Just for kicks I ordered these chunks of gold mother of pearl for some better lookin fret inlays they are about 1/2" square (kinda,, not perfectly square,,, I got a deal on em ). I didn't get from Stew Mac it was a late night E-bay kinda thing. Anyways, just wondering if anyone in CBN land had made an attempt at cutting these, and what you used to do so, as they seem like they would bust up pretty easily.
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I do something similar to what the others are saying.
ps. you should wear a mask while cutting. It's not good to breath the dust.
Thanks, I didn't think of wearing a mask.
A lot of folks use a fish tank aerator/pump with a little tube that blows the dust away from the cut but you should wear a mask too. You can see better too with the pump blowing the dust away.
Here's a new saw a lot of folks are using that do a lot of inlay. I stick to what I can buy already made up and there are a lot of folks that will do custom stuff.
saw http://www.knewconcepts.com/3-inch.php#
I use a lot of inlay from these guys http://www.luthiersupply.com/productspage.html
Jeweller's piercing saw is what you want. You'll need a saw frame, blades..and patience. It's along time since I did any pearl inlay work, but that's what I used.
Thanks john, I'll look around on the net and see what I can find. I can use them as they are now, up to the twelve, but beyond that there a bit too big. This is probably over my skill level, but I like the looks of these and thought they might look cool in a CBG.
If you just want to cut them down into rectangles, you may manage with a junior hacksaw or a really fine blade in a coping saw, and just finish up the edges with a fine file and wet & dry. The trick is when cutting it to have to have the piece properly supported so that you don't crack it - its tough stuff, but if the saw binds in the kerf and you twist it, it's possible to crack it. I used a scrap of wood with a "Vee" cut into it, clamped to the edge of the bench, something like this - a technique I learned from a jeweller - it really helps.
Thanks for the info, I just got back from the big orange outlet, and as luck would have it, I bought a fine blade jr hacksaw, I needed it for the build I'm trying to finish. I can rig me up something like this in the shop, and I'll give it a shot, not too worried if I break a couple as I have quite a few extras. thanks again John
Made a small jig to hold the piece clamped a piece of thin oak over that to hold it and it worked pretty well, good cut, no crack. I'll make a better one if I have to do a bunch though the jig I made ain't the greatest but,,,, it worked ;).