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Hi there, I am getting ready to start building my next guitar. I was going to do something a little different and use a wood inlay for the peghead instead of bling. I have decided to use cocobolo or madi for the background and inlay an ebony design. My question is 2 part. 1: should i thickness the pieces first then cut? 2: should i inlay them then thickness all at once?

I've done several wood inlays with both veneer pieces and old headplate scrap. I've found it easier to work with the thicker pieces, cutting them out, inlaying them, then sanding back. Thinner pieces like veneer can easily sand through and are harder to get a clean edge on the inlay.

mjmeehan wrote:I've done several wood inlays with both veneer pieces and old headplate scrap. I've found it easier to work with the thicker pieces, cutting them out, inlaying them, then sanding back. Thinner pieces like veneer can easily sand through and are harder to get a clean edge on the inlay.

I second that. I hand plane, then sand to final finish.

ok sounds good i think ill inlay then thickness. thanks :-)

I've been taking large scrap of interesting wood (like the large bits after you've cut out the shape for your back) and thinning them to about 0.06" (the same as a lot of standard pearl inlay blanks), then tossing them in my inlay toolchest. Always nice to have a wide palette at your disposal.

I do mine the same as if using shell. I start with wood that is 0,075" thick and cut it just the same, on a saddle with a jewelers saw.

Inlay is all about process , I teach people to do this the same way I was taught . Starting with squares , then triangles , circles and cats eyes , as you progress through this it gets easier . There are a few tricks to learn. I think marking out the pattern to inlet is one of the more difficult things. I use a nail that I have ground to a point to help hold my piece to inlay. Once you develop those skills it comes easier.
Besides wood you can use many materials for inlay. It is all about the design at that point. So are what I consider the building blocks
1 Learning to layout and cut the routs
2 leaning to cut using a pattern
3 filling
4 leveling
There is some good advice posted in this link , a little practice and you will soon master this. One thing that I didn't mention , USE SHARP TOOLS.

Im pretty good with cutting patterns and designs. I've done some pretty curvy inlays before. I guess starting with just the raw pieces before they were attached to the guitar threw me off. Although I like the idea of it being completely separate from the peghead. I've been known to mess up a bit. I call it enhancing my original concept. Hahaha.