# Step Stool in Brown Oak - Finished



## OPJ (5 Apr 2009)

I'm trying to kill some time at college in between my two main projects so, with bits of brown oak left lying around, I've begun working on a small step stool. This won't be appearing in the magazine as it's taken straight from a book titled Building Small Projects so, it's not my design.  I can't think of many ways to improve it and I'd really like to have a go at some wedged tenons like this.  

These are the offcuts I've chosen. It would've been nice to have gotten them from one length for grain continuity.







Here are the components after machining. I was aiming for a width of about 10", ending up with boards 240mm wide, which isn't bad, if you ask me. Because some boards weren't flat and had 'hidden dips' in them, I was only able to achieve a maximum finished thickness of 18mm, which is quite disappointing (the original design has a 1" finish; 22mm would've been nice). The boards weren't cupped at all; it's purely down to how they were cut or stacked.






Once I had all the components machined, I drew out a full size rod. I have to admit, this is something I probably _wouldn't_ have done at home...!   I'll leave all the curved work until nearer the end so, don't worry about the rail or that badly-drawn curve on the end view! 






After the top to length on the panel saw, here, I'm setting out the mortises which will receive tenons from the two ends.






Because the legs are angled at 10°, I need to build a jig to drill the angled mortises accurately. I could just tilt the pillar drill table but, this jig will also come in handy for cutting the tenons. :wink: 

This is where I'm at right now; ready to make the jig. It's Easter for the next two weeks and I'll be picking up with other things straight after. So, while I'm looking to keep you all up-to-date on how things progress, don't expect to see this one completed any time soon! Feel free to add any comments though. :wink:


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## ByronBlack (6 Apr 2009)

I'll be watching this one, as I desperately need to build a good step-stool, I'm sick of standing on tool boxes, benches, timber, badgers etc.. just to reach up into the ceiling of my workshop.


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## p111dom (6 Apr 2009)

The grain looks fine ti me Olly. Not sure about the sun rise cut out on the sides though. Possibly a little dated. I'm not sure what else you could do though. Even an oval I think would look better.


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## OPJ (8 Apr 2009)

Colin, while I'll be making this one for general use around the home, I'm also thinking up a larger one for use in the workshop! :wink: David Free did a pretty good one on Great British Woodshop a few years ago, with a fold-out step for climbing up. I'm thinking of something along similar lines... Although, I may add some kind of 'tool storage compartment' under the seat for use around the home. That's probably a few months away though... I reckon I'd use cheaper beech for that rather than lovely brown oak, as it's more likely to get knocked about! 

Dom, when you say "oval", are you thinking of something shallow, which would help the stool to sit comfortably on wonky floors? That's the kind of line I'm thinking along at the moment - keep it simple and let the wood do the talking! :wink:


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## OPJ (8 Jul 2009)

Precisely three months after my previous post :shock:, it's time for a new update on this little project!  Due to a series of unfortunate mis-haps, I didn't get anything more done in this while at college (which finished at the end of June). I did manage to finish my main project though - you'll have to keep your eyes peeled for a future issue of _British Woodworking_ to see that! :wink:

Out in the workshop yesterday, I re-draw the rod and made a couple of changes. The rail is now 38mm down from the underside of the top and, although I haven't drawn it here, I've going with a shallow curve at the bottom of each end. Don't worry, I did draw all the tenons before proceeding any further! 






I finished chopping out the 10° mortises using a scrap of oak with a bevel at one end to help guide the chisel.






Next, I could start cutting some tenons on the router table, using my Wealden Tenon Cutter to remove almost 2mm from each face.






I left my knife-lines in so that I could chisel the rest away later. :wink:






Tenons were marked directly from the underside of the top before cutting the waste with a fine-toothed gents' saw.






The remaining waste was removed with a coping saw - _mind that 10° shoulder!_ - before chiselling back to the lines.






These weren't the tidiest joints I've cut with big lumps missing from the middle but, they won't be seen and the joints pull up nicely!






