use a glass plate over the bottom, because dust will collect under the glass in time and make it unsightly, and if any liquid is spilled it is likely to run under the glass. If the tray is finished with linseed oil it will not be marred easily even if something is spilled on it.