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Welcome to Intarsia!!

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Jan 1, 2001

As you may know by now there are many variations of woodcrafting, such as Intarsia, Fretwork, Carving and Woodburning, to name a few. For this article, Intarsia will be the topic of discussion.

First of all, what is Intarsia? The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth Edition http://www.bartleby.com/65/in/intarsia.h... describes it as: Properly a form of wood inlaying. It was probably developed in Siena, Italy, in the 13th century and derived from Middle Eastern inlays of ivory upon wood. Although the term, Intarsia, may have initially referred to the inlaying of wood, it also applies to the inlays of other materials such as ivory, marble and metal. Using yarn or wool http://www.heydiddlediddle.on.ca/itm0009... refers to Intarsia for its knitting designs.

The art of Intarsia in wood is done by the inlaying of contrasting wood to form a picture or design. Thus, each will be unique in that no two will ever be identical. There's no painting required, only the color and grain of different species are used. Some of the more popular wood choices for Intarsia are: Walnut, Redwood, Maple, Western Red Cedar and White Pine.

To create your Intarsian project, you'll first need a design. Using any search engine, you can find dozens of websites on the Internet dedicated to Intarsia and patterns. Here's one such website offering two free patterns of GeeGee birds for you to do and where you can purchase their patterns, http://www.sawbird.com/free1.htm to help you get started. Intarsian projects can have a handful, dozens and even hundreds or more cutouts. An Intarsian project at http://www.mts.net/~blber/pages/wduck.htm of a 16" x 24" Duck has 70 different pieces. Well worth a look. It's recommended that you start out small with just a handful of cutouts and as you gain experience, try for more intricate designs.

After you have chosen your design, select your species of wood to complete your project. Pay special attention to the grain and wood color to help match your design. After you have completed the selection process, trace the individual parts of the pattern onto your pre-selected wood pieces. Using a scrollsaw or a bandsaw, follow the outlines and cut all the pieces. Dry fit them together to form the picture. If one or more doesn't fit comfortably together, make cutting adjustments and trim until they do.

When you're done with the cutting and fitting process, it's time to shape each individual piece. By hand sanding or using a sander, shape to match the adjoining part by slightly rounding over the top edges. For a look at some intricate designs visit: http://www.clallam.com/intarsia/index.htm

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