Strip inlay products, and methods of making

A method of making an elongate decorative strip inlay product having a top, a bottom, opposing first and second sides between the top and the bottom, a first length, a first width of about 0.03 inch to about 1.5 inches between the first and second sides and transverse to the length, and a thickness of about 0.03 inch to about 0.4 inch between the top and the bottom, the method comprising:

• (a) providing a backing board;
• (b) mounting a multiple-layer sheet structure on the backing board to create an inlay workpiece, the multiple layer sheet structure comprising
• (i) a flexible, relatively underlying, layer of substrate material having a second length, and a second width greater than the first width, and
• (ii) a relatively overlying layer of display material, affixed in the multiple layer sheet material, the overlying layer having a top and a bottom, a third length, and a third width greater than the first width;
• (c) cutting the overlying layer, from the top to the bottom of the overlying layer so as to create discrete display material segments, separate and distinct from each other along a plurality of discrete lines of such segments, thereby separating the display material segments in a first such line from the display material segments in adjacent such lines;
• (d) cutting through the substrate material between respective ones of the discrete lines thereby to separate individual decorative strips from the blank and from each other;
• and
• (e) separating individual ones of the decorative strips from the backing board.

A decorative strip inlay product having a top, a bottom, opposing first and second elongate sides extending between the top and the bottom, said first side having a first length and said second side having a second length, a width of about ¼ inch to about 1 inch between the first and second sides, and a thickness of about 0.03 to about 0.4 inch between the top and the bottom, said decorative strip inlay product comprising:

• (a) a first dam at the first side of said decorative strip, and extending along the full length of the first side;
• (b) a second dam at the second side of said decorative strip, and extending the full length of the second side;
• (c) a display pattern of face material between said first and second dams and extending downwardly from the top of said strip inlay product;
• and
• (d) one or more cavities defined between respective portions of the display pattern and/or between respective portions of the display pattern and one or more of the first and second dams,
• said first and second dams and said face material expressing properties which reflect said dams and at least a portion of said face material having been derived from a common work piece.

A method of fabricating a decorative strip inlay product having a top and a bottom, opposing first and second elongate sides extending between the top and the bottom, the first side having a first length and the second side having a second length, a width between the first and second sides, and a thickness between the top and the bottom, the method comprising:

• (a) selecting a suitable substrate workpiece within which the decorative strip inlay product can be fabricated;
• (b) releasably mounting the selected workpiece on a backing board to make a workpiece assembly having a top and a bottom, a top of the substrate workpiece being defined by face material and corresponding with the top of the workpiece assembly, a bottom of the substrate workpiece facing a top of the rigid backing board;
• (c) mounting the workpiece assembly in a laser cutting machine so as to apply cutting energy at the top surface of the workpiece assembly;
• (d) applying the laser cutting machine at the top of the workpiece assembly and thereby
• (i) cutting through the workpiece assembly from the top of the substrate workpiece to the bottom of the substrate workpiece, and thereby defining first and second elongate sides of the decorative strip, cut entirely through the substrate workpiece and thereby severing waste material of the substrate workpiece from the remainder of the substrate workpiece;
• and
• (ii) cutting into and not through the substrate workpiece between the first and second elongate sides and thereby creating
• (A) a first dam at the first side of the decorative strip and extending along the full length of the first side,
• (B) a second dam at the second side of the decorative strip and extending along the full length of the second side,
• (C) a display pattern of uncut portions of the face material between the first and second dams, and
• (D) one or more cavities defined between respective portions of the display pattern and/or between respective portions of the display pattern and one or more of the first and second dams;
• (e) removing the severed waste material from the workpiece assembly, thereby leaving on the backing board a precursor of the decorative strip inlay product;
• (f) filling the cavities with one or more filler materials;
• and
• (g) sanding the top of the resultant product precursor, resulting in display of both the filler material and the full pattern of the facing material as cut by the laser cutter, and producing the decorative inlay strip product.