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there will be material to glue the
inlay to. I opted to sketch my reveal
in a very jagged and angular shape
that had a diagonal direction. My in-
spiration was how grout lines crack
on an old brick building.
Fitting the inlay into the plywood
is four easy steps. First is cutting
out the reveal. The easiest way to
do that is with a jigsaw. Just drill a
few holes to put the blade in to get
started and then cut away following
the sketch.
Second is routing out the pocket
that the inlay will sit in. A downcut
spiral bit set to the depth of the inlay
will minimize tear out and a trim
router makes for easy control. This is
where making the inlay a rectilinear
shape keeps things easy because it
should mostly be following straight
lines with very few corners to con-
tend with. If following a line freehand
isn’t your thing, just clamp down an
edge guide to follow. The inside cor-
ners can be squared off with a chisel.
Third is chamfering the reveal.
This really opens it up and makes
the inlays look a lot better. The
fastest way is to use a trim router.
A bearing bit makes following the
pattern really easy but prevents
the bit from really getting into the
corners. So, I used a v-bit and just
freehanded the shape. This could
also be done with fi les and rasps.
Last is securing the inlay into
position. I made the pockets snug
so the inlays would friction fi t but
added some CA glue for insurance
and to make sure my boys can’t
push them out.
Though it may seem intimidating
to inlay LEGO in wood, I hope you
realize that it is just a few simple
steps using techniques and tools
you are probably familiar with. PWCaleb is the maker behind YouCan-
MakeThisToo, a source of confi dence,
knowledge, and inspiration for anyone
who wants to make the ordinary a little
extraordinary. His work can be found
at ycmt2.com.4 Drill a hole to give
yourself a starting
point and proceed
slowly, making relief
cuts as necessary.
5 A downcut spiral
bit and a guide will
allow your LEGO
inlay to appear
closer to the surface
on the front side of
your panel.
6 Route as much as
you can on the front
with a bearing guid-
ed bit. I got into the
corners with a v-bit
working freehand.