I set out to make some gifts based on an Idea from my wife and then coupled that with a bit of Instagram inspiration.  The plan is to inlay a design based on the Deathly Hallows symbol from Harry Potter.  I originally planned to actually cut the design out, but that was going to prove challenging.  Here is a photo of my finished prototype that I made from poplar.  Once I figured I could actually do this properly I set out to make a few more.  The finished art is about 7 1/2″ wide by 7 1/2″ tall

Stock Prep

I was able to grab a bunch of scrap wood from around the shop and mill it to various thickness based on board pairs.  Then I glued them together to create wider panels.  Once they came out of the clamps, I gave them a rough flattening with a jack plane.

After I flattened one side, I ran them through the planer on one side.  Then, I flipped them and ran them through again.

Laying Out Pattern

I printed off the pattern based on a very basic “paint” drawing.  Then, I taped it to the panels with masking tape.  After the design was taped down, I started cutting out the pattern with a small sharp knife.  Each panel received a brand new sheet of paper and pattern taped to it.

Then I would trace the knife lines with a pencil to be able to see them more clearly.  The extra light was critical for tracing and routing later on.

Routing the Pattern

In order to create the voids for the epoxy I used a small 3/16″ router bit.  The depth was set to about 1/8″ below the surface.  One thing I learned during my prototype was that I couldn’t see through the dust collection hood clearly.  So that had to be removed to see the bit and pattern clearly.

I also learned that I shouldn’t cut out the very sharp corners of the patterns because it is a huge pain to clean the material out.  So, I typically left them rounded and just got it close.  I moved the router and took my time.  Each pattern took about 20 minutes or so to route out.  Then the most painful part was sanding the  internal edges smooth and cleaning out any excess material.  I used a small 1/8″ chisel and 100 grit sandpaper.  Cleaning up the routed pattern took about another 20 minutes.  The picture below shows the finished product of all the signs.  If I make a bunch more of these I need to make a template.

Epoxy Fill

The next step was to mix up some epoxy to fill the cavities.  I had some epoxy and hardener, on hand.  Then I ordered some pigmented powder from Amazon.

Each sign took about one pump of epoxy/hardener and they each received a bit of different coloring.  Each cavity is slightly over filled.  To get rid of some of the bubbles, I used a small propane torch and a quick pass.

Cutting, Scraping, Sanding

The next step in the process was to cut the external shape (triangle) out.  I used my bandsaw to cut the rough shape and then cleaned up the edges at the sander.

After sanding, I scraped off the bulk of the epoxy overfill

After all the scraping was complete, I moved onto sanding.  Using my RO sander and various grits. 80 to 220

I also hit these with 400 grit by hand.

Forgot To Take Pictures…..Staining

I wanted to try some different stain and oil options, so I used boiled linseed on one, gray stain on two, and dark stain on 2.  I learned a valuable lesson here.  It seemed that the epoxy also took the stain and made it “murky”.  The boiled linseed oil one turned out the best.

Support Feet

Once I made these I realized they would fall over easily if left sitting on a table.  So, I had to make some small feet to support them.

Each foot is specifically made for each triangle, so they are all numbered accordingly.  I laid out the lines to tightly fit the triangles and then cut out relief with the band saw and then chiseled out the waste.

I added chamfers to the front and rear with the band saw and cleaned them up with the chisel as well.  I added two coats of poly to the feet and triangles.  After the poly dried I used 1500 grit (wet) to polish them up.  I added a bit of wax after this for a silky feel.

Finished Pieces