Chamfering the ends of the tenons helps to prevent them literally _breaking-through_ the face side.






This is how it was looking after a dry-assembly, earlier today. Please bear in mind that the legs aren't even cut to the same length here, which is why it looks so lop-sided!  Time to fit that rail next...






This is what I should've done with the first set of mortises!! :roll: It certainly made life easier second-time around!






Back to the router table to remove most of the waste [...well, you know what I mean! ] which left me with a little work to do with my shoulder plane.






At least I could cut the tenons on the bandsaw this time! 






Again, using the coping saw and my set of bevel-edged chisels made from cheese-like steel... :x






Tomorrow then, I aim to get all the shaping done and will hopefully have this one assembled and wedged. I'll be adding sycamore wedges for contrast, cut from the waste of last week's quick-project. :wink:

Don't worry, Pete, the pine has been ordered and Chest of Drawers will soon be under way! This one's just a filler project to keep me sane in the mean time! 

Does anyone have any thoughts on finishing? I usually go with Danish Oil, creating a smooth, glass-like finish - that's hardly ideal for a piece of furniture you're supposed to be standing on! :shock:


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## Philly (8 Jul 2009)

Looking good, Olly!
Oil is a good choice for Oak - brings out the colour nicely! I finished a pine step stool a few years ago with danish oil and it has stood up well (no pun intended).
Cheers
Philly


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## Chems (8 Jul 2009)

Looks to be an intresting project, don't like the brown oak much thou looks like nasty wood.

Your workbench looks fantastic in those shots. I'm still waiting for a final finish update!


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## OPJ (8 Jul 2009)

Chems":1gwskjk7 said:


> Looks to be an intresting project, don't like the brown oak much thou looks like nasty wood.



:shock: :shock: :shock:

You won't be saying that once it's oiled, Chems!!! :twisted: 

:wink:

Thanks for reminding me about photographing my 'bench! :roll: Because the lighting in my workshop is so rubbish, I'm playing around with the settings on my camera so that I can use a flash without turning my bench _orange_! It's also covered in tools and wood at the moment; hopefully I'll be able to clear it for the weekend. :wink: I've also got wooden dogs and vice handles to sort out... Yep, I'm terrible at actually finishing things!


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## Chems (8 Jul 2009)

Not the finish of it doesn't look nice more the stringy nature of the grain? Reminds me of coarse pine. 

Yes keep the blog going always an interesting read!


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## MikeG. (8 Jul 2009)

Olly,

what's brown oak?













Other than oak...














...........that's brown?








(Like all oak is)


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## Tom K (8 Jul 2009)

Oak thats not White :lol:


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## Benchwayze (8 Jul 2009)

Mike, 

Brown Oak is ordinary oak that has been exposed to fungus, which causes it to go brown, as distinct from the usual golden colour of English Oak. 

Tiger oak is similar, but it has streaks of affected wood with streaks of normal toned wood. 

The other oak that's nice to work with is bog oak, which of course has been buried in peat bogs, sometimes for centuries. 
I'm sure you knew that last one of course.

regards
John


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## OPJ (9 Jul 2009)

Yep, John's got the answer. :wink:

This fungus gets its name because it looks like a _beef steak_ when it appears outside the bark!  It does stain (most of) the timber brown, which also adds beauty to the grain without weakening the structural properties of the timber (as far as I'm aware).

Just wait until you see some of the stuff I used on my table! 8)


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## Benchwayze (9 Jul 2009)

A supplier would be nice OPJ. 

I can't spend much time at the bench now, so these days I am only making small pieces that don't require lumping around, 

Thus, I wouldn't want shed-loads of the stuff. 

