Breaking the edge (Arris) on curved pieces

[JSW]

For the sake of discussion, let's say I'm making a round breadboard, about 400x25mm. The easy way would be to load up a chamfer cutter in a laminate trimmer and away we go, but I don't want to do that, what I'd like to do is use a block plane or similar, so does anyone have a foolproof way of maintaining the angle of the blade relative to the curved edge, or some other clever way to achieve a nice finished edge?

 

[Jacob]

For the sake of discussion, let's say I'm making a round breadboard, about 400x25mm. The easy way would be to load up a chamfer cutter in a laminate trimmer and away we go, but I don't want to do that, what I'd like to do is use a block plane or similar, so does anyone have a foolproof way of maintaining the angle of the blade relative to the curved edge, or some other clever way to achieve a nice finished edge?

Spokeshave.
To maintain an angle you hold and use the tool at the desired angle. Basic woodwork.

 

[Blackswanwood]

You can keep the angle of your block plane consistent by using a slightly larger circular board underneath it as a guide. Obviously the centre point of both boards need to align.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Wood lathe.

 

[Cabinetman]

With a chamfer you would normally run two pencil lines along the edge to be worked and plane down to them, it’s easy enough, personally I prefer to use a nr4 but you could use a block plane.
Ian

 

[JSW]

You can keep the angle of your block plane consistent by using a slightly larger circular board underneath it as a guide. Obviously the centre point of both boards need to align.

Ah, so the block plane would have the larger circular board to run on to keep the angle consistent, simple but didn't occur to me. I'll give it a go, Thanks!

 

[Adam W.]

Spokeshave.
To maintain an angle you hold and use the tool at the desired angle. Basic woodwork.

That's far too simplistic.

 

[Jacob]

Ah, so the block plane would have the larger circular board to run on to keep the angle consistent, simple but didn't occur to me. I'll give it a go, Thanks!

Unnecessarily difficult.
Have a go freehand with a block plane on a few straight scraps. Do it to marks as per @Cabinetman s suggestion. Practice until you can do it consistently by eye without marks.
For a convex curved edge a flat spokeshave is the tool for the job. You have to change direction so that each cut is downhill with the grain.
Concave edge can be done with a flat SS up to a point but tighter curve would need a curved bed SS.
It's really important to develop simple hand and eye skills in woodwork (and all crafts) otherwise you can spend a fortune on gadgets, which end up taking longer to do the job and have a whole set of problems all of their own. You see this at its most extreme with modern sharpening, where hand and eye skills have been completely abandoned in favour of gadgetisation.

 

[JSW]

Unnecessarily difficult.
Have a go freehand with a block plane on a few straight scraps. Do it to marks as per @Cabinetman s suggestion. Practice until you can do it consistently by eye without marks.

@Jacob , I've been a woodworker for the past 50 years, professionally for a lot of it, you're teaching your Granny to suck eggs pal
I know how to use a block plane. The reason for the thread is to attempt to find a way to remove the 'rocking' effect of a flat plane sole on a curved edge, consistently, and accurately. I don't believe I could achieve that with a spokeshave because a) I don't have one , and b) I would probably spend weeks if not months trying to achieve a level of skill required to create an EXACT arrised edge on a curved (convex) surface.

I appreciate your sentiments regarding hand tools v. modern gadgets that attempt to shortcut the way to a skillset acquired over years, and in the most part I agree completely, but in this case I'm just looking for a simple uncluttered way to improve/perfect the attack angle of a block plane or similar on a curved surface.

 

[Jacob]

@Jacob , I've been a woodworker for the past 50 years, professionally for a lot of it, you're teaching your Granny to suck eggs pal
I know how to use a block plane. The reason for the thread is to attempt to find a way to remove the 'rocking' effect of a flat plane sole on a curved edge, consistently, and accurately. I don't believe I could achieve that with a spokeshave because a) I don't have one , and b) I would probably spend weeks if not months trying to achieve a level of skill required to create an EXACT arrised edge on a curved (convex) surface.

I appreciate your sentiments regarding hand tools v. modern gadgets that attempt to shortcut the way to a skillset acquired over years, and in the most part I agree completely, but in this case I'm just looking for a simple uncluttered way to improve/perfect the attack angle of a block plane or similar on a curved surface.

You just need a spokeshave then. They are very cheap, a fiver or so on Ebay. Record 0151 probably best value.
Can give you tips on sharpening it if necessary!

 

[JSW]

You just need a spokeshave then. They are very cheap, a fiver or so on Ebay. Record 0151 probably best value.
Can give you tips on sharpening it if necessary!

Will a spokeshave create a 1.5mm precise/accurate/clean arris/chamfer on a curved workpiece? If it can, and I'll learn something from it, then I'm more than happy to give it a go. That's what it's all about at the end of the day, BUT I have (obvious) doubts a spokeshave can achieve this without a huge learning curve to achieve acceptable results, and even then I'm doubtful on the accuracy of the cut.

 

[John Brown]

Wood lathe.

