Marquetry, Inlay, and Timber Framing

Inlay and marquetry are decorative techniques that embed contrasting wood or other materials (shell, brass, bone) into a prepared surface for visual richness. String inlay uses narrow strips (strings) of contrasting wood laid into routed or chiseled grooves. Marquetry assembles multiple differently-grained and -colored wood veneers into patterns and pictures — a form of veneer puzzle. String inlay process: select the string material (holly, ebony, maple) contrasting with the background wood. Rout the groove to exactly the string's width and depth using a router with a straight bit guided by a fence. The fit must be snug — the string should press in with finger pressure but not require a mallet. Apply glue to the groove (thin coat — too much glue swells the string), press the string into the groove, and use a caul (a flat pressure board) and clamps to hold flush while curing. After curing, scrape and sand the inlay flush with a card scraper to avoid sanding through the inlay's thin dimension. Marquetry packet cutting: the traditional method cuts through a stack (packet) of multiple veneers simultaneously with a marquetry saw or scroll saw. When a shape is cut through the full packet, the matching shapes from different veneers can be interchanged — a shape cut from the light veneer in the packet can be filled with the matching shape from the dark veneer. This ensures perfect fit between pieces because they were cut simultaneously from the same saw kerf. Chevalet de marqueterie (marquetry donkey) is the traditional specialized tool for French marquetry using a shooting board and jeweler's saw. Simple geometric marquetry (herringbone, checkerboard) can be produced with a table saw by resawing and re-gluing contrasting strips in alternating orientation.