I just finished a curly sassafras coffee table with 1/4-in. strips of walnut inlay in the top. To miter the stringing as I cut each piece to length, I clamped a Swanson Speed Square in my vise and clamped the stringing to the built-in lip on the square. Then I ran a small flush-cut saw (with no tooth set that would mar the square) against the edge. To make tiny trimming cuts or back bevels, I used the same setup to guide my chisel. This fast, accurate approach works just as well for thicker banding and other detail work.

Click here to enlarge the illustration above.

—JIM MURTHA, Lancaster, Ohio

Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking issue #284