John Baker's pantograph inlays

John Baker writes:

Hello Matthias,

Just a line to say thank you for allowing me to resurrect my hobby! After retiring I began doing shell inlay on guitars, banjos, etc. and really enjoyed it. Gradually my sight got worse and I was no longer able to accurately route out the pockets with my Dremel and router base so I gave it up.

I accidentally ran across one of your videos which led me to your web site and there I discovered the pantograph. I downloaded your excellent plans (at a great price) and built myself a pantograph!

It works great! Having a pattern three times the actual size is fantastic.

Here's a few pictures of an inlay project I did for my brother-in-law. He is an avid fisherman as well as a poker player so I made him a "card protector" (used to place on cards so dealer won't accidentally rake your cards). They are mostly a token used for 'good luck'!

My setup on the pantograph for side one. I'm routing to a depth of .055" and using a 1/32" router bit.

Me routing the pocket for side one. I pencil a center point on my blank wood, set the router bit on it and then move the center of the printout under the follower and tape it down. I'm using an inexpensive Kindle Fire plastic screen protector over my pattern. The follower glides real nice over it.