Steve Latta Inlay Tools

In September of 2023, while at the Handworks tool show in Amana Iowa, we were approached by Lie-Nielsen Toolworks asking if we were interested in taking over their line of inlay tools. We worked out an agreement, and over the course of 18 months had been busy working bring them back to the market.  It has taken that long to do engineering work and prototype development, working with numerous vendors to obtain the large variety of components needed. Testing of the prototypes has been conducted by Steve Latta, the originator of these tools.  We have made several improvements based on Steve’s recommendations.

This has been an intense project for a small business like ours. We have had to develop engineered drawings and CAD files of all the different components, and work with several machine shops, plus other vendors for water-jet cutting and laser engraving, to produce parts to our quality standards. The prototypes tools pictured are close to the final versions, with some minor changes being made for the production versions.

These tools are meant for creating inlay stringing work, where narrow grooves are cut into the base wood and a different wood of contrasting color is glued into the grooves.  Federal furniture is a good example of this type of work, as is certain regional furniture such as Dutch pieces from the Chester County, PA area.  (Photo below is an in process example of this.)

There are four tools in the line-up:

• Radius cutter, used to cut arcs and circle grooves.
• Straight-line cutter, used to cut straight grooves parallel to the edge of the workpiece.
• Slicing gauge, used to cut veneer sheets into strips for inlay.
• Thickness gauge, used to prepare inlay strips to a precise width to fit the grooves.

The radius cutter and straight-line cutter come with .030″ wide cutters. Replacement cutters are also being offered in .042″ and .062″ widths.

When we first gathered all the price quotes for these tools, the retail cost would have been around $200 each for the radius, straight-line, and slicing gauge, and $155 for the thickness gauge.  Fortunately, we were able to get those costs down by switching to some commercially available parts, and by revisiting the machining process for others.  A lot of small things added up enough to get to the price projections listed here.  These are subject to change, but should not by much.

Prices are as follows:

• Radius cutter, $185.
• Straight-line Cutter, $170
• Slicing Gauge,  $170
• Thickness gauge at $100.
• We offer the set of four for $575, a $45 savings.  Use coupon code INLAYSET to get the discounted price for the full set of four tools.

We certainly recognize these prices as being significantly higher than when last offered by Lie-Nielsen. Inflation has played a big role in this over the five years since they were available.  We are committed to the highest quality possible, and to having them manufactured here in the USA.  We are unwilling to compromise on those points.  Also, it is worth mentioning there is already a significant investment in these tools, both in time and monetary outlays.