Cuting a Filigree Cross From Laminated Hardwood Flooring
Filigree Fretwork Cross Made From Laminated Harwood Flooring Samples |
I recently acquired some laminated hardwood flooring samples. With the
price of the wood so high, I was eager to see what I could make with it.
I did a lot of reading on the internet and found no consensus. Flooring
seems so variable that you must try it and see if it will work.
I
decided that some cross patterns would be perfect for this. Initially,
the patterns were for Christmas ornaments. Using Inkscape and Gimp, I
created SVG files and enlarged them to eight inches wide. Enlarging made
the crosses large enough to use as wall art and more suited to the
thickness of the flooring.
The flooring samples are mounted on a
hardboard backing. I thought they were glued on but soon discovered
this was not the case. They were held together with tiny steel pins.
When cutting the first cross, I had to add tape to hold everything in
place, and when cutting my second cross, I hit one of the steel pins
with my scroll saw, which trashed the blade.
I cut these with
Pegas #3 MGT saw blades using 3 to four blades per cross. Except for
hitting the steel pin, this is about the same as cutting Baltic Birch
Plywood. Not surprising since laminated hardwood flooring is plywood
with a false wood layer on one side.
It worked well for me
despite gluing the tongue and groove pieces back together. I was going
for a rustic look, so gluing pieces together added to this. I'm happy
with the results.
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