What each project needs
| Project | Size | Pieces | Cuts | Planning estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compass tile | 6 × 6 in | 8 | Straight outside cuts only | About 3 hours, plus glue and finish drying |
| Mountain panel | 8 × 6 in | 5 | Outside cuts, angles and one inside cut | About 5 hours, plus glue and finish drying |
Planning estimates, not timings. Both need a scroll saw, a drill for one pilot hole, sanding tools, wood glue and a clear finish of your choice. How intarsia works is explained in intarsia; the saw in the scroll saw guide.
Both projects use a #5 reverse-tooth scroll saw blade, such as Olson's FR44602, which Olson lists for close-radius fretwork and general purpose; any blade your saw takes and its maker rates for this stock will do. Lay each piece out yourself from the dimensions with a rule, square and compass: the drawings are to scale on screen but are not a printable pattern. Cut each piece just outside its line and sand it to fit its neighbours, so the fit does not depend on the blade's kerf. Keep the grain arrow of every piece pointing the same way, as drawn: the Wood Handbook explains that wood moves across its grain as its moisture changes, and pieces whose grain agrees move together. Glue does not stop that movement; the wood movement calculator estimates it.
Project 1: a compass tile
| Part | Qty | Size | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangles 1, 3, 5, 7 | 4 | Right triangles, legs 3 in, 3/4 in thick, grain vertical | A light wood |
| Triangles 2, 4, 6, 8 | 4 | Right triangles, legs 3 in, 3/4 in thick, grain vertical | A dark wood |
| Backer | 1 | 5-3/4 × 5-3/4 in | Plywood sold as 1/4 in |
Each triangle fills one eighth of the 36 sq in tile: 4.5 sq in. Its hypotenuse is 3√2, about 4-1/4 in. Draw each triangle on a blank about 3-1/4 in square with its grain arrow, so all eight agree once assembled.
Making the compass tile
Lay out
On each blank, draw a right triangle with 3 in legs and mark which way the grain must run once the piece is in its place on the tile — vertical, as drawn.
Cut
Cut each triangle just outside its lines.
Fit
Arrange the eight on a flat board in their numbered places and sand edges, a little at a time, until neighbours meet along their whole length and the centre points meet.
Glue to the backer
Glue the pieces to the backer, set in 1/8 in from the tile's edge all round, with wood glue used as its maker directs; see the wood glue guide.
Ease and finish
Ease the outer edges, sand the face, and apply a clear finish as its maker directs; see how to sand wood and the wood finish guide.
Project 2: a mountain panel
| Piece | Shape and position (from the bottom left, in inches) | Finished thickness | Blank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Sky | The panel above the ground, less the mountains and the sun | 1/2 in | 8-1/2 × 5 in, a light wood |
| 2 Sun | Disc 1-1/2 in across, centred at (6-1/2, 4-3/4) | 3/4 in | 2 × 2 in, a mid-tone wood |
| 3 Back mountain | Corners (1/2, 1-1/2), (3-1/2, 1-1/2), (4-1/2, 2-1/2), (3, 4) | 5/8 in | 4-1/2 × 3 in, a dark wood |
| 4 Front mountain | Triangle (3-1/2, 1-1/2), (8, 1-1/2), (5-3/4, 3-3/4) | 3/4 in | 5 × 2-3/4 in, a darker wood |
| 5 Ground | Band 8 in long, 1-1/2 in deep | 3/4 in | 8-1/2 × 2 in, a mid-tone wood |
| Backer | 7-3/4 × 5-3/4 in, set in 1/8 in all round | Plywood sold as 1/4 in | — |
Every mountain side rises at 45°, so no piece has a corner sharper than 45°. The sun's edge stays 1/2 in clear of the front mountain's peak. Thicknesses are BenchRoot's design choice for depth: start the sky from stock already 1/2 in thick and the back mountain from 5/8 in stock, rather than thinning small pieces. APA notes that plywood is labelled by actual thickness, so measure the backer.
Making the mountain panel
Lay out
Draw each piece on its blank from the coordinates in the table, with the grain running along the 8 in length of the panel in every piece. On the sky blank draw the whole sky outline and the sun's circle.
Cut the sun's opening
Drill a pilot hole inside the sun's circle on the sky blank — Olson lists 3/64 in for its FR44602 — and cut the circle out as an inside cut, as described in how to use a scroll saw.
Cut the other pieces
Cut the sky's outline, the two mountains, the ground and the sun disc, each just outside its line.
Fit
Lay the ground along a straight edge, then fit the front mountain, the back mountain and the sky in turn, sanding edges until they meet; sand the sun until it drops into its opening.
Glue and finish
Glue the pieces to the backer, set in 1/8 in all round, with wood glue used as its maker directs. Ease the exposed edges so the thicker pieces stand proud, then finish as its maker directs.
Safety— Pieces large enough to hold
Both designs avoid small fragments, but cut each piece while it is still on a blank big enough to hold, keep the hold-down or guard foot on the work and keep fingers out of the blade's path. Sanding many pieces makes fine dust; see dust collection, woodworking safety equipment and woodworking safety rules.
Before gluing up
- Every piece cut outside its line and sanded to fit
- Grain of every piece running the same way
- Pieces dry-fitted in their numbered places
- Backer cut and set in 1/8 in all round
- Glue and finish chosen and their instructions read
Sources
Both projects are BenchRoot designs; every dimension is on the drawings or in the tables, and the thicknesses, backer and blade are design choices, not standards. They were drawn and checked but not built for this page. The drawings are not scaled for printing; there is no download. Build times are planning estimates, not timings.
- 1.
John Tucker. Intarsia: open-ended, no-rules woodworking. Australian Wood Review, 2024.
Used for: One maker's workflow: woods chosen by colour and grain, pieces cut on a scroll saw, then shaped and sanded until they fit, and glued to a thin backing.
- 2.
Scroll Saw Blade Selection Chart. Olson Saw Company, 2020.
Used for: The #5 reverse-tooth FR44602 listed for close-radius fretwork and general purpose with a 3/64 in pilot hole; lower blade numbers for thinner stock and tighter radii, higher for thicker stock.
- 3.
DW788 20" (508 mm) Heavy Duty Variable Speed Scroll Saw instruction manual. DEWALT.
Used for: An inside cut made by drilling a pilot hole and threading the blade through it; a 2 in maximum thickness for that saw.
- 4.
Chapter 4: Moisture Relations and Physical Properties of Wood. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Shrinking and swelling across the grain as moisture changes below fiber saturation, with little change along the grain.
- 5.
Panel Thickness Tolerances and Labeling (Technical Topic TT-054). APA — The Engineered Wood Association, 2013.
Used for: Panels labelled by actual thickness rather than nominal alone, so plywood sold as 1/4 in may be thinner.
About this guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.