What is Wood Intarsia?

The exact origins of wood intarsia are unknown however it probably came from Italy in around the 13th century. It’s thought that travellers who returned from India brought back new wood samples that nobody had seen before. These samples of wood were then probably made into a mosaic to display them.

Wood Intarsia is an ancient art form but it disappeared for hundreds of years until it was revived by modern day artists. Judy Gale Roberts is the person credited with reviving wood intarsia and she has devoted a lot of her time to create new designs.

Intarsia woodworking is very difficult and requires you to work with a number of different types of woods. The colours, grains and directions can all be used to create beautiful pieces of art from wood. The natural colours of the wood are used and there’s no need to use any stain.

If you love working with your hands and find wood a fantastic material then you will probably be fascinated by wood intarsia. It’s a great way to feel and display beautiful pieces of wood anywhere in your house.

What do you need?

It’s actually very easy to start wood intarsia and all you really need is either a band saw or a scroll saw which has a 1/8” blade on it. Intarsia is quite popular these days and there are numerous websites devoted to it. There are also a number of books which contain plans to get you started.

You will also need some intarsia wood of various different colours and grains. A great place to get this is your local timber merchant or cabinet maker. Hopefully you can get some off cuts quite cheaply.

There is also the opportunity to turn your wood intarsia hobby into a business. Intarsia is an art form that you might want to consider. You can create all sorts of designs and these can be simple or very complicated. You can complete simple projects with fewer than 10 pieces, to very complex and detained pieces with over 200 pieces. Every individual piece is cut by hand and then sanded to complete the finished project.

You will find that intarsia woodworking can be very addictive. It’s extremely satisfying to create beautiful pieces of artwork with natural materials. It’s even a great piece of art to hang on your wall and get family members talking about. You might also want to consider giving them away as gifts.

The great thing about intarsia wood projects is that they are always unique. It’s impossible to find two pieces of wood that are exactly the same and this makes it possible to create beautiful and unique pieces of art to display all around your house.

If you like wood and using your hands then give wood intarsia a go today. It’s different to normal woodwork and will allow you to create beautiful pieces of art.

Click Here Now to get the Complete Intarsia Manual for all you need to get started!