12-Pointed Star Inlay for Hardwood Floor

Instructions

The diameter of the star is 21.52" and the corner radiuses are designed for an 1/8" cutter. The optional circle around the star is 24" in diameter. 1. Resaw and plane/thickness sand all material meant for the inlay pieces. Make sure all four species of hardwood are the same thickness as each other and as your tape board (in this case it is 1/8", but you could go up to a 1/4"). 2. Use a little double sided tape to hold down your Shaper tape board to your spoilboard, leaving enough room in front to tape down your thin hardwood blanks. 3. Use plenty of double sided tape to hold down your hardwood blanks and butt them up against your tape board. 4. Cut out six of each of the "point" shapes, each in their own kind of wood. -Cut to 0" offset 5. Now that have all your inlay pieces cut out, you are ready to cut the pocket into the floor. -Lay out Shaper tape in about a 30" x 30" square area. -Scan and place the "Pocket" file where you want your design to be on the floor -**Note: It helps to make a center mark on the floor or set a grid for more precise placement.** 6. Using Calipers, measure the thickness of your inlay pieces and set your depth on tool to that amount. In my case it was .125" deep. 7. Pocket out the area. -I first did this with a 1" cutter first to speed up the pocketing process. -then I switched to a 1/4" cutter to do the rest of the pocketing. 8. Change cut type to inside cut and switch to a 1/8" cutter. -First pass with a 0.01" offset -Second pass with a 0" offset -For your finish pass, I've found it best to creep up on a proper fit using negative offsets. ** Note, your climate will have a lot to do with the fit of your pieces. Test fit as you go. ** -For me, -0.003" offset was a nice, tight fit. A little corner sanding on the last piece and it all came together. 9. Spread wood glue evenly throughout the pocket and tap in all inlay pieces. -To add clamping pressure, I covered a piece of 3/4" ply with plastic wrap and set it over the inlay, then placed a heavy weight on top. 10. Once the glue is dry, sand and finish as desired!