How to Create a Wood Inlay for a Music Room Border

Creative and unusual ways of adding personality to a room is an individualized touch I often provide to my customers. Whether it's inlaying goldfish, sports logos, floor outlets, or as I discuss in this article, a music clef, it always adds a dimension of challenge for me to create something special and unique for a customer.

This article will relate the creation of a music clef and the musical border which was installed in the music room for one of my customers in Denver, Colorado. I would like to share with you the process I used to create this unique and interesting wood floor design.

Patterns and stencils are not always where you think you might find then. It's often interesting to browse a variety of stores to see what designs might surface. In this case, I found the pattern for a treble clef design in a stationary store. The stencil was part of a set created for a party banner complete with musical notes. Heading off to the nearest copy center I made enlarged photocopies of the original stencil until I had the size I wanted for my inlay, which in this case was a clef that was ten inches in height.

To create the inlay required the use of the scroll saw to make the template and a router to cut the pattern into the floor. Using regular white copy paper I created a template for my router. Then using a glue stick, I glued one of the photocopied images to a quarter-inch piece of plywood. I then cut the design out with my scroll saw. Once cut, I then removed the excess paper from the finished template.

Using a small drum sander attachment for my Dremel tool, I smoothed out the saw cut. Once the template was made I used my router with a collet to make a first sample. This told me exactly what size the resulting cut would be in the floor. It was approximately a quarter inch smaller than the template around the perimeter.

Taking a copy of my original image back to the copy center, I reduced the size of the stencil picture I used to make the template. Going from 99%...98%...97% reduction until the new picture matched the size of the actual cut in the sample.

This gave me a picture to use to cut the actual walnut I was going to inlay. With the glue stick I glued the reduced picture to the walnut and cut out the pattern with my scroll saw. This paper stencil would get sanded off when I was finished with the inlay.

This project can entail some delicate cuts. One of the problems with a treble clef sign is that there are inside curves that need to be cut. To solve this problem I used the template to cut the perimeter of the pattern in the floor. I then placed the piece of walnut so that it lined up with the cut. This involved tracing the inside lines from the walnut. I then free-hand cut to the inside lines with my router. This takes a steady hand and some patience. The router can pull the bit into the wood too much if you try to rush it.

I made small adjustments with the drum sander attachment on my Dremel tool until the walnut fit perfectly. I repeated this process four times on the floor and then made a fifth inlay as a sample.

You could use this same technique for letters or other kinds of designs. Use your imagination, plan carefully, and create a work of art in your wood floor that adds character and individuality.