DESIGNS IN MOSAIC.
These methods greatly expedite the _labor_ of inlaying, for mere labor
much of it is; that is, when repetition of the pattern is frequent, as
it is in small designs.
The great trouble and vice of amateur mechanics is _haste_; they are
too anxious to see the result of a design to give it proper attention
in detail, and, as a consequence, it lacks that nicety and uniform
elegance that characterize the shop-made goods. For where men work by
the day, they are not too energetic as a rule.
DESIGNS IN MOSAIC.
By this I mean the employment of small bits of different colored woods
to produce a certain effect. I have seen many that were made to
represent foliage of trees, the wood being stained green, of course,
but these works of art seem to me labor thrown away, and, except as
mere curiosities, are in no wise attractive; for no workman can do more
than _imitate_ nature in this line, and it is a poor imitation.
[Illustration: Fig. 72.]
A legitimate branch of this line of work is that wherein small bits,
say of the size of Fig. 72, can be conveniently used. When laid in
nicely, and the colors arranged to harmonize, they certainly look well,
resembling the straw flower work, or inlaid straw work of Japan. The
wood may be dyed any color desired, but it is much nicer to use those
colored by nature, which do not fade. I give here a list of naturally
colored woods, useful for this kind of work.
Black—Ebony.
Red—Cam Wood, Tulip Wood.
Yellow—Boxwood.
White—Holly.
Brown—Walnut, Cocoa.
Red Brown—Spanish Cedar (cigar box).
These woods all inlay well except the Spanish Cedar and Walnut, which
are apt to chip and sliver off on the edges, when cut thin. Cam wood is
a pretty red wood, very close in grain, but not to be had in veneers,
as it is used chiefly for making dyes. Most of this kind of work looks
better when ranged in angles about a center, though I recently saw a
work-box in Boston, which had an accurate representation of a worsted
pattern worked on a canvas, but as the workman had unfortunately
selected a very ugly pattern, and the woods had faded, his labor was
wholly thrown away.
After having arranged or laid one course in mosaic work, it is
comparatively easy to follow the whole around, but it is absolutely
essential that the pieces to be let in should be fac similes of each
other, for unless this is the case, the pattern will come out wrong
when the ends are joined, or where it meets. Great care must be
observed in this, and as it would be almost impossible to cut slips of
veneer so small, and be accurate, I prefer to take a slip of wood, and
saw off of the end, having, of course, previously planed and callipered
the stick perfectly true. Here let me say, that the saw I use for this
purpose, is the watchmakers’ dividing saw, the same as jewellers use.
Some of the saws are scarcely larger than a horse hair, while others
are three-tenths of an inch deep and very narrow. With this instrument
I can work very delicately as regards thinness and smoothness of
surface. It is also admirable for scroll sawing, of which more
hereafter.
Of course, all these are small jobs, and small, fine work; when it
comes to more elaborate patterns, such as are generally found on
tables, work-boxes, musical boxes, and similar things, it requires more
time, but as the pattern is large, it requires no particular patience
beyond that which a _very_ fine piece of work does. But where the
pieces are small, as in mosaic, it takes a great deal of patience to
pick up one after another, and no small degree of artistic talent to
bring them all in in the right place.