Ronnie Young
Active member
Several reproductions that I've made required the bending of inlay banding as seen in the attached photo. I have always found this very difficult. While it is possable to construct a one of a kind curved inlay to fit any curve, bending an existing inlay banding is very difficult. The process I use requires slicing the various layers of banding apart using a scalpel so that they can slide against each other when they are formed into the curve. The problem with this method is that often the small pieces making up the layers of banding come apart, especially if you wet them and heat them to facilitate the bending. I've tried coating the bandings strips with hide glue to hold them together but wetting and heating turns them into a sticky mess. How did the 18th century cabinetmakers perform this task?