Wood is organic, expands & contracts with humidity. Probably do the .001 and sand to fit.
I’d make sure I had stable wood, at least 6 months in storage before working it.
Great job!
Is there any possibility to use V carving for Inlays with Easel? It would give very tight result due to wedging effect. Insert of course have to be changed to mirror.
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I tried this yesterday. It didn’t work for me. I’m assuming I did something wrong. My inlay piece was bigger than the pocket.
Paul, I gave this a try yesterday and it worked…sort of. The problem is that with intricate pieces, you really need “mirror” cutout for the inlayed cutout. When I flip my design horizontally, “trying to create a mirror image”, that has the entire back plate in place, it doesn’t fit right. How do we use this for intricate pieces?
hey guys thanks for the post but where do I get the app?
The button looks like a little Lego brick.
Paul Kaplan,
Did you just update the Easel software to get rid of the bug that was causing the issue? I am pulling my hair out trying to get these pockets and cutouts to fit snugly.
For more intricate inlays, is there any way to have Easel create a male side of the inlay where instead of cutting all the way through the stock, it removes all of the stock around the image to be carved? You would then place the stock face down into the carved pocket. I’ve seen this technique often when doing inlays for the US Flag, especially when inlaying the stars.
Anyone with experience with this in easel?
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You’re thinking of a prismatic inlay. Easel pro can do this, but you’ll need to adjust the Z0 on your name inlay to be below the surface of the stock. Your machine will have to be able to handle the extra DOC.
Is there an app or add on that creates the carving? It would also need to be mirrored ( I have just been flipping horizontal)
No…just mirror it.
Add geometry around it to invert the carve.
Set your Z-Zero on the male at the depth you want it to inlay (“start depth”), and use the same V-Bit for both.
The angle of the bit just depends on the detail you need. I use 60deg for most.
The “Start Depth” is the amount the inlay will insert into the pocket before the design matches up. You want this to be most of your pocket depth. No one wants a hollow inlay.
Glue Gap = Female Pocket Depth - Male Start Depth
Saw Gap = Male Max Depth - Male Start Depth
I don’t see a reason to go more than 5mm or 0.2" on a pocket depth.
Glue gap isn’t as much for glue as it is for clamp force (works better when you REALLY clamp it).
Saw gap only needs to be bigger if you’re actually sawing the excess inlay scrap off (I use the machine to face it off). You do want that gap to be at least the same as the glue gap for clamping (again, smash the inlay in there).
Hey Neil,
You help is greatly appreciated. I think my issue was using a straight bit. A tapered bit will make for an easier fit. I was using a straight bit, and the fit was too tight.
When you use a straight bit, you will have issues with any feature that has an internal corner or any feature with a radius less than that of the endmill.
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