Tutorial : Inlays and Inlay Tools

[Gavin1393]

A general rule of thumb that I use is to never set the depth of cut deeper than the diameter of the router bit.

Agree completely!

The 1/32" dremel drill bit translates to a 0.8mm MOP blank and the 3/64' has you covered up to 1.2mm.

[Tweaky]

I just got to say, Thanks for all this info, it's great to find it.

A question...what is the recommended thickness of inlay to use?
I went to the linked website to source the shell....seems it comes in 1mm - 1.3mm and greater.
Am I correct in assuming that 1.3mm would be pretty much the optimum thickness?

After reading this thread, I did a search and found this YouTube video on how to clean up and cut shell found at the beach
Great for me as I'm very close to Sydney's Eastern suburbs beaches .

Hope somebody finds this video useful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A4Txldz5po

[wokkaboy]

hey Tweaky, 1.3mm sounds about right, go the thicker inlay is less likely to crack or shatter when you cut/shape it

DB or Gavmiester should confirm that once they see your question

[Tweaky]

Worth investing in a scroll saw?

Well I might as well come out and say that I have friends at Sydneys Fish Market, so getting Greenlip Abalone shell won't be a problem [you find plenty washed up on the beaches anyway] ....same for Turbun shell....it's everywhere here....you could cut your feet with it if trodden on.

I have friends in Catering that can supply Mussel shells, they would only be throwing them out.

[wokkaboy]

Hi Tweaky scroll saws have so many uses so I would say yes. They are great for cutting delicate/thin material and can get nice accurate curves with them. I use one to cut control plates and pickguards - very handy machine to have.
I'd say some of the inlays you would need to use a jewelers saw

[Gavin1393]

Hi Tweaky, 1.3mm is thicker than you need to go. I use 1.1mm on all mine and it works great. Would not go thinner than .9mm though.

Scroll saw for cutting shell....yes, but you would need to get a very good one. The cheaper ones are plain dangerous. you must use a very thin blade exactly the same as the ones you would use with a Jewellers saw. For this reason you would want you scroll saw to use bladed that have no lugs to hold it in place, it would instead have a clamping screw that achieves this.

Cutting my MOP logo would take around 15-20 minutes with a jewellers saw. Only takes 4-5 minutes with the scroll saw. But you have to determine how much inlay work you expect to do to justify the $700-$800 that a good one will cost.

[wokkaboy]

cheers Gav for clearing that up. Good advice.
Only 9 posts to hit the 3000 posts Gav !

[Tweaky]

Hi Tweaky, 1.3mm is thicker than you need to go. I use 1.1mm on all mine and it works great. Would not go thinner than .9mm though.

Scroll saw for cutting shell....yes, but you would need to get a very good one. The cheaper ones are plain dangerous. you must use a very thin blade exactly the same as the ones you would use with a Jewellers saw. For this reason you would want you scroll saw to use bladed that have no lugs to hold it in place, it would instead have a clamping screw that achieves this.

Cutting my MOP logo would take around 15-20 minutes with a jewellers saw. Only takes 4-5 minutes with the scroll saw. But you have to determine how much inlay work you expect to do to justify the $700-$800 that a good one will cost.

Thanks for the erudite reply.
Could you please give me a link to a scroll saw of the type you recommend ?
I work in a environment full of Jewellers / Bespoke Tailors - Cobblers / Fashion houses...it wouldn't be hard for me to request one of the Jewellers to purchase a scroll saw at industry prices on my behalf....I just need to know which sort [recommended - not THAT expensive] to get.

OT: Somebody in a house nearby is Frying Onions....it smells wonderful...very hard to stay focussed while typing this.

[Gavin1393]

I have an Excalibur (General International) . There is a great review here on it that shows how great it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxz3b_LHlkY

[stan]

jumping in late, and not sure if it has been mentioned - use proper breathing protection when cutting up mop, shells etc, the dust is more than bad for you, Dr Google it...