4 Simple Tips to Eliminate Gaps in Intarsia

With over a decade of scrolling experience, it's only natural to pick up a few tricks here and there. One trick that is used almost on a daily basis is how to deal to gaps in work. This was one of the hardest things to overcome when we started making intarsia and is also a very common question when people ask about our work. "How do you get your cuts so precise?!" The secret is....they are often not precise at all....it just looks like it. Shhh! It's a secret!

Below, we will go over a few of the tricks we have picked up to help reduce those gaps between segments.

Tip #1 - Study the pattern

The first thing you should do to reduce gaps begins before you make your first cuts. Take a good look over the pattern. Identify some potentially tricky areas. Common problematic areas are when numerous segments come together, inlays, or sections that join together containing sharp angled areas. Cutting slower in these places can be a huge time saver in the long run. Also, picking easier to cut woods reduces unexpected angles when cutting which can be very tricky to fix if it happens.

Tip #2 - Know the quirks of your saw

This may sound like a strange tip, but every saw cuts a little different and the same goes for each person and blade. When cutting particularly dense woods, angles are more or less expected. On my current saw, I always cut clockwise. If an angle does happen to show up, the bottom is ALWAYS thicker than the top. A simple trim around the outer edge flushes the segment and you're good to go. If cut counter clockwise, the top would be the thickest section and there would be little to no room to trim the edge flush without messing something else up. NOTE: My previous saw was reversed! I had to cut counterclockwise. Test out your machine!

Tip #3 - Cut the gap

I use this technique on nearly every project. When you place two segments together and see a gap, try cutting the gap! Apply a good mount of pressure squeezing the two segments together. Then cut along the line where they meet up. The blade will remove any material touching but pass through the gap. Do this a few times and a very unsightly gap can vanish before your eyes. Using this method can significantly reduce rather large gaps in many cases. This doesn't work well for very complex curvy joints or sharp angles. Warning: Be mindful of the wood being removed. Too much could create gaps in different areas.

Tip #4 - Glue and sawdust

The final tip we have makes small gaps nearly impossible to see but it only works with inlays or when two or more wood types are glued together and shaped as one piece. This tip uses two ingredients that should be aplenty in any workshop, sawdust and glue! Yes, that powdery nuisance that permeates the air and insists on covering all surfaces despite efforts may actually be helpful! Rub a little bit of glue into the crack/gap, sprinkle with some sawdust (use dust from the darker segment of wood), then immediately sand it down. Not too much though or you will end up removing the glue and dust entirely. Blending the dust and glue matches (not perfect in all cases) the color of the wood while filling the gap. This will only work with small gaps though, but the results can make a huge difference.

Gap? What gap?

We hope that one or all of the tips we shared here helps you out. If you found this article useful, we would greatly appreciate you donating a coffee to us. It's a huge help and supports more helpful articles like this. If you have a tip that you would like to share about managing gaps between segments, leave a comment or message us. Until next time, go make some sawdust!