instructables

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360

by icecats

From fancy guitars to handmade furniture to ornate wooden boxes, wood inlays are both stunning works of art andimpressive examples of design that demand the question: how is that done? Traditionally, inlays are the result ofcareful craftsmanship and hours of tedious cutting and carving. The modern era has simplified the process with theintroduction of CNC routers and capable software to do the hard work for you. However, the software generallyused for creating inlays costs several hundred dollars- quite of bit of money for a hobbyist or curious maker.

That is where Fusion 360 comes in. Fusion 360 is a powerful all-in-one tool that incorporates all forms of 3Dmodeling in one easy to use and free package. This Instructable will describe a method for making wood inlaysthat I have found to work well. A design is imported, modeled in CAD, and then loaded into the built in CAMenvironment to generate toolpaths for a CNC machine.

This project is intended to be a beginner project for those getting started with Fusion 360 modeling and CAM. Itwould be helpful to be familiar with the basics such as sketches, constraints, and basic 3D operations. I wouldrecommend starting with the first couple sections of this this tutorial by the Fusion 360 team. After designing theinlay, we will add toolpaths to tell the CNC machine what and how to cut.

I have included both written/pictorial instructions as well as a screencast video accompanying each CAD/CAMstep. There is also a video attached above that compiles all of the steps in one CAD/CAM video walk-through.

These are a couple of terms that I will be using throughout the project:

inlay- the inlay is the part of the project that will fit in the recessed area cut from the perimeter stock.perimeter- the perimeter is the piece of wood that surrounds the inlay.

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 1

https://youtu.be/BfcbvtKcLlI

Step 1: Choose a Design

To get started, you must first obtain a design. Theeasiest way to do this is to find an existing imagefrom the internet. Later, we will make somemodifications and extrude this into a 3D shape. Theimage should be black and white and minimallydetailed. Try searching for "_______ outline" in yourfavorite image search engine. For example, if youwanted the outline of a screwdriver, search"screwdriver outline."

Save the design to your computer.

Try to avoid designs that have sharp corners or smalldetails. CNC routers cannot cut sharp cornersbecause the end mill will always leave a round radiusand cannot reach inside corners. Also, details that arenarrower than the diameter of your end mill are simplynot possible to machine. In later steps, we willdiscuss some workarounds to these problems suchas rounding corners and scaling the design.

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 2

Step 2: Convert Your Design to an SVG

The image that you downloaded likely wasn't in SVG(Scalable Vector Graphic) format. To convert fromother file types, import your downloaded image intoInkscape. Inkscape is a free, open-source graphicseditor that can be downloaded from here. Accept thedefault import settings.

With your imported image selected, choose Path ->Trace Bitmap.

Check the Live Preview box and adjust theBrightness cutoff threshold until a good outline of yourdesign is displayed in the preview box. Often, thedefault setting will work fine. Click OK and close thewindow.

Click File -> Save As and save the file as an SVG(default) to your computer.

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 3

https://youtu.be/-00YPdT30E4

Step 3: Import Design Into Fusion 360

Now that an SVG version of your design has beencreated, it is time to move over to Fusion 360. In anew design (in the Model workspace), choose Insert -> Insert SVG. Select a workplane to place the sketchon (the XY plane, between the green and red lines, isa good choice for later steps). Click Select SVG Fileand browse to the file you just saved in Inkscape.

Fusion will load the SVG outline into the sketch onthe selected plane. You are given the option totranslate, rotate, and scale the design. Just click OKfor now.

You should now notice that your design is composedof selectable line segments that form a closed loop.Sometimes, as in the case of the examplescrewdriver, the design will load with two outlines.This is okay.

To scale the design to the desired size, you must firstmeasure the design. Click Inspect (yellow ruler) andselect two points on your model. The distancebetween the points will be displayed. Take note ofthis number. Delete the design and re-import it asdescribed above. This time, however, type the scalefactor into the option for Scale Plane XY in the insertSVG tab. For example, if I wanted my screwdriver tobe 6.75" long and it measured to be 1.79", then myscale factor would be 6.75 / 1.79 = 3.77.

Make sure to measure any narrow portions of yourdesign at this point. If any part of the design isnarrower than your end mill, it will need to beenlarged to accommodate the end mill.

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 4

https://youtu.be/ybGzB-r-_go

Step 4: Draw a Perimeter

Now that the design has been added to a 2D sketch,a perimeter should be added. The perimeter will endup being the piece of wood that surrounds the design;this will be the contrasting color that makes thedesign stick out.

For this tutorial, I will make a simple perimeter withrounded corners. Start by choosing 2-Point Rectangle(R) from the Sketch menu. Draw the rectangle around

the design. Next, give the rectangle your desireddimensions by choosing Sketch -> Dimension (D). Mydesign will be 4"x8".

Drag the perimeter until the design is centered within.To get the design exactly centered, you can useSketch Constraints to align the centers of the twoentities.

