Inlay to fit pocket

[difalkner]

I have a project by which I need to inlay a Maple cross into a pocket cut into Walnut.  I can cut the pocket and draw the cross separately to fit but is there a simple way, given the pocket in the drawing, to generate the proper size for the inlay and then use the CAM module to create both toolpaths for separate pieces of stock?

The pocket in this example is 0.1875" deep and I need the cross to be 0.25" thick, so it will stick up 0.0625" above the Walnut surface.  The cross will be glued in place so I need just enough clearance for it to fit but not so tight that I have to press it into place.

Thanks!

David

[James.Youmatz]

Hi @difalkner,

I have a quick and easy idea! Boundary fill is a great tool for filling molds. What I would do is create an offset plane (with a zero distance offset) on the top face of that maple pocket. Then, using the offset plane and the pocket body as your Boundary Fill tools, a cross shell should be generated from the "filled" area that the plane and the pcoket make. From here, you can offset the face of the cross in order to give it that height that you are looking for. Only downside to this tool in your case is that the cross is going to be an exact fit for the mold (no wiggle room). If you needed a looser fit, you could create a sketch on that top face, project the outline (in sketch tools) of the cross, offset the sketch to be a bit smaller, and extrude using two directions - the first direction going to the bottom of the mold, and the second for the height it goes across. 

Edit: One thought if you needed "wiggle" room would be to scale the generated cross down a little bit. Make sure if you do this to choose the center of the cross as a reference point so it stays aligned in the pocket. 

Check out my screencast below on Boundary Fill:

[difalkner]

Thanks, James!  Could I do what you've suggested but on the CAM setting for 'Stock to leave' use a negative number on the cross?  Or a negative number for the pocket and not the cross...?

[Anonymous]

I would suggest that you make the model the way you need it and not use the toolpath settings. This way you can change the model and the toolpaths will update.

Also if you need to resue the model later, you know exactly what you need.

[James.Youmatz]

Hi @difalkner,

I am not too sure if Stock to Leave will work with a negative number, but if it does that should do the trick. Honestly, as @Anonymous mentioned - I think this would be best suited to be fixed in the model environment. Below is one easy way to do this - pretty much, I use the Project command and create a sketch outline of the cross pocket. Then, I use the offset tool to give it a little bit of wiggle room. Once done, I extrude the profile in two directions - one to hit the bottom of the pocket, and the other to extrude past the face of the pocket. Check it out!

[difalkner]

Ah yes, these are tools I have yet to use in Fusion 360 so this ought to be fun!  You do make it look easy so maybe I can do it this way.  Thanks again!

[PhilProcarioJr · Accepted solution]

@difalkner

I didn't use your measurements but the concept is the same.

I do insets all the time here is the easiest way I know to handle this case.

Don't do it on the CAM side it's way to easy to make mistakes, waste time and trash your piece.

Set the offset to what you need but generally if I don't want to press fit the inset I use 0.01"-0.015" for the offset.

[jasonhomrighaus]

I don't know if this might work for you, Its quick and simple and you can tailor the gap to your needs.  I like this approach because you can extrude the offset space and experiment with boarders or coloring of the epoxy setting material.  Hope this helps.

Another way to approach this is to create your inlay part first, then use the combine command under the modify menu to Tool a pocket into the wooden block.  This is a really nice approach if your inlay has multiple pieces, that way you finalize its look then just cut out the desired hole.  The additional benefit is that if you are working with non uniform inlay materials(horn or MOP) that may be thinner in spots, you can ensure that the depth of your holes is hollow enough that all areas will be flush once installed.  You do that by setting your tool bodies at a depth equal to the thinnest part of your inlay.

[PhilProcarioJr]

@jasonhomrighaus

You guys are using way more steps then is needed for this...

Golden rule: use as few steps as possible to get desired results.

[jasonhomrighaus]

Im sorry but you performed 3 distinct steps

Create offset

Stop Sketch 

Extrude Part

I performed 4 Distinct steps to the same goal

Create Sketch

Project

Create Offset

Extrude Part

Im a little put off to be called out for using too many steps when too many is 1 more than you used.  I chose that route because I did not know how his base component was assembled so even iff he had two different bodies there it would work.  Some times the geometry auto projects, sometimes it doesn't especially if there have been multiple edits of the profile. Ive found that the extra step of making the projection reduces the instances where i have to go back and select a missed edge.  Additionally this approach allows you to extrude the gap between your two parts to look at the effect of different fill colors and widths. Perhaps I have missed something but I thought we were here to share ideas, not pick apart minor differences in our solutions ???

[PhilProcarioJr]

@jasonhomrighaus

I meant no offense, sorry about that. In this case it's one extra step but in a complex inlay it could be 20 or more steps..that was the point.

Either way as I said it wasn't meant as an attack on you or anyone else just trying to make it as simple as possible so parametrics don't get broke if changes are needed and add to anyone's frustrations.

[etfrench]

Vcarve technique may give better results for inlaying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUHxj5Cu2QA

[difalkner]

Hey Phil - I just realized that I never chose this as the accepted solution; sorry for the delay.  It worked perfectly and I've now done it several times with success. 

Thanks!

David