Intarsia, Segmentation, and Marquetry
Have you ever wanted to know what intarsia, segmentation, and marquetry are all about? We will give a brief introduction to these fascinating scroll saw woodworking techniques and art forms.
In this article, we will provide the definitions and explanations for each of these techniques. We also provide some links to various resources for each of these methods including books, magazines, websites, patterns, tutorials, and how-to videos.
When I started scroll sawing a few years back, and even now I would look at intarsia pictures online by artists like Judy Gale Roberts, Kathy Wise, and Bruce Worthington (just to name a few) and be in awe of their work. I thought wow, I really want to learn how to do that.
The ability they have to take some pieces of regular wood and turn it into a painting is just awesome to me.
Let’s take a look at each one of these techniques.
What is Segmentation?
Segmentation is a method of using wood cut into various shapes to create a mosaic. The end result is kind of like a painting except instead of using paint, the wood is the paint. Segmentation is similar to intarsia except you can cut all of the pieces from one piece of stock and then paint or stain the individual pieces, shape, sand, and then fit them together.
As an example, using a pattern of a rose, you can place the whole entire pattern on a single piece of wood and then cut out all the pieces at one time. You then can shape, paint, or stain each piece accordingly and then put it back together like a puzzle. This method is a great way to make some very beautiful art quickly and inexpensively.
Segmentation Pros
- Most pieces can be cut from the same piece of wood. You can use paint, dye, or stain on less expensive wood allowing you a much broader selection of color choices.
- Since you can cut the pieces out from a single piece of wood, the cuts may be more accurate and may require less sanding.
- These factors will decrease the amount of time spent on the overall project.
Segmentation Cons
- Being stained or painted may take away some of the natural wood beauty and make it look more unnatural.
