Greetings fellow termites!
I’m getting ready to build a dinning room table and the design I’d like to use has an apron with a curved edge, shown in the attached picture. I don’t know what you call it, but along the curved edge of the apron it looks like some kind of beading, or a grooved line parallel to the shape of the apron.
Can anyone tell me if that has to be carved by hand or is there some trick with a router to make it?
Thanks,
Dusty77
Replies
On that, it was routed. There are lots of ways to do it with a router.
The easiest way would be with a scratch stock.
+1 on scratch stock.
Or maybe a pin router.
John C2,
Appreciate the response. What do you mean by scratch stock?
Dusty77
There are commercial ones but, I use a block of scrap with a saw kerf in it, a couple of screws and a shop made cutter. Old Sawz-all blades make good scratch stock cutters. Mine has a flat face for parallel details. Yours would have a broad rounded face. The radii of the round would be smaller than the tightest curve on your apron.
FWW video here: https://www.finewoodworking.com/2011/05/17/how-to-make-and-use-a-scratch-stock
FWW article here: https://www.finewoodworking.com/2003/06/01/scratch-stocks
There may still be a call for a small v-gouge or some careful chisel work at the sharp corners but, the scratch stock will make the bulk of the work pretty easy.
An alternate would be a small router/bit and an edge guide or a template to assure control. If I were making more than one table I would make some templates. For just one I would use the scratch stock.
+1 for scratch stock. Ron Hock sells a nice one and blade blanks to fit.
I think Lee Valley has a tool for this as well.
The scratch stock shown will stop short inches away from some of the features of that apron, the balance will have to be carved. It will also not follow the curved contours evenly , especially those curving inwards, you may need different holding blocks to achieve the job and a couple carving tools.
The router route may be your best option if you have a guided sole and are ready to invest time in a template using a Point Cutting Round over Bit.
https://www.amazon.ca/Yonico-13073-32-Inch-Radius-Cutting/dp/B079B2Q8J6
Agree with others on scratch stock. Word to the OP, be sure to watch some YouTube’s for technique. Also practice on some scrap of the same species and pay attention to grain direction. It’s not hard but patience and technique are critical.
Thanks to all. Learned a lot from the replies that I didn't now before. Lots to think about!
Dusty77
I use all sorts of metal for a scratch stock including cut nails.The stock is usually two l shaped pieces of say good quality 1,8 plywood where one leg is rounded when the two pieces are together.They are held together with nuts and bolts facilitating cutter changing and sharpening.First a pointy cutter set at the innermost point of the curve is run to outlinr the curve.Multiple passes will facilitate the next step.The next cutter is the round one.You file this from an old bandsaw blade you get from the guys who mill lumber or use an old Stanley 45 cutter of the proper diameter.Make sure the outside edge is sharp so it rides in the grove you just cut.Then go at it.Otherwise take Garett Hacks course
I think it is Carved.
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