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A question for those using solid wood for rosettes (or inlay): How thick (deep) do you want your pieces when you're ready to glue them into your instrument? Or, put another way, how deep do you route into the top/headstock/fingerboard, etc.? Bill Nichols has said he starts out with pieces from 1 to 2mm thick. What works for the rest of you?

1.2mm for rosettes.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I'm interested in this technique too and have been saving all kinds of cool figured woods for inlays.

My question, how to you cut the circle without damaging it? Looks like as soon as you cut it loose, the router bit would grab it?

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1.5mm or .063 if no shell is inlaid in it. If shell is inlaid in the hardwood ring then I cut the ring at .125 inlay the shell scrape level, flip over and thickness to 2mm or .078"

Bruce

A few small pieces of double-sided tape.

Josh

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[QUOTE=Bruce Dickey] I'm interested in this technique too and have been saving all kinds of cool figured woods for inlays.

My question, how to you cut the circle without damaging it? Looks like as soon as you cut it loose, the router bit would grab it?

[/QUOTE] I tack 'em to a piece of cardboard beforehand with a bit of superglue. the bit is set so it is deep enough to cut all the way through the wood, but not all the way through the cardboard.

Bruce,

What I have done is use a "sacrificial" work board which is true, and large enough to support the piece. I then drill the center for the circle cutter pin,(stew mac version), through the board as well as the working stock.
This allows repositioning to center if necessary.

I hold the entire stock to the board with double sided carpet tape.(To finally answer your question!!! ).

I always start with the stock a bit thicker then needed and don't cut all the way through. This provides some strength when using a modified sheetrock blade to separate the wood from the tape. Then I sand from the back till I can free the ring. Of course you could cut through and carefully pry the ring off the backer if you choose.
I hope this helps!

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Bruce, for the rosette, you can also route the od and id, NOT THROUGH THE PIECE, than flip it over and run through the thickness sander till the piece is released. This way you can inlay abalone rings with wood on either side of it. Basically make the whole rosette on your "mother" board and than just run it through the sander and she's ready to be installed onto the top. Clear as mud?Rod True38777.4134837963

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I've only inlayed rosettes and I typically go 2/3rd of the way through the soundboard. Don't forget one of the main purposes of the rosette is to add strength around the soundhole. If you go too shallow, and then take off more material while leveling, the top won't be as strong around the soundhole.

Cheers!

John

Thanks Fellas, I just haven't tried it yet and didn't have the procedure down in my head. You hold it from the backside.

Sanding it free in a drum sander, I've heard that but not tried it. Just looks like it would fly out when freed, but I guess it's really trapped by the pinch rollers of the sander and then pushed out with the stock which has it trapped. I'll try these and see what I get. Thanks.

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Couple of small bits of double-sided tape is what I use to hold the pieces down while routing them out. Make SURE you don't go overboard with the stuff, or you're likely to snap things trying to get it off the backer.

A little heat helps release the tape

Thanks for the great tips folks!

Very good information. Thank you, gentlemen!

Bruce, et al, I've never used tape, and never had a problem with chipping. Hmmmm. What am I doing wrong? Anyways, I just take my cuts in stages, say about three passes through the rosette material, and then with the last cut, the rosette is free, ready to use. Perhaps sneaking up on it like that has saved me some headaches.

As for Carlton's question, I really don't know how deep I go. About half the depth of the top. Can't express that in mm's, as I don't know what those are.

SK

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Steve, you don't know what M&M's are, you sorry fellow you.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Rod that's what everyone is talking about?!
That's really sweet, measuring your work against a hard candy. And I can see why they chose this one-- melts in your mouth, not on your spruce.

Thanks   

Steve

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