GET INLAID

Did a little sawing yesterday. I’ve switched to 3/0 saw blades; I’d started with #3s. You can see the difference here. The line coming from the right is the 3/0, a considerably more narrow kerf than the #3 I’m using coming in from the left just to get the piece down to manageable size.

It started off well enough. I used a single blade for the first 20 minutes when it finally snapped, though once I got the new one in, I realized that the one that had just snapped was dull anyway. Anytime I can use a blade to dullness, it’s a victory.

I cut several pieces, some with piercings, and then I must’ve either had sawing or attention fatigue, because suddenly, I was breaking blades like nobody’s business. It doesn’t take much to break these 3/0s—just a little twist of the saw, and it’s all over. That seemed to be my problem; I was probably rushing, so I decided I was done for the day. Well, that, and I’d superglued my fingers together once already, which seemed like enough for one day.  I’m all about the Zen inlay these days. This is how far I got.

The whole nose/mouth area of the dog is in ebony, and I had originally done them as separate pieces, but I may do it all as one and do some engraving/painting of detail. I have my options glued up, anyway. I started sawing the ebony, but broke one piece while I was at it. I’ve glued it (see the above re: gluing fingers together), though I don’t know how successfully. Of all the woods I’ve used at this thickness, the ebony is most likely to break along the grain. It also seems twice as dusty as any of the other woods. The cleanest sawing was the bit of figured maple Athena sent me. That was sweet.  Thanks, Ath!