Inlay Necklaces

The wood is ~1/8" thick, and the aluminum is ~.02" thick. I milled the pockets that the aluminum strips sit in a bit deeper at .03" to make sure they didn’t protrude. I milled the wenge at a speed of 48 and a depth per pass of .03", and the cherry at a speed of 72 and depth per pass of .03" with a 1/16" milling bit.

Here’s the file for the triangle necklace:

http://easel.inventables.com/projects/ut4csB8bgS5L6aLvgu0Qtg

While the holes could be milled, I decided to drill them myself because I wanted to keep them very small. I did these by hand using a Dremel tool and a very small drill bit. Do not do this on a drill press – it can cause the wood to crack.

Again, while the aluminum could be milled, I thought it would be simpler to cut with a metal shear.

Do not make the metal strips the exact same size as the pockets you milled for them in the wood – they will need to be a bit smaller to actually fit. You’ll have to play around with the size until you find the dimensions that make for a really snug fit. Because the milling bit will naturally round the corners of your rectangular pockets, you’ll need to take a small file and gently round the corners of your aluminum strips. Just file a little, it doesn’t take much.

Ideally, once the aluminum strips are inserted into the wood, they should be difficult to remove.

I put a small amount of Jet Glue into the pockets before pressing the aluminum strips in for good. Be careful as the glue spreads very easily and quickly. It’s best to use micro-tips to prevent glue from coming out too fast.

Loop 2 jump rings through the holes you drilled and attach your chain. Choose any material, color and length you’d like. I went with sterling silver and kept the triangle necklace long and the square necklace short.