Daniel Saucedo of Humble, Texas-based Daniel Wood Floors made waves last year with an elaborate safari-themed wood floor. And just as those on a safari keep an eye out for wildlife, Saucedo is always seeking projects that challenge him. He found another one with this Peruvian walnut inlay. As with all of his custom floors, it began as a drawing. The client loved the design but wasn't thrilled with the look of the bent wood sample, with the grain following the shape of the arcs. So instead of bending the boards, Saucedo created the curved inlay by gluing tapered short boards adjacent to each other in the shape of the circles and arcs, then used a router to cut the exact curves. He then glued custom-bent ⅛-inch aluminum strips around the circles and arcs with epoxy. The only portion he had to partially assemble on site was the outermost crescent—made of nearly 100 pieces, it was too big to fit in his van. Saucedo assembled the solid red oak field temporarily and set up a swing arm for his router to cut the area for the arcs. The trickiest part was cutting out the tips of the crescents, which ended in approximately 1/32-inch points—too narrow for the router. "Once we got to the little corners, we had to use hand-carving techniques," Saucedo says. With the spaces for the inlays cut, the planks were permanently nailed and glued in place, and the walnut and aluminum were inlaid. The floor was then sanded and coated with waterborne finish. "I want to be different," Saucedo says. "And to create something like this, I think is going to put me, slowly, on another level."
Suppliers
Abrasive: 3M | Adhesive: Bona US | Buffer, Edger: American Sanders | Filler: Woodwise | Finish: Pallmann | Moisture meter: Tramex | Nailer: Powernail | Router: Porter Cable | Sander: Lägler | Palm sander, Saws: DeWalt | Underlayment: Fortifiber | Wood flooring: Springcreek Flooring
Watch a video of Saucedo routing the inlay on his Instagram:
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