How to Do Inlays With a Router
- 1). Install the 3/4-inch cutter bit into the router. Set the depth of cut on the router so that the tip of the bit extends 3/16-inch through the router base. The depth-of-cut knob is on the side of the router; loosen it and slide the base up or down to get the measurement.
- 2). Slide the router guide into the router base. Set the guide at 2 inches from the guide fence to the center of the bit and lock it down.
- 3). Clamp the poplar board to a worktable with two hand clamps. Set the router on the leading edge of the board with the guide on the router flush with the side of the board. Grab it with both hands. Turn it on and begin sliding it down the board, using the guide to keep it cutting a channel straight down the poplar board to the end. Turn off the router and set it aside.
- 4). Squirt a bead of glue down the center of the channel. Use your finger to spread it out evenly inside the channel. Place the mahogany stick in the channel and tap it down tight with a hammer. Let the glue dry for 1 hour.
- 5). Sand the mahogany flush with the poplar using a belt sander and 100-grit belt. Finish by sanding the board smooth with 100-grit sandpaper attached to a hand block.