Judy Gale Roberts Studio Visit

 I have had an interest in the form of woodworking known as Intarsia for many years.  In fact as I recall, the event that attracted me to the Northwest Indiana Woodworkers Association back in 1996 was an article about the organization in the Times newspaper.  The article showed a photo of an Intarsia project that really caught my eye.

 The ancient art of Intarsia – the making of decorative and pictorial mosaics by laying precious and exotic materials into or onto groundwork of solid wood – inspired both marquetry and inlay.  Intarsia dates back to at least the fifteenth century, but faded in popularity until in the late 1970’s Judy Gale Roberts and her father began an art form using mosaic-like pieces of wood glued to a wood panel to create a mural.  They didn’t realize at the time that they were resurrecting Intarsia.¹

 In the mid-1980’s, Judy and her husband, Jerry Booher, began working together to refine the process.  They now primarily use Western red cedar cut with a scroll saw.  Judy draws the patterns and Jerry is responsible for the fit and finish of the projects although Judy does much of the contouring.                                                                                                                       On Monday, July 30, 2007, my wife Cheryl and I paid a visit to the Roberts Studio in the mountains a short distance out of Sevierville, Tennessee.  Follow the advice in their magazine/catalog and don’t plan a visit in the winter.  You will never make it up the mountain.  The building is 8000 sq. ft. of showroom, shop, studio, and living space. 

Judy and Jerry could not have been nicer or more cordial to us.  Jerry gave us a tour of the shop, filled with scroll saws where he works and classes are held.  We discussed many of the fine points of Intarsia.  I was especially interested in the Flex Drum Sander, which is used in place of an oscillating spindle sander or inflatable drum sander.  The Flex Drum Sander is less expensive and gives you better control when contouring the individual parts.

I said that I had just built a Light Box to allow me to insure a better fit of the segments.   Jerry advised me that if I did a better job on the scroll saw, I would not need the Light Box.  He suggested that if my scroll saw table was set square to the blade, the blade was sharp and I cut leaving just a hair of the pattern line, the pieces would fit with little or no sanding on the edges.  He emphasized using a sharp blade.  “If you even think that the blade is getting dull, change the blade.”  I think that I had better put in some more cutting time on the scroll saw.

From the shop, we went into the showroom where Judy talked about some of her patterns.  She gave me a good tip, but don’t tell anyone, O.K.?  She said that you could create more texture on some otherwise smooth pieces by using a wire wheel.  The wire wheel will wear away the softer part of the grain leaving the harder part.  I like this because wood color, grain direction, shape, contour, and texture are what make an Intarsia project so impressive.  Western red cedar is used because it is inexpensive, readily available, and usually has a wide variety of color and grain patterns.

Intarsia projects generally do not use paint or stain.  They depend on the natural color and grain pattern of the wood itself.  However, as Jerry says, “there are no rules, no right or wrong way to do things.”  But after twenty plus years of experience, the way he teaches is pretty good.

If you haven’t tried Intarsia, I encourage you to try a simple pattern and see how you like it.  All you need is a scroll saw or even a band saw with a narrow blade, a pattern, and a couple of boards.  It’s an art with no rules and lots of room for expression.  If you need further advice, I feel sure that fellow members Clyde Hewlett and George Pluard would be happy to help. Also, we have several books and videos about Intarsia in our library.

1. Roberts and Booher, Intarsia - Easy To Make Inlay Wood Projects, ix-xii.
Website - intarsia.com

Bob Roach
August 2007
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