hey mathew...here's a method i used for crushed coral rosette inlays... start with a thick soundboard and route the rosette channel to the depth and thickness of your choice. .layer a coat of crushed coral or turquoise chips into the channel and arrange the bits so that they are as uniform as you can get it and covers all the routed channel...wick in thin super glue into the channel over the layer of inlay bits and let dry...continue layer on layer until you are level with the soundboard...you can now fill the voids with coats of superglue...(many) or with a mixture of clear resin and catalyst...puncture the bubbles with the tip of a sharp needle....now heres the cautious part...as you sand to level your rosette..the tiny particles of inlay bits can breakfree and lodge twixt the soundboard and sanding block and cause scratches...so start your inlay work on a thicker than normal soundboard and you'll have more sanding room for scratch removals...also sand carefully and blow out the debris often....the result is stunning and pretty easy to accomplish....another substitute material is a product called Inlace...sold at most woodcraft supply stores..its a 2 part mixture that simulates stone colors and patterns and applies like a resin into a routed channel...get out yer piece of ply and practise a rosette pattern with your turquoise bits...should come out right nice..tho i suspect the turquoise with require lots of sanding.....hope this helps...ukeman

ps...any voids after finish sanding can be filled with coats of superglue and careful sanding and scraping.

Just me again.  Looking for a response to that age old musical question..."Where can I get a Dremel base like this."  I can't find it at the Dremel web site.

Thanks,
Lefty

Likeke,
  Thanks for the tip.  I will give it a try.   
Lefty

Lefty:

Look at the Sears Plunge Router Attachment ($29.99).

Plunge mechanism works well and depth stop is great.  Visibility of cut is good with the clear base and opening.

Edge guide is okay, but could use fine adjustment feature.  Perhaps replacing smoothe rod with threaded rod and stop nuts.

Circle cutting guide is totally useless for ukulele rosette cutting.  You can't adjust the radius of the cut down to 1 1/2 inches for a rosette inlay. Also, pivot pin fit is sloppy and needs to be redrilled and replaced with a good fitting pin.

Don

Here is an adjustable base I made for cutting rosettes and sound holes.  The piece of wood sticking out of the base is "T" shaped and slides in and out.  It can be locked into position by tightening the cap screw on the top of the base.  This goes through a "T" nut and locks the wood.  On the bottom of the wooden strip is a centering pin that goes through a hole in your soundboard and into a work board.  Hope that makes sense.









Lefty

Lefty:

Oops, typo in email link.  Should be

www.mlcswoodworking.com

Don

Help needed!

I purchased the abalone rosette from Hana Lima.  Very nice rosette, but the ends of the rosette pieces are random cut, and need to be reshaped to fit the rosette radial lines.

What is the best way to cut or sand the ends of the one inch long rosette pieces to make a continuous ring?

Don