Woodworking hobbies...wood Intarsia pictures

Are you looking for a rewarding retirement hobby? One that you can use to fill up those leisure time hours after you retire? One that you could develop into a home based business? Do you like working with your hands? Do you like wood, especially different kinds of wood? Are you interested in creating unusual wood intarsia pictures? If the answers to any of these questions is yes then this "wood intarsia art form" just may be for you. It can be as simple or detailed as you desire. You can find intarsia patterns with a few pieces to several hundreds. Begin with the simple intarsia patterns until you get the hang of it

The first thing a beginner will need to make an intarsia is a paper drawing commonly found as an intarsia pattern of the intarsia piece chosen to be made. There are free intarsia woodworking plans online to get you started. Equipment wise you can begin very easily if you have access to a scroll saw or a band saw with an 1/8" blade. The next requirement is a few assorted types of wood with assorted colors and grain. The local lumber dealer or cabinet workshop could be an excellent source of dry wood for your first wood intarsia projects. Choose dry wood (preferably kiln dried), You don't want to do all that work just to find out the wood has shrunken and there are spaces between your elements. My prefered wood would be 3/4" thick. Keep in mind that western red cedar wood is very easy to use and has a wide range of color and grain patterns.

When you complete cutting out the wood intarsia pieces, you need to shape them to form a 3-D picture when they are all assembled. Do this with sand paper of varying grits, ending with a very fine 400-600 grit. When the sanding is finished, glue your 3-D wooden pieces or elements to a backing board. You need something rigid like 1/4" plywood. The finishing of your Intarsia is as simple as putting on a good finishing oil. The various wood elements have different color and grain direction and 3-d shapes. This gives the beautiful 3-D effect you see in an Intarsi pictures. If you have an interest in creating your own wood intarsia and want more good information, Check this Intarsia guide to help you with all aspects of your intarsia wood art all along the way.