The photoshopped pic of what I was going for more or less:
Using a doweling jig, I drilled holes into poplar and glued up the two board which would be the paddle's surface.
I chose 3 woods for the inlay to represent the green, white, and red of the Italian flag as medium, light, and dark woods.
We have our silhouette, which was printed out and taped onto the mixed woods for the inlay.
A scrollsaw was used to cut out the design with the double bevel method which cuts at an angle so the top piece fits into the bottom piece like a cork.
You can see the paddle with the inlay(left) just barely fits, while the leftover pieces(right) fit loosely.
I've used fine sawdust and superglue to fill any gaps where the inlay fit. I've also cut out the pieces of the handle. I realized too late that I should have cut out the handle with the paddle for more strength, but it turned out alright anyway.
Here the handle has been glued together and test fit.
The paddle has been smoothed with a planer, and beveled with a belt sander. The handle has also been shaped and smoothed with a grinder and belt sander.
I applied some mineral oil to bring a shine to it and it's finished!
