Inlaying perpendiculat to the grain

[Robert Rifkin]

Hi,

If I inlay narrow strips of wood perpendicular to the grain direction, must I worry abou the inlay splitting owing to wood expansion/contraction?

thanks in advance.

bob

[bridgerfafc]

yes. you can keep it under control by keeping the cross grain sections short.

[the_tool_man]

Hi bob:

I have done this, though it was at a large scale. When I did some decorative inlay in my hardwood floors, I used short sections of wood for the cross-grain inlay. That allows the underlying wood to move seasonally. By cutting the pieces from the same piece of wood, the grain matches and the joints are nearly invisible. Here's a picture:

[charlie b]

This may help. And the tool to cut the groove for line inlaying can be made from a cabinet scraper.

charlie b