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_5apTdp3jY

Step 5: Fix Sharp Corners

In order to create a tight fitting inlay free of gaps, youmust round any corners in your model. This willaccommodate for the end mill leaving round radii inthe place of sharp corners. Identify any locations inyour model that have a sharp corner. Draw a centerdiameter circle (Sketch -> Circle (C)) equal to thediameter of your end mill. Drag the circle until it istangent to the sharp corner, effectively rounding thecorner. After moving the circle as close to the corneras possible, zoom in with your mouse wheel. Drawlines (Sketch -> Line (L)) between the circle and the

design outline to close the area. You can try to usethe tangent Sketch Constraint, but I found that itgenerally doesn't work with imported SVG sketches(probably because the lines are organic and notstraight). Repeat this process for all corners that theend mill will not be able to reach. For my screwdriverexample, I had to draw circles at the tip and at thebottom of the handle. When you are finished, you canuse Sketch -> Trim to clean up unnecessary lines.

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5h_J_s7Z5c

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 7

Step 6: Extrude

Extrude the perimeter

A 2D profile of your design has now been created. Tomake this 3D, we must extrude the 2D shape.Choose Stop Sketch and click Create -> Extrude (E).Click on the perimeter area of your design. Also makesure to include the areas created in the previous stepthat the end mill will not be able to reach. The areashould turn blue. The extrusion Distance should beset to the thickness of the wood you intend to cut forthe perimeter. My wood was .74". Click OK. Youshould now have a 3D solid with a hole in the shapeof your inlay. In the filetree on the left, you canrename the new body to something more informative,such as "Perimeter."

Unhide the sketch

You may notice that the sketch that you just drewdisappeared after extruding. To fix this, expand theSketches branch of the filetree by clicking the arrow.Click the dim lightbulb next to Sketch1 to unhide thesketch.

Create a bottom for the inlay (optional)

Depending on your design, you may not want theinlaid piece of wood to go all the way through theperimeter. I will be using a thicker piece of wood forthe perimeter and a thinner piece of wood for thedarker inlay. Extrude the imported design to this thedifference between these two thicknesses. Forexample, my perimeter piece of wood will be .74"thick and my inlaid piece of wood will be .55" thick;therefore the extrusion distance is .74" - .55" = .19".

Extrude the inlay

Extrude the inlay piece a distance equal to thethickness of your inlay wood stock. In my case, thisvalue is .55". Make sure to choose New Bodyinstead of Join as the operation type. Your modelshould now appear to be a solid block with an outlineof your inlay design.

Fillets and rounded corners

If you want rounded corners, choose Modify -> Fillet(F) and select the edges. I did 2" fillets on the top and.5" fillets on the bottom of my design.

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 8

https://youtu.be/Mh1flhc_bd8

Step 7: Change the Physical Material

Time to change the appearance of the model fromplain gray to what the finished project will look like.Choose Physical Material from the Modify menu. Awindow will open containing different materials thatyou can apply to your project. To add a material, click

and drag it onto the model. Since we created twobodies (the perimeter and inlay) in the previous step,you will be able to add two different materials. I chosepine for the perimeter and cherry for the inlay.

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 9

https://youtu.be/y6UU33BI2Uk

Step 8: CAM: Perimeter Setup

The model is now complete. It is now time to createtoolpaths for the CNC machine to interpret. In theupper left corner, click the dropdown and select theCAM workspace. We have now exited the 3Dmodeling environment and entered a workspacedesigned solely for creating toolpaths.

A note about CAM and toolpathsYou will find that there are a ton of different settingsand options when it comes to setting up and creatingtoolpaths. All of these choices can be overwhelmingat first. However, with a bit of patience and trial anderror, you will soon master this powerful software. Ifyou ever are wondering what a particular settingdoes, hover your mouse over the setting until a tooltipappears. The tooltip will include an explanation anddiagram that can be very helpful.

Coordinate system

Before a toolpath can be created, a Setup file mustidentify things such as stock size and coordinatedirections. Choose Setup -> New Setup. Select apoint for the origin to be. This is generally set to thelower left corner at the top of the stock. If your Z(blue) axis is not pointed up, align it using theOrientation option.

Stock

Click on the Stock tab. If your design matches thesize of the stock piece of material you will be cutting,choose Relative Size Box (with No Additional Stock).Otherwise, choose Fixed Size Box and enter thedimensions of your material.

Click OK. Rename the setup to a more useful name,such as "Perimeter Setup."

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 10

https://youtu.be/JRPUBP_jk_0

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 11

Step 9: CAM: Perimeter Pocket

We will start by making the toolpath for the perimeterpiece- the part that the inlay will fit into. First, hide theinlay part of the design so that it is out of our way. Todo this, expand the filetree and click the lightbulb nextto the Inlay body.

