Wood Studio

Woodworking, CNC projects, and inlays that show the process.

Follow the woodworking side of ARH Tech Lab through CNC work, laser-cut inlays, fixtures, experiments, and finished pieces. The photos and notes show how design choices, toolpaths, laser settings, wood grain, and finishing decisions shape the final result.

Wood Inlay

Laser-cut wood inlays with color from the wood itself.

Finished butterfly wood inlay made from walnut, padauk, yellow heart, and wenge
Butterfly inlay made with walnut, padauk, yellow heart, and wenge. Read the how-to article.
Finished cardinal wood inlay mounted on a wall
Cardinal wood inlay with strong color contrast and natural grain direction.
Finished woodpecker wood inlay mounted on a wall
Woodpecker wood inlay using layered tones to separate the body, branch, and background.
Finished chickadee wood inlay with bird perched on branches
Chickadee wood inlay with fine branch details and natural wood grain as the background.

Polymer Clay Inlay

Laser-cut pockets filled by hand.

Polymer clay inlay uses the same idea of a cut pocket, but the color comes from clay instead of a second piece of wood. The clay is pressed into the laser-cut areas with hand tools, baked to harden, sanded smooth, and sealed with a clear protective coat.

Tiger polymer clay inlay on a wood panel
Tiger polymer clay inlay using laser-cut pockets and hand-pressed color details.
Blue rose polymer clay inlay on a wood panel
Blue rose polymer clay inlay, baked, sanded, and protected with a clear coat.