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Anyone know how to do this?

Sure. You have to think about it in two steps. First put together a checkerboard pattern, which is easy enough. Make it thick enough that you can resaw a number of pieces, each about the thickness of a guitar side, that all have the same pattern. Then cut it on the diagonal, and glue the resawn pieces to each other on the diagonal. Cut that down to the width you need, and sandwich it between the straight lines you want on the outside. You likely have to square up the edges at each step.

You can buy strips of veneer already glued up in patterns like this from places like Constantine.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Chris is right. Look for furniture marquetry strips instead of guitar purfling.

I found one that was close at Constantine. Owner wants it the same.

Then I would measure the small diamonds, also measure the big diamonds as if they didn’t have parts chopped off, make alternating colored block strips in each size, and follow the instructions I mentioned before. It’s actually pretty fun and simple if you are doing short lengths and you don’t need to bend it into a rosette or edge purfling. Extra length, and planning for being able to bend it, make construction of purfling more of a challenge. Doing a butt like this won’t be that hard.

I would make a square stick of light colored wood, a square stick of dark colored wood, and, the six sided piece of light colored wood, then slice off "tiles" , cutting the dark tiles in half to make triangles. Add the bordering lines and fit the tiles in between much as you would make a rosette, only simpler.
If you don't want to show end grain you would cross cut the board to make the sticks and slice the tiles off the end.

Does the owner realize the labor cost of making a back strip 'the same' as the pictured one as compared to installing a sourced part? Might concentrate the mind a bit. I hope OP hasn't been running the clock without running the meter.

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Peter Havriluk

If you’re only doing one, I’d treat it as a 29 piece inlay, and go from there.

Actually, save for the outer black and light edges, I’d just make the light wood one piece, and pierce & glue 16 ebony triangles one at a time. You’ll end up with the light wood all in one grain direction, which is what I’d go for, but the owner may not want (or even notice) that.

It would take me longer to pick through my scrap bin to find the wood than it would take to make the inlay.

To do this, I estimate a block that is 3.5" on a side. This the best way?

Mike—

I wouldn’t presume to say what is the best way. I’m just saying how I would approach it. Take a look at my second post above. I would start by measuring how big the two sizes of squares need to be. Then I would cut some blocks that size, of any variety of stock thickness; whatever you have. Then I would glue a few squares of each size together, like for a checkerboard cutting board, but don’t glue too many together, because you don’t need any more than a few. Then lay them out in the diagonal and see what you have, and what you need, before you glue the two different sizes together. I agree with the folks above that this will wind up being very easy, once you cut the blocks the right size and start laying them out.