Wood Carving and Inlay Work: A Perspective

For years traditional inlay work is done using brass or copper wire and Sheesham wood.

First a floral pattern is selected and then it is traced onto the wooden using chalk or carbon paper. After this an expert carver is required to carve the wood to create outlines on the pattern.

These outlines deep enough to correctly wedge the brass wire in the carving.Once the wire is ran through the whole outlined carved pattern, it creates fabulous effect of gold over Sheesham wood. 

Some times metal sheets are also used to create inlay effect on the wood.

Inlay work requires the following raw material: 

- Sheesham or other wood
- Metal sheets of copper, brass or silver
- Polishing wax to give finishing after sanding

A wooden block making requires almost similar efforts such as tracing the pattern on the piece of wood, using chisel and other tools to hand carve the wooden block. Here, no carvers don't use the wires or metal sheets to fill the pattern. 

Tools required:
- Cutting machine is used to cut big wooden planks
- Gunia or right angle is used to make the corners correct
- Chimti or forceps are used to make the thin strips of coiled wires straight
- Scissors are used to cut metal sheets into wires
- Sanding stone is used to sand the wood after inlay work before final polishing
- Chisel & hammer are used to carve out the design on the wood
- Scale to measure the motif correctly

Inlay work is used for making beautiful long lasting printing stamps too. The lines on blocks are sharper and they are used for printing fabrics, decorating walls and other surfaces just like wooden stamps. 

History: 

Inlay work in India started long back during Mughal reign.Saharanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh is the most famous place for inlay work. Tables, chairs, screens with moghul style brass inlay floral patterns are very common in Saharanpur's inlay. The sheesham wood furniture from Saharanpur includes sofa sets as well as 'Jaali' work on screens and dividers.

Saharanpur is also famous for inlay work furniture such as table, sofa sets, chairs, and patio furniture. Inlay work uses Sheesham or rose wood which the most expensive and strong wood among all types of wood used for inlay.