Need 1/64″ perhaps? I’ve used down to 1/32″ but had to be pretty careful about it, too much side load or feed rate will snap it off.

Routers with the LEDs built into the base are great for this, you can really see what is happening. If your router doesn’t have the lighted base, look around for the cheap little goose-neck LED clip lights and work out a way to attach one to your router.

Also, a slick trick to give you more control of the router in this mode is to make a set of skis. Fit two pieces of all-thread rod, use the largest diameter that will fit through the holes on the baseplate normally used for the edge guide. Add washers and nuts so that you can clamp onto a set of skis/feet/outriggers made at least 1-1/2″ wide and with slots for the all thread to move up and down. With the skis supporting the router off the workpiece (this is great for smaller workpieces) you don’t need to worry about bobbling the router near an edge. Take a little time and level the router before you start so the base is in contact with the workpiece and both skis are sliding along the table top to the sides of the workpiece.

Note, the router is not meant to slide along the all-thread. Use the little thumb screws in the router base to lock the all-thread in place.

Also you can lock down one ski by holding it steady with your left (right) hand while moving the other ski with your right (left) hand. With the skis well out from the bit, a large motion at the ski translates into a small motion at the bit. Sort of a reverse pantograph.

I’ve been using a 1/4″ sheet of melamine covered particle board to slide the skis around. Double stick tape down the workpiece and the skis glide very nicely on the melamine.

This takes a lot more to describe than to do…

With marquetry, you are typically working with a sheet of veneer (shop sawn, or commercial). It gets confusing because you are technically “inlaying” a thin piece of veneer into another thin piece of veneer. But you will eventually take the whole sheet of veneer (with your design embedded in it), and veneer that to a substrate. So with a technique like David teaches (double bevel marquetry), we are cutting two pieces of veneer at the same time at a slight angle so that the pieces will fit together perfectly, and the angle serves wedge the pieces together.

Make sense?

And inlay kits are ok, but I never really use them anymore. I am a big fan of free-hand. But if you have multiples of something to do, or if you need to make a more or less geometric shape, and inlay kit is a good idea.

If you have comments regarding inlay kits I’d appreciate that too – inlay is new to me !!

thanks for your thoughts.

John.