(I can tell you have discovered the delights of working with Brown Oak and I reckon you'd agree, it's a joy to look at, and it possesses all the great working properties of ordinary oak. It's almost a shame to wax it! )

Cheers
John


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## OPJ (9 Jul 2009)

Hi John,

I bought my brown oak from Vasterns in Wiltshire. They have a branch in Wooton Basset but it was the sawmill in Calne who had the brown oak. Quite a lot of it too; all kiln-dried in 1", 2" and 1½" thickness. Prices are on a par with regular English Oak

That's probably a bit far for you so, I do suggest you get in touch a few local sawmills; particularly ones cutting British hardwoods and lots of oak. That's why _Vasterns_ are able to stock so much of it; they're _always_ cutting oak so, chances are, they're going to run in to a stained log every now and again! :wink:

There were several small mills and yards around the Bristol area with small quantities available, they just didn't have the amounts that I was needing. If you're only after a small quantity then, it really would pay to phone around. 

Update on the stool to follow this evening!


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## Benchwayze (9 Jul 2009)

Many thanks Olly. 

I'll keep all that in mind.

Best of luck and look forward to seeing more pics!

Regards
John


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## OPJ (9 Jul 2009)

Using a 600mm steel rule and a sash cramp, I sprung a tidy-looking curve for the rail.






This was later cleaned up with my cheap Silverline spokeshave... I can get it to work okay but, the finish always needs a lot of sanding. I'm looking to upgrade this at some point and have my eyes on either the Clifton or one of the Veritas 'shaves... They are a bit dear for me at the moment so, I may end up buying an old Record off eBay for now. I've used those at college and can get them to work even better than my cheapo. 






Both ends required some attention...






Thanks to Karl, I am now the proud owner of a 2" Clifton cap iron - which means my Stanley no.5 can take _end-grain shavings_ like this:






Ah, just look at those _shavings_! 8)






This shallow curve was cleaned up with one of my Auriou rasps. My spokeshave couldn't get in to this radius!






These hand-sawn kerfs will make some allowance for the wedges. I got these ones right but, I cut them the wrong way on the rail - and didn't realise it until I was gluing it all together!! :x






Wedges cut from a scrap of sycamore left over from last week's build; 13mm thick [remember that measurement! :shock:].






Straight after lunch, with a lot of banging and surprisingly no swearing, I got the stool glued, assembled and wedged. I'm using Titebond's Dark Wood Glue [it's Titebond *II*, Mike!! :wink:], which only needs thirty minutes in the cramps! Scary stuff! :shock:






To be fair, it is very tricky to get the angles and shoulder length of this rail spot on. Sadly, I didn't quite make it and ended up with a slight gap.  I tried sash cramps as well but, even they could barely help.






I'm kicking myself about this though - I really should've know better! :x When I was 'cleaning up' the tenon shoulders (ie. deliberately under-cutting them for a tight fit), I didn't give any forward-thought to the fact that these ends would later be tapered in width!! :roll:






I did hear the odd snap, crackle and pop when hammering these wedges home.  No physical damage appears to have been done, from what I've seen so far...






This is where that 13mm measurement comes in... For some bizarre reason, I decided by mortises should be 14mm². What I should have done though, was to make them the same width of my chisel, which would have left me without this 1mm gap!  It's also part-laziness in wanting to use up the first bit of prepared scrap I could find, instead of planing something to fit.






A lapse in concentration led to this disaster with a Pax _fliush-cutting_ saw! :shock: It was the first one, as well. In all honesty, I haven't been sleeping well at all lately, hopefully that had something to do with it... :?






I need to find away to fill some of those gaps on the top surface. I may just cut some tiny slithers of sycamore to fill the remaining wedge-space. Anything underneath, I don't care; it won't be seen. :wink:

I've taken a slight detour away from this now while I try and decide what I'm going to do next. I'm back on the workbench looking at Bench Dogs for the next couple of days (look out for my Blog!).


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## Gill (9 Jul 2009)

It's fascinating watching this project progress, warts and all. It's brave of you to show us those points from which you're gaining experience. They're not mistakes - they're learning points   ! I'm convinced you'll still end up with a lovely little piece of furniture which would adorn any room.

