After hours of stuffing around making a timber rosette using a router I slipped on the last cut and stuffed it totally. Rather than do it this way again I decided to try another method. I have an old wood lathe I got for $60 at an auction (cheap one like the ones they sell at Bunnies for $120) so I figured it was worth having a go at turning one.
First I cut a round of Australian Rosewood (Dysoxylum fraseranum) and turned it to the size I wanted (135 dia). Then I turned out the inside dia and put a grove for the feature insert and stepped down the corner for the edge inlay (feature grove and edge cut out 8m deep).
I steam bent a 10mm wide length of flamed soft maple for the feature insert (the trim from a side) and cut four 10mm wide slices of veneer for the outside edge (2 off Australian red cedar and 2 off silver ash). I trimmed the maple to size coated it with epoxy glue and tapped it in. I wrapped the veneer in alternate layers and glued with hide glue. The did the first layer of veneer with it out of the lathe but it was a bit of a pain, the next three layers I did with it in the lathe which was much easier.
I let it dry overnight and then turned off the excess glue and inlay material. When I had it cleaned up I put the lathe on its slowest speed and used a hacksaw with an 18tpi blade to slice off a 2mm thick ring. A quick sand each side and the rosette was done with enough left on the round to cut another one, possibly two. Having done one now and worked things out I think I could have gone 14mm deep on the grove with very little extra effort and recover four at a time. Doing four at a time would work out at about 25min per rosette.
Rosette via lathe
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