What you see in the last image above is white MOP shell glued and clamped to a backer board. This allows me to hold the shell while cutting inlay pieces.
The "X" was the last letter I cut and I broke
FIVE 1/32" diameter carbide bits in the process. I cut all the other letters and Knight head logo with one bit but the X gave me fits. Its got to be the most expensive inlay piece I've ever cut since the bits are ~$25.00 each. These are some of the little frustrations that the end user usually never sees and costs we absorb behind the scenes. I'm not complaining, its just part of the process.