I've actually had that same book for a while. There are some smashing projects in it, especially some very appealing Shaker boxes. It's great to follow one of the projects as it comes to fruition.

Gill


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## Benchwayze (9 Jul 2009)

But you'll know it's there Olly! 

Find a triangular sliver of oak to match the grain. (Take the corner off a piece of scrap) 

Go in with a corner chisel, or a 'vee' gouge, until the damage has 'vanished'.

Glue in the sliver. 

Some gaffa tape to clamp it, and when dry, flush back with a wide chisel.
You might still see the repair but it will be neater!

Best of luck Olly. I like that design and overall you did a nice job. The brown oak is a definite plus. 
.................................................................

With the damage to the through tenon I would be tempted to rout out about 1/4 inch deep. Square up the corners and then cut a piece of end grain to fit with waste protruding. 

put the router on 'ski-blocks' and set the depth of cut to barely touch the surface of the stool. Then rout away the end grain waste when dry. Then let in some of the light wood where it needs to go, finishing off with a sharp block plane. 

John


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## OPJ (9 Jul 2009)

Thanks, people.  I'll give myself some time over the weekend to ponder over my next move here. John, I do agree with your thoughts on replacing the damaged through tenon with more end-grain.

One more photo' I forgot to add - and, something they didn't do in the book - adding a 10° to the top edges! 8)






I'm also playing around with my camera; trying to see if I can get a flash that won't turn everything red or orange! :shock: I've had this one for eighteen months now; I suppose it would pay to sit down and read the manual one day...!  (That's why some of my photos are all different colours.)


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## The Shark (10 Jul 2009)

Hi Olly,
I echo the sentiments in Gill's first paragraph, and look forward to seeing the completed project.

Malc


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## OPJ (13 Jul 2009)

Eventually, I took John's advice and chiselled several tiny triangles of oak to fill these gaps underneath the top. With a little more dark glue, this has worked really well. Not like it's ever going to be seen though. :wink:







While I was at it, I also chopped some bits of sycamore to fill the 1mm gaps either side of the wedges. I really couldn't be a***d to do the same with _all_ the brown oak end-grain - it is a stool, after all. Years of feet and hard shoes stomping all over is going to do some damaged eventually anyway. 






On the top, I did a bit scraping and planing but haven't made any attempt to fill those missing lumps. I can live with it and. I think my dog will get the most use out of this - she's always had trouble with one of her back legs and I've noticed her struggling to get up on to "her" settee recently...  After a few weeks and plenty of claw marks, it isn't going to matter! 

This stool has now received its first coat of oil. As I found with my college project, this oak is very dry and thirsty. I'll give it two more coats and probably a fourth as well.






(Notice how I'm still using a sheet of hardboard to keep my oiled workbench clean...! :roll:  )

I'll upload more photos of the finished stool later in the week.


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## Philly (13 Jul 2009)

Looking great, Olly! The oil really brings out the colour of that Oak.
Nice one,
Philly


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## Waka (13 Jul 2009)

Olly

Really like that step up, its something I really need in my shop and when I've got time I'll have a stab at one. Do you have any plans, or was it off the top of your head?


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## Benchwayze (13 Jul 2009)

Yes.. I have to agree.. It has turned out to be a nice functional piece. It has just the right amount of decoration, taking nothing away from the clean lines. 


=D> =D> =D> 

John


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## Paul Chapman (13 Jul 2009)

Looks nice, Olly.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## chris_d (13 Jul 2009)

Beautiful!


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## LarryS. (13 Jul 2009)

nice one olly, really like the stool, especially the clever angles (don't think my brain could manage them)


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## OPJ (13 Jul 2009)

Thank you, everyone. 

