Precision Woodworking CAM
CNC Inlay Generator & Calculator
Generate tight, gapless wood inlays without hand chiseling or guessing tolerances. RouterCut automatically calculates tool radius compensation, male mirrored plugs, and glue clearance pockets.
Design Flawless Inlays in Minutes
Import any SVG graphic, logo, or lettering. Configure your bit geometry, and RouterCut generates matched pocket and plug toolpaths ready for your CNC router.
Open Inlay Generator in Browser →The Math Behind Perfect CNC Wood Inlays
Why Standard Profile Cuts Don't Fit
Round CNC router endmills cannot cut sharp 90-degree internal corners; they leave an inside fillet radius equal to the bit radius. If you cut a standard female pocket and a standard male cutout, the male sharp corners collide with the rounded female pocket corners, creating unsightly gaps or preventing the inlay from seating.
How RouterCut solves this: RouterCut applies mathematical offset compensation to both the female pocket and the male plug, ensuring the outer contour of the plug matches the exact rounded geometry of the pocket.
🕳️ 1. Female Pocket Toolpath
The pocket is carved into the primary workpiece (e.g. walnut tray). RouterCut uses concentric or trochoidal pocket clearing to hog out the waste, leaving clean perimeter walls and a flat bottom.
🧩 2. Male Plug Toolpath (Mirrored)
The plug is carved from accent stock (e.g. maple or brass). RouterCut mirrors the vector and machines around the perimeter, creating a raised positive relief with an integrated backer board.
💧 3. Glue Clearance Gap
Without an engineered reservoir, wood glue creates hydraulic pressure that prevents the inlay from seating fully. RouterCut lets you configure custom glue clearance depth (e.g. 0.5–1.0 mm).
🪚 4. Sawing & Surface Flush Trim
After gluing and clamping, bandsaw or drum-sand away the excess plug backer material to reveal sharp, crisp inlay boundaries that look as though they were hand-chiseled.
Supported Inlay Strategies
Flat Endmill Inlays
Ideal for signage, cutting boards, coasters, and furniture accents using 1/16", 1/8", or 1/4" downcut spiral endmills. RouterCut applies uniform corner radius matching across both parts.
V-Carve Beveled Inlays
Using 30°, 60°, or 90° V-groove bits, RouterCut calculates sloped matching walls with start depth offsets, producing microscopic tolerance joints with feather-sharp points that flat endmills cannot match.