Why use a template?  Templates are especially handy when you need to create multiple items repeatedly.  I will admit that I get a little template crazy.  I sometimes create a template just to create another template.  For instance, recently I decided to make some racks for my pipe clamps so I could hang them up neatly on the wall.  It wasn’t really necessary that all of the U shaped slots on the rack be identical, but I am a bit of a stickler for such things.

I first made a template for a single slot.  I then used this template to create another template with multiple slots.  I accomplished this by using double stick tape to attach the single slot to longer workpiece of the final template.  I then routed the slot by following the single slot template with a flush trim bit mounted in my router table.  Once this was done, I then moved the single slot template the desired distance and reattached it.  I then routed out the second slot on the final template.

I repeated this process until my final template had the right number of slots.  In this case, I only had to put a little effort into making one slot, which translated into several identical slots.  This was a real time saver on something that could have become very mundane.

I did something similar on my Marquetry Mirror project.  I wanted to make sure that the mirror frame was completely symmetrical.  I started by making a template for half of the mirror frame.  I then used this template to create the other half of the frame.  By book-matching the templates together, I had a perfectly symmetrical mirror frame template.

Marquetry Mirror

This hand held mirror was one of my first attempts at marquetry. I saw the plan in the June 2000 issue of Wood Magazine and immediately decided I wanted to try my hand at it. It was challenging to say the least.  I made 2 or three attempts at the marquetry before I had results that I was satisfied with.

The outer part of the frame is made of black Walnut, and the back panel is made of Curly Maple. The rose petals are made of Purple Heart, while the stem is made of Cherry.  These are all woods that I had worked with before, and they compliment each other beautifully.

Mirror Inlay

I made the marquetry inlay’s using a Double Bevel technique where the inlay and the hole for the inlay are cut at the same time.  This is done using a scroll-saw and tipping the table of the scroll-saw on an angle.  The angle depends on the thickness of the inlay stock and the thickness of the blade being used.  If done properly, the inlay piece fits perfectly into the hole.

The black band you see around the back panel is actually a black epoxy, which holds the mirror and back panel in place. Once the frame and the inlay in the back panel is done, then everything is assembled centering the back panel in the opening of the frame. Then I mix up some epoxy with some black colorant and pour it into the groove between the frame and the back panel.

Once the epoxy is dry I sand it and the rest of the piece down to 320. What you end up with is what looks like a very smooth looking inlay.  The finish is a clear oil based product called Seal-a-Cell with its companion topcoat called Arm-R-Seal.

Mirror

I have made several of these mirrors now for family and friends.  I have begun coming up with my own designs for the inlays, and have started using the technique on other projects as well.