Waka, it's not entirely my own design. Gill alluded to this earlier and it's from an American book titled Building Small Projects (yes, the cover's a bit of a give-away - that's what made me buy it, actually! ) I have made a few of my own changes though. I did a SketchUp drawing somewhere - if you're interested, I could e-mail it to you some time. :wink:

Paul, getting these angles right really isn't that difficult. An accurate full-size rod and accurate marking out are essential. The hardest apart (apart from fixing all the f**k-ups! ) was getting the length right on the rail correct.


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## Steve Maskery (14 Jul 2009)

Excellent Olly, and I'm glad you went to the trouble of fettling the little flaws. My dad always used to say that the difference between an amateur and a professional is the way h fixes his mistakes.

Brown oak is lovely. I made a T-bar stool for a neighbour some years ago and then she promptly died.... I still have a small piece kicking around waiting for something special on which to use it.

Nice job and it sounds like you learned a lot along the way. Success!

S


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## Boz62 (14 Jul 2009)

Nice. Another inspiring project Olly. And particularly good to see the fixes, I can learn a lot from these .

Boz


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## OPJ (18 Jul 2009)

After four coats of Danish Oil and a dry afternoon to take some photographs, here is the finished stool:





















I applied the fourth coat on Thrursday evening but then discovered on Friday morning that my leaky roof had left a puddle on the finished surface! :x So, I've cut it back a bit and have applied one fifth and final coat to the top only.

Really pleased with the way this has all turned out although I'd still like to try something similar with thicker timber, one day. Hope you've enjoyed following this, too. 

Thanks you,

Olly.


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## MikeG. (18 Jul 2009)

Looks good Olly, well done!

I like the contrasting wedges and the angled edges to the top. Nice

Mike


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## newt (18 Jul 2009)

Olly that is a really sound looking job, I do like the brown oak, is the colour fairly close to reality. It looks as though it could last forever.


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## laird (18 Jul 2009)

Lovely proportions and colour. Step it up for a bench, then a table..............


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## Corset (18 Jul 2009)

Very nice work that. I think brown oak has a really lovely richness. I think it great that it will get some good use from the dog.
Owen


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## OPJ (18 Jul 2009)

Thanks, guys. 

Pete, in reality, I'd say it's very slightly more 'orangey' than the first three photos. I'd expect this to dark over time, as most timbers would but, I've also heard that the staining can fade after a decade or so... :shock:  

It's just like working with English oak will extra 'depth' in the grain. Only thing I've noticed is that the 'smell' isn't as strong as it usually is with English oak... That could be down to the staining or perhaps because this stuff was kilned? It's been great working with it.


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## Chems (18 Jul 2009)

Wow hasn't that turned out beautifully! Great job!


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## motownmartin (19 Jul 2009)

Another fine job Olly, your skills are definitely getting better and better


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## woodbloke (20 Jul 2009)

Can't see pics at the mo', will look tonight - Rob


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## The Shark (20 Jul 2009)

Hi Olly,
Nice job!

Malc


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## woodbloke (20 Jul 2009)

Olly - nice job. I've never used any Brown Oak but am tempted to obtain a bit and see what it's like. I fancy making one of the stools (similar to yours) in the back of Alan Peter's book...it's the one with the dished seat where he recommends a curved sole jack plane to do the dishing...if you follow :? :lol: - Rob


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## Karl (20 Jul 2009)

woodbloke":1bkahxx8 said:


> he recommends a curved sole jack plane to do the dishing...if you follow :? :lol: - Rob



Not an excuse for another plane, surely :lol: 

Cheers

Karl


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## woodbloke (20 Jul 2009)

Karl":1nur3ycg said:


> woodbloke":1nur3ycg said:
> 
> 
> > he recommends a curved sole jack plane to do the dishing...if you follow :? :lol: - Rob
> ...


I have a curved sole plane already (a small maple and rosewood one) already Karl, but there just happens   to be a nice 2" woody jack in Penny Farthing Tools that would do rather well. I can see a visit into town this weekend is on the cards - Rob


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## OPJ (20 Jul 2009)

Sounds interesting, Rob. I look forward to seeing photos! :wink:

I think I know the one you mean (although, I haven't yet bought his book... ). Is it similar the the one Nick made in BWW a few months back?


