Expert: Jamie Yocono - 2/3/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Jamie
In your reply to Ruth (10/16/05) you mentioned that you could send her an article you had written on inlaying tile.
I have a project to inlay 4 4x4 Spanish tiles on a square topped step stool. The stool appears to be oak. What scares me the most is messing up the routing. Thanks for sharing
you expertise. Alan
on an

ANSWER: Alan,

It's a little more difficult to inlay tile into something that you can't clamp a straight edge to, so inlaying tile in your stool might be tough. I have a few questions, I'm not sure I'll be able to answer your questions without more information.

First, do you have tools, like a plunge router? Straight bits for the router? Clamps, to clamp the stool in place while you work on it? Are you pretty good with tools? This isn't an easy operation.

Is the stool top flat? If it's flat, maybe you could just add some wood to the top of it, to form the border around the tile? Glue some wood strips on top, to form a recess, and then drop the tiles in place.

Can you remove the stool top and clamp it down to a workbench? It's much harder to work on when it's still attached to the base.

Write back with more information, tell me if you know how to operate a router (and if you have one) and I'll try to help.

I can't help you out with just the information you've provided


Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com






---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again,
Thanks for your quick response. Yes I have a router. My experience with it is strictly from hanging all new doors in my house and doing the routing for the hinges. I'll get whatever bit you suggest and I have lots of claps. You can't have to many. Yes the top of the stool is flat but I
don't want to change it's profile buy adding a new layer. I'd rather be brave and plunge right in (pun intended) with the router. The legs can't be removed.
I'm not a total klutz with tools and I've learned to be patient and very careful with them.
Thanks again
Alan

Answer
Alan,

The first thing you'll need to do is draw the area that needs to be routed away. I generally lay down some making tape, and then draw right on the tape. That way, if I make a mistake, I can just pull off the tape and draw a new line. When laying out the lines, remember - a smaller grout line looks MUCH better than a fat one. Plus, if you screw up and rout a little outside the line, the extra width won't matter too much.

When you have the area marked, you need to set the depth of the router bit. If you're using a plunge router, this is simple. But if you use a fixed base router, it's a little trickier. Set the depth to remove a little more than the thickness of the tile, say 1/16" of so. That extra depth is for the adhesive.

A straight bit is what you want to use. Some will say to use an upward spiral straight bit, as it will spit the chips up and out of the recess. But that can chew up the top of the wooden edge.  A downward spiral bit will give you a cleaner cut. I use whatever I have handy and sharp.  If you don't have a plunge router, you can drill a large recessed starter hole first. Lower your router bit into it, make sure the bit isn't touching any wood, then turn it on and head toward the edge to start your routing.

About the edge - you're going to have to clamp a straight edge to the top, so that the outer base can glide against it and give you a straight cut. It's going to be tricky to do. If you have template bushings, you could try using those, but (I think) they're harder to use. Cut each of the four straight edges separately, going right up into the corners. Make sure you control the router so you don't shoot past your pencil lines.

One easy way is to rout the perimeter edges, and then square up the corners with a sharp chisel. After that is done, you can rout out the wood in the center of the recess with either the router or a drill bit. Using the router is a little slow and tricky, as your base doesn't have much to rest upon. A better way to get rid of that wood in the center of the recessed area is with a forstner bit. If you have a drill press, use a bigger bit, like 1.5" and you will get rid of all the wood pretty quickly. Any little areas you can't reach with the bit can be removed with a chisel and a mallet. It really doesn't have to be pretty; you just want the wood to be removed.

Finally, check the fit of the tile. If you like the way it looks, glue them down and let the adhesive cure at least 24 hours. I press the tile into the adhesive using a flat board over the tile, so they're flush with the top wooden surface. Don't use a ton of glue, or it'll ooze out into the grout line area.

Then mask off the wood edge with tape, and grout the top. The mask will protect the grout from entering the wood pores and staining everything. This is an important step, don't skip it. I've seen more projects ruined from grout stains than anything else, so take your time. Seal the grout afterward, if you can. Since I use Danish Oil on everything I build, I just apply a coat of oil to the grout and the top at the same time. It seals the grout and revitalizes the top in one step.

Good luck, hope this all makes sense. Write back if you need more help or if something I said doesn't make sense. :)

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com