Louis Cube Coaster (Marquetry/Inlay)
Instruction
Information
Why not give inlay work a try? xTool lasers are ideal for this: they are ultra-precise, and with air assist, you can achieve a really nice cut.
After a few relatively simple tests, I felt like taking it a step further. And because my hexagonal coaster with the pattern was so well received, I decided to go with a pattern again. It even has a name: it is called Louis Cubes because it was very popular during the period of Louis XVI, so in the second half of the 18th century. End of history lesson ;-)
I drew the pattern in InDesign, saved it as an EPS file, and then converted it online to an SVG file, which I then imported into xTool. Of course, you could also draw it directly in xTool, but I'm just more used and comfortable with InDesign.
I made pictures of the individual steps, and described them below, so you can see pretty clearly what needs to be done.
Instruction
Step1
Cut out the veneer pieces. I used walnut (dark), cherry (medium), and birch (light). If you do this on a sheet of metal (in my case, perforated sheet metal), the pieces stick to the bottom a little, which is very handy for putting them together.
To keep the thin veneer completely flat on the table, I use a vacuum table powered by a vacuum cleaner, which I built and have already presented.
Step2
Now comes the hard work: the big sorting job. I used a scalpel. The pieces are simply too small for my sausage fingers ;-) To get it really accurate, I made masks out of thick paper, actually cardboard.
Step3
I also used these masks to determine the size of the outer wood (beech). Since some material is lost during cutting, the sizes are very specific. But you can try it out with scraps of paper until you get it right. Then the outer material is cut and placed around the pieces.
Please note: The hexagonal holes that result from cutting the small pieces cannot be used as a frame for the coaster. This is because you lose some material with each cut and then push the pieces together. There are up to 11 consecutive cuts in both directions. This means you lose about 1.5 mm of material in length and width. See last picture of the main gallery.
Step4
Now cover the entire front with adhesive tape. You then have to remove the whole thing from the sheet very, very carefully. I used a stiff piece of paper, like a spatula, to slide underneath it. Dental floss might also work well.
Step5
Now glue the artwork onto a sturdy piece of wood. I used 3 mm poplar plywood. I like to use quick-drying white glue which I apply with a brush. It is important to press it down firmly. I have a small stick press, but you can also use screw clamps or a stack of heavy books.
Step6
Finally, the surface will be treated. Sand it down and bring the wood to life with shellac or wax or clear varnish, whatever you prefer.
Step7
Things I haven't done yet The pictures showing the finished coasters are currently still photoshopped. Sorry for that!
The coasters need to be cut out. I'm a little scared of that, because the edge should be as precise and even as the pattern. If not, you can destroy hours of work in seconds. I'll probably cover it with tape, mark it, and then cut it with six individual straight lines instead of a hexagon. (I've done it with a hexagon before and it was a total disaster.)
