Help with Kerf on a complex inlay design

[nina.nadeau]

Hello All,

Anyone have ideas on how to handle kerf when two pieces join within another piece? Please see picture.

I figured out the rest, put when the two yin/yan join together is the problem

Thank you for your help

[PrintToLaser]

Hi!
Here you go, how I do inlays. With this method, it’s the stroke width that’s key. That you will have to determine yourself by testing with the actual materials you will be using.

That’s a complex job. I’m thinking I would work from the center out. Since the laser leaves a beveled edge I would invert one of the two so that they fit better at the joint you point out.
Now the two nested pieces each have a different angle on the outside edge of the circle they created, so I would expand the diameter of the whole circle enough so that I could trim the ring with a cut to have the same slope around the periphery and work outward to the next element, the blue ring. Keep in mind the cut slope of the previous edge so you know how to flip the next one.
Good luck with that!

[nina.nadeau]

Hello and thanks for the info.

You helped me think my way through the problem. I wasn’t sure how to deal with the uneven angles of the interior shapes. My thoughts were to work from the center to the outside edge too. This are the steps I’m planning to take to make this work

Starting with the dragons in the center:

Laser Cut Part 1

(Note: Stop and assemble after each cut)

1. gray yin dragon- inverted and kerf increase
2. green yang dragon
3. gray yin shape
4. green yang shape - inverted and kerf increase

Part 2 laser cuts

(Note: Stop and assemble after each cut)

1. cut a .2 mm circle around the dragons and yin/yang shapes that were assembled in part 1 (This is to trim the uneven angles of the nested yin/yang)
2. blue ribbon - inverted and kerf increase for laser bevel + the .2 mm (to compensate for the trim in part 2.1)
3. red ribbon interior
4. white teardrop band- inverted and kerf increase
5. red teardrops inside the white band
6. red ribbon exterior

This should work?

I will keep you posted on the progress and the outcome.

Thank you for the help.

Nina

[eflyguy]

It is impossible to use the inverted cut method for inlay for both parts of the center section. Either the two yin/yang will mis-match where they meet, or one of them will mis-match with the first ring.

My suggestion is to us the same method for both so they perfectly match the ring, and use very precise measurements to get it as close as possible where they meet.