The Best Way To Inlay

[Orion]

Sorry about the kinda crappy photos, but I just found out the hard way that a Vulcan harp really needs a special stand to hold it upright. Lacking that, I had to use a couple of old boxes as support.

The pictures are of my "test harp" where I work out all the things I need to do and figure out all the things that can go wrong before I buy and use the good wood. The front uses mahogany plywood but the final version will use bleached walnut for the front panel. On some versions of the harp, the front panel is just glued on down to the frame but on other versions, the top panel is inlaid-- there's no one way to go, which is a pity because I don't like too many options. ;-)

The back is inlaid 1/8" and the new technique works well but it takes forever to route out so much surface area and not make any mistakes. In the photo we see a panel made of MDF but the final version will have a birch panel because birch is often used in sound boards.

So now I know where all my mistakes are and effect changes before I buy and use the "good wood," which next time will be cherry. I like walnut, tu it is incredibly expensive at $37 a board foot (the harp takes 8).

Ron