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## Ironballs (20 Jul 2009)

Good looking stool that Olly, well made


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## woodbloke (21 Jul 2009)

OPJ":26ruanbz said:


> I think I know the one you mean (although, I haven't yet bought his book... ). Is it similar the the one Nick made in BWW a few months back?


Olly - yup, that's the one, based on a design in Alan's book. I don't recollect how Nick dished the seat, but Alan P recommends a 2" woody where the sole has been planed convex and then the cutter is ground to match. The book btw is *well* worth buying - Rob


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## OPJ (21 Jul 2009)

Nick created most of the 'dishing' by guiding a circular saw along at an angle, increasing the depth of cut with each pass... Similar to the kind of thing Americans do on a table saw to create coving... Except, they probably try and do it in one pass! :? :shock:

He might have then used one of James Mursell's wooden planes to clean it up but, I can't fully remember.


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## Ironballs (21 Jul 2009)

There is another way....

You can suspend your router on a cable/chain above your piece (very securely of course) with the cutter in place and extended below the base. Then you can swing (very gently) your router like a pendulum, going lower or your piece going higher after each pass. It will cut a perfect indent and if you so wish a perfect circle with the only marking needed the initial lining up.

Obvious H&S statement about using your router as a pendulum and the attendant dangers. No more dangerous than a tablesaw or spindle moulder I would say and you'd have to swing the router a long way before the bit could get to an angle where it could harm you


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## chris_d (21 Jul 2009)

Ironballs":19e796b3 said:


> You can suspend your router on a cable/chain above your piece ...


Are you taking the pineapple?


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## DaveL (21 Jul 2009)

Ironballs":326bf92z said:


> You can suspend your router on a cable/chain above your piece (very securely of course) with the cutter in place and extended below the base. Then you can swing (very gently) your router like a pendulum, going lower or your piece going higher after each pass. It will cut a perfect indent and if you so wish a perfect circle with the only marking needed the initial lining up.


Hmm think you need to lay down in a dark room for a little while, hopefully the men in white coats are busy and wont call for you tonight. :shock: 

This does not sound like a good idea.

I think with care you could make a cradle that slides along the top, which has curved runners the you could slide the router backwards and forwards on thus cutting the curve.
The idea for the router swinging in free space does not appeal, the cut would be a curve in all directions, or is that what you are trying to achieve?


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## motownmartin (21 Jul 2009)

DaveL":36t0k77t said:


> Ironballs":36t0k77t said:
> 
> 
> > You can suspend your router on a cable/chain above your piece (very securely of course) with the cutter in place and extended below the base. Then you can swing (very gently) your router like a pendulum, going lower or your piece going higher after each pass. It will cut a perfect indent and if you so wish a perfect circle with the only marking needed the initial lining up.
> ...


They don't call him Ironballs for nothing.

Quick, everyone hide Matrons coming.


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## Ironballs (21 Jul 2009)

I saw a piece displayed at the Harrogate show last year that had a lovely indentation in the top and asked how they'd made it, as it looked perfect. The answer was the one I passed on and done in a college too.

It may sound odd at first, but I think it could be done safely and is no more dangerous than a lot of hand held routing I have seen that's deemed safe.

I would agree though, not for the inexperienced


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## woodbloke (22 Jul 2009)

Ironballs":2hqkib7m said:


> There is another way....
> 
> You can suspend your router on a cable/chain above your piece (very securely of course) with the cutter in place and extended below the base. Then you can swing (very gently) your router like a pendulum, going lower or your piece going higher after each pass.


This sounds interesting Damian, if not a bit of a scary :shock: and a vastly over complicated way to do what's basically dead easy with a curved sole plane.

I've also got visions of the 'Pit and the Pendulum' 8-[ - Rob


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