Giant hadron collider.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

For the sake of discussion, let's say I'm making a round breadboard, about 400x25mm. The easy way would be to load up a chamfer cutter in a laminate trimmer and away we go, but I don't want to do that, what I'd like to do is use a block plane or similar, so does anyone have a foolproof way of maintaining the angle of the blade relative to the curved edge, or some other clever way to achieve a nice finished edge?

The Stanley #65 chamfer shave is designed to do this ...

... but I would simply use a block plane, ideally with a higher cutting angle to avoid tearout.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Will a spokeshave create a 1.5mm precise/accurate/clean arris/chamfer on a curved workpiece? If it can, and I'll learn something from it, then I'm more than happy to give it a go. That's what it's all about at the end of the day, BUT I have (obvious) doubts a spokeshave can achieve this without a huge learning curve to achieve acceptable results, and even then I'm doubtful on the accuracy of the cut.

I'm struggling a bit to understand the difficulty you're experiencing. That precision of 1.5 mm you mention is intriguing: just to be overly pedantic and nitpickingly precise (humorously I hope you'll realise) do you mean a roundover (ovolo) with a radius of 1.5 mm, or a diameter of 1.5 mm, or perhaps you mean a precise quarter circle arc length of 1.5 mm?

In any case, why is such precision required in removing the arris from the corner of a wooden disk? I'd say any of those variations of 1.5 mm precision I've identified (there may be more) could easily be achieved close enough with a piece of 120 or 150 grit abrasive paper wrapped around a cork block and held in the hand. It might take 30 - 40 seconds in total to soften the arris by ~1.5 mm using this abrasive paper method on both the top edge and the bottom edge of a circular 400 mm diameter bread board.

None of the above is serious on my part, but if you're wanting to use a plane of some sort, and create a bigger ovolo on a wooden disk I think I'd probably discount a block or bench plane and go with a spokeshave as suggested by Jacob, along with a couple of pencil marked targets as suggested by Cabinetman.

 

[Jacob]

Will a spokeshave create a 1.5mm precise/accurate/clean arris/chamfer on a curved workpiece?

Yes of course.
At least it will look good but may not get past the modern gadget-woodworking scrutineers!
People have been doing neat and tidy work, simple little things like this, by hand and eye, since the stone age.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/science...rrowhead-work-Stone-Age-master-craftsman.html

If it can, and I'll learn something from it, then I'm more than happy to give it a go. That's what it's all about at the end of the day, BUT I have (obvious) doubts a spokeshave can achieve this without a huge learning curve to achieve acceptable results, and even then I'm doubtful on the accuracy of the cut.

You won't be able to do it if you talk yourself out of it!
Or for you is it more about the pleasure of shopping for gadgets?

 

[ColinDeVelen]

Plus one for the spokeshave here. Sharp, set at a slight angle, precision comes from the marking around the side of the workpiece and the patience of the woodworker.

 

[JSW]

Ok ok I'm sold! Spokeshave it is! and no @Jacob it is most definitely NOT about gadgets, the exact opposite in fact, old-fashioned tried and tested wins over the latest time-saving megabucks use-once and watch it proudly sit on a shelf forever maguffin.

@Sgian Dubh as I said in the OP, imagine a circular breadboard with a 1.5mm arris around the outer edge, breaking the horizontal from the vertical faces. 1.5mm is an arbitrary measurement, it's the precision I'm more interested in.

The Stanley #65 chamfer shave is designed to do this ...

Aha! Bingo! That's exactly what I'm after, tad expensive in the UK from a quick look at the Ebay offerings though. I'll settle for the flat spokeshave and learn the hard way, either that or chuck a chamfer bit in a laminate trimmer

 

[Jacob]

Ok ok I'm sold! Spokeshave it is! and no @Jacob it is most definitely NOT about gadgets, the exact opposite in fact, old-fashioned tried and tested wins over the latest time-saving megabucks use-once and watch it proudly sit on a shelf forever maguffin.

@Sgian Dubh as I said in the OP, imagine a circular breadboard with a 1.5mm arris around the outer edge, breaking the horizontal from the vertical faces. 1.5mm is an arbitrary measurement, it's the precision I'm more interested in.


Aha! Bingo! That's exactly what I'm after, tad expensive in the UK from a quick look at the Ebay offerings though. I'll settle for the flat spokeshave and learn the hard way,

SS is the easy way once you've got your hand in. Shouldn't take long.

either that or chuck a chamfer bit in a laminate trimmer

Stanley #65 chamfer shave is a "gadget" for those hoping to avoid acquiring hand and eye skills. Not much sought after, hence rare and expensive.

 

[JSW]

Stanley #65 chamfer shave is a "gadget" for those hoping to avoid acquiring hand and eye skills. Not much used, hence rare and expensive

Noted. The hunt for a decent condition spokeshave begins

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Stanley #65 chamfer shave is a "gadget" for those hoping to avoid acquiring hand and eye skills. Not much sought after, hence rare and expensive.

A block plane or spokeshave is the tool for the OP's task. However there is a place for the #65 - variations on very narrow chamfers really are unlikely to be noticed. Variations on wide chamfers will be noticed and this could degrade the appearance of a important build.

Regards from Perth

Derek