Thin trim line / border

[Top Spin]

My son-in-law, more or less a beginning woodworker, wants to make a coffee table with a thin border or trim line (not sure what the right term is) in a contrasting color about 1/4" in from the edge of the top and the faces of the legs.

I may not be describing this very well. The top will be made from rails about 3" wide, joined at the corners with 45 degree cuts, with a glass insert for the center. He would like a thin line (1/16"?) like a border about 1/4" in from the edge all the way around and a similar border on each face of the square, straight legs.

I suggested that he get some veneer in the contrasting color and "inlay" it into a groove cut with a router using a bit of the same width as the veneer. Is this the best way to do this?

Thanks

[Juergen Hannappel]

1/16" is very thin, a bit wider might be more easy.

There exist special tools to do that, they look similar to a marking gouge, and they cut two parallel cuts into the wood and remove the strip in the middle. You could also make a cut with the table saw and glue a strip of contrasting wood into that. Its rather easy to do if you make a strip that is as wide as the groove you cut but somewhat thicker, so that after the glue has dried you plane the part that stands proud of the surface away, so that you get a perfect surface.

BTW: If you want a fancy light inlay that looks like ebony: Make a good flesh soup and keep the bone, dry it, cut with a hacksaw into strips and use them. Its work, it stinks like burning hair while doing so, but the result is amazing! (Once done it gives no odour at all).

[Juergen Hannappel]

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[Swingman]

There is an article in the Dec 03 (#166) issue of Fine Woodworking that describes "Stringing and Banding" (which is the term for what your son wants to do), how to make a simple scratch stock that cuts the grooves, the use of a spaghetti cutter to make the stringing, and gluing tips.

You really need to search out this article, as it will answer all your questions regarding this operation.

[charlie b]

Michael Fortune uses fine line inlays in many of his pieces. He's got a simple tool for cutting the groove for the fine line inlay. He starts with a cabinet scraper and modifies it with files. Here's the url to some info I put together after attending one of Michael's demos on fine line inlaying,

inlays with the grain can be any length but acrossed the grain is where expansion/contraction become an issue. You can break up those line inlays to avoid cross grain line inlay problems.

If he wants to spend some bucks, a good plunge router, an appropriate router bit, a fair to good dial caliper AND the Micro-Fence

will really get him into it. The Micro-Fence was invented by a furniture maker whose dad is a machinist. Between them they came up with a wonderful precision wood working tool.

charlie b

[charlie b]

There was also an article on the subject in the Feb. 2002 issue of Woodwork magazine worth checking out as well.

charlie b

[Top Spin]

Thanks to everyone. He and I now have some reading and testing to do. I'll try to remember to post back how it turns out.