Creating inside curve

[Bodgers]

I'm about to start prototyping a desk.

The top part of the desk is a 200x500x1100mm carcass.

The ends of the carcass I want curved.

It is too high to cut the curve by resawing on the handsaw (500mm).

The outside of the curve I will probably shape with a hand plane and maybe a spokeshave with then some low grit sanding etc.

The inside curves might be tricky. I had thought about some sort of cove cutting setup on the table saw, but don't fancy the safety trade offs with that. I could use a power router and then somehow smooth it out...

Any ideas?

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[Woody2Shoes]

Would coopering be an option - arguably less material wastage too?

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Another part of a solution might be a router jig which works on a similar principle to the popular ones for flattening large slabs, but following a curved track instead of a straight one.

 

[MikeG.]

I could pull any number of boards out of my storage which would fit your design without any work at all!

 

[Bodgers]

I could pull any number of boards out of my storage which would fit your design without any work at all!

Ha!

 

[Bodgers]

Would coopering be an option - arguably less material wastage too?

It could be, but this part is the end piece of the carcass, where the grain is running along the shortest length, as it would if you were doing a waterfall style carcass.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Would coopering be an option - arguably less material wastage too?

It could be, but this part is the end piece of the carcass, where the grain is running along the shortest length, as it would if you were doing a waterfall style carcass.

You could still make coopering work I think.

 

[Droogs]

See if you can get yourself a compass plane

 

[AndyT]

If I was doing it, I'd rough out the bulk with a big gouge and a mallet then smooth it off with a large round plane - a 16 or 18.

If you don't have any rounds, it's not impossible to reshape an old wooden jack for a job like this - I think Woodbloke has done that.

It's probably worth using a plough or a circular saw to make some grooves along the piece of the correct depth, so you have a reference.

Also, do the hollow side first - sorry if that's too obvious!

 

[Bodgers]

If I was doing it, I'd rough out the bulk with a big gouge and a mallet then smooth it off with a large round plane - a 16 or 18.

If you don't have any rounds, it's not impossible to reshape an old wooden jack for a job like this - I think Woodbloke has done that.

It's probably worth using a plough or a circular saw to make some grooves along the piece of the correct depth, so you have a reference.

Also, do the hollow side first - sorry if that's too obvious!

Yeah, I don't have any rounds, unfortunately.

Good tip on doing the inside first, I hadn't thought of that.

 

[That would work]

There are plenty of rounds (planes) on ebay... finding an odd round without its hollow mate would make it cheaper.
Or as said reshape a wooden plane, you can pick up 2 inch wooden rebate planes quite easily for this. Then file a cabinet (card) scraper to finish.
A compass plane has been mentioned above but they are only for doing curves (inside or out) on the edge of a board.

 

[marcros]

buy the timber from b & q and just remove the fuzzies with a bit of 180g?

 

[Inspector]

I would use the table saw. Draw the curve on both ends. Set the fence 12 mm to 15 mm from the blade so the board has something flat to ride on. Raise the