Next, click 2D -> 2D Pocket to create a new toolpath.This toolpath will be contained within the Setup thatyou just made. A window will open with all of thesettings and options for the toolpath. I find that it isbest to work through the settings tab by tab, top tobottom, to make sure that nothing is missed.

Tool and Feeds/Speeds

First, you should select a tool that matches yourendmill. Click Select to open the Tool Library. Clickthe +Tool icon (looks like end mill) in the upper right.Enter the specs that match your end mill. The mostimportant settings are tool diameter and flute number.I will be using a .25" diameter, 4 flute, HSS end mill.Also make sure to enter feeds and speeds for yourend mill. Read this article by Make: Magazine forsome useful information about feeds and speeds.Click OK when you have finished configuring yourtool; the Feed and Speed fields should fill with theinformation you just entered.

Geometry

Move on to the next tab in the 2D Pocket window;geometry. Click the top edge of your design to selectthe area that should be pocketed. The red arrow tells

the machine on which side of the selected line to cut;make sure that the red arrow is within the pocket.

Heights

Click on the heights tab and rotate the model so thatyou are viewing it from the side. There are a bunch ofdifferent height options. The main one to worry aboutis the Bottom Height. In the Bottom Height box,choose Selection from the list. Rotate the model untilthe bottom of the pocket is visible; click on this face. Ifyou opted to carve the inlay all the way through themodel, choose Stock Bottom from the list.

Passes

On to the Passes tab. Change SidewaysCompensation to Right (conventional milling). DisableStock to Leave by unchecking the box. EnableMultiple Depths and choose a stepdown based onyour previous feed/speed calculations. I opted for a.1" stepdown.

Linking

The default settings are generally acceptable in thelinking tab.

After all of the settings have been configured, clickOK to generate the toolpath.

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 12

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 13

https://youtu.be/K8ZqFNM2wZo

Step 10: CAM: Perimeter Contour

If you would like to cut a unique shape out of theperimeter stock, follow this step. Click 2D -> 2DContour to create a new toolpath.

Tool and Feed/Speeds

Use the same settings as the previous step.

Geometry

Select the bottom perimeter edge of your stock andmake sure that the red arrow is on the outside. Wedon't want the piece to come loose during machining,so select the Tabs checkbox. I used a series of .25" x.2" tabs placed about every 3 inches.

Heights

Set the Bottom Height to Stock Bottom. I added anoffset of -.05 to make sure the piece was cut all theway through.

Passes

Use the same settings as the previous step.

Linking

Use the same settings as the previous step.

Generate Toolpath

Generate the toolpath and ensure that everythinglooks correct.

https://youtu.be/MomRIePuyxA

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 14

Step 11: CAM: Inlay Setup

The cutting of the inlay will take place in a differentpiece (hopefully a different kind/color, too) of wood.Therefore, we need to define a new Setup. In thefiletree, hide the Perimeter body and create a newSetup (Setup -> New Setup). Rename the setup"Inlay Setup."

Coordinate System

As before, orient the origin such that the Z axis is

pointed up. Choose the lower left corner at the top ofthe stock as the origin. Choose the Inlay body as theModel.

Stock

Choose Fixed Size Box as the Mode and enter thedimensions of your stock piece of wood. Your stockheight should match the height of your inlay piece.

https://youtu.be/vmb8FnXgpnw

Step 12: CAM: Inlay Contour

Our final toolpath! Create a new 2D Contour. Choose the bottom edge of the inlay design for the geometry. Makesure that the red arrow is on the outside. All of the other settings should match those in Step 10. Don't forget toadd tabs!

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 15

https://youtu.be/xmI5lPo0SyM

Step 13: Post Process and Machine

It is time to send the toolpaths to the CNC machine.To export the toolpaths, choose Actions -> PostProcess. Make sure to select the Post Processorfrom the list that matches your CNC machine. Youwill want to export the two Setups as separate filessince they will be machining different pieces of wood.

Depending on your setup, you will likely load theexported file into a controller software. Don't forgetthat your origin should be set to the lower left cornerof the top of your stock. I am using Mach3 running aCNCRouterParts 4'x4' machine.

Wood Inlays With Fusion 360: Page 16

Step 14: Assemble and Finish

After the pieces have been machined, the tabs canbe removed with a chisel and hammer. Usesandpaper to smooth any rough spots on the twopieces.

Next, carefully start the inlay into the perimeter bypressing gently with your fingers. The fit should betight, but not impossible. After pressing in as far aspossible by hand, a hammer and block of scrap woodcan be used to force the inlay the rest of the way intothe perimeter.

Finish the project by running it through a planer acouple of times. If desired, stain and varnish theproject for a beautiful finish. Now that you havelearned the process, you can add custom inlays to allsorts of projects- boxes, furniture, and maybe even ahomemade musical instrument.

I hope that you found this project enjoyable andinformative. Please post questions/comments andpictures of your own inlays below.

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