DIY Network

Inlaid Rope Furniture Lasso up a great look. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-605

Even a hum-drum surface perks up when you give it a little texture, and this easy router project from Michele Beschen gives furniture, walls or other surfaces plenty of texture and personality. The B. Original host shows how to use a router to create a rope inlay that livens up even the dullest spaces. Scroll down to see how it's done.

A fun rope inlay...

Turns the drab to fab.

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Inlaid Rope Furniture

Materials:

furniture or other surface to embellish
rope
safety glasses
router
glue gun and hot glue

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

• Choose a rope that looks good with the surface to be inlaid. Make sure the rope isn’t too thick for the depth of the surface.

• Select a router core bit that is slightly larger than the width of the rope. Adjust the router bit depth to accommodate the thickness of the rope. The top edge of the rope will need to sit level with the surface.

• Use a pencil to sketch the design for the inlay on the surface.

• Wearing safety glasses, make the router cuts following the design (figure A). Don’t rush with the router; keep the cuts as even as possible. If perfectly straight lines are desired, use a jig or guide with the router.

  Safety Alert: Always wear safety glasses when using a router or other power tools.

• Use compressed air or a clean brush to clean out the routed areas.

• Apply stain or paint to the routed grooves or leave them natural.

• Apply a small bead of glue to one end of the design and press the end of the rope into the glue. Work along the design, gluing the rope into the groove (figure B). Use the glue sparingly so it doesn’t leave blobs of glue above the rope.

• If the design is one continuous line, try to use one continuous piece of rope. Trim the end of the rope so that it fits snug against the end of the router line (figure C).

• Protect and seal the piece with a few coats of polyurethane, shellac or varnish. Rope – especially cotton rope – will absorb dirt and liquids if not sealed.