A reader sent me an email a couple weeks ago asking if I had seen a product he saw advertised on the web. He told me about a company that sold small medallion sized wooden inlays that could be customized and used as a signature piece on woodworking projects.
It sounded interesting so I took a look at their site. The name of the company is Working Widget Technology. You can visit their site here. After looking around for a while I emailed the company for a sample.
I received the sample above. The wood choices are cherry, walnut and maple. They could not be more simple to inlay in your project. You use a 1 1/2" Forstner bit and drill to 1/8" depth. Glue in the medallion and finish. I like simple.
The product comes in three styles. Clip Art, Signature and Design Your Own. Each style gives you more or less customization. The Design Your Own lets you send you own artwork for laser etching.
I would say the product looks good. The walnut and Cherry seemed to show the laser etching better for some reason. I would have thought the light maple would have made the laser marks stand out but for some reason they looked lighter.
Now here is the catch. These things are expensive. The Clip Art kit which comes with six medallions and the forstner bit is $39.95. The Signature kit is $44.95 and the Design Your Own is a whopping $49.95. All the kits come with six medallions and the forstner bit. The difference is the amount of customization you can do.
At first I almost talked my self out of even reviewing the product because of the expense. Here is what changed my mind. There are certain projects you build that are special. A fretwork clock with hundreds of inside cuts that takes you weeks to complete. A baby crib for your first child or grand child. A commemorative plaque for a special event in your families life. These are projects that are worthy of a custom signature. I think in that situation I would be happy to use this product. Because of this I give this product a thumbs up.
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