Learning the art of intarsia has never been easier thanks to celebrated intarsia artist and instructor Kathy Wise. With more than 40 skill building lessons, Intarsia Woodworking for Beginners will take you on a journey from the concepts and basics of working with an intarsia pattern, cutting, sanding, gluing, creating a backer board and finishing, to techniques that will take your work to the next level, such as staining, shims, overlays, laminations, wood burning and carving texture.

With the projects divided into beginner, intermediate beginner and advanced beginner, this easy to follow book includes step-by-step instructions, over 20 patterns with reference photos, material lists, and tips and hints to help you turn multiple pieces of wood into a stunning work of art.

Kathy's progressive teaching style offers something for anyone working with inlaid wood. The lessons not only cover the basics, but also describe details to look out for like the nuances of working with multiple shades of wood or the best way to create color breaks. This book offers valuable lessons that will be referenced again and again as you discover a love of intarsia.

Kathy Wise has been sculpting dogs and animals professionally for more than 25 years. Much of her time is now spent in the woodshop and art studio working on new and exciting designs for intarsia artists to cut and enjoy. Kathy is a frequent contributor to Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts. For more information visit her website at www.kathywise.com.

Intarsia - the making of pictures (rom
pieces of solid timber - is one of the less
commonly pursued woodworking disciplines.
This is unfortunate, since the modern
scrollsaw makes it easier than ever to
do this work.
It's impossible to say when Intarsia
was first developed. Some believe it was
invented by the Ancient Egyptians, some,
by the Romans.
The only certainty is that it was very
popular in Italy during the lSth century
and examples of lntarsia have been found
in Italy and southern Germany dating
from as long as 200 years before that.
But, by the 17th century, Intarsia had
virtually disappeared, having been replaced
by marquetry and inlay.
Since the 1970's, the craft has enjoyed
a revival which now appears to be gathering
pace.
This book is essentially a collection of
2S projects of varying difficulty. The
author is a highly successful artist resl)onsible
for the design of more than a 110Usand
animal figure and giftware items that
have been sold worldwide.
The first project in the book, a Goldfish,
explains the basic intarsia techniques
for simple intarsia patterns, how to cut
and shape the pieces and how to glue
them together.
The second project, a Butterfly, introduces
multiple colour work.
The third project brings in discussion
of overlays, shims (to add a 3-D effect),
lamination and calVing.
By the beginning of the fourth project,
most of the important methods have been
described and the space devoted to each
project becomes smaller, consisting of
list of materials and some quick tips to
help ensure the work is completed satisfactorily.
The projects cover a wide range from
a horse's head, a train shaped photo
frame and a lighthouse, to a small girl
wearing boots, a lily cross and a racoon.
The book is well illustrated with excellent
photos and useful drawings. Aimed at
the beginner rather than the very experi·
enced maker of Intarsia, it is obviously
intended to help in the building of skills
so as to go on to even more interesting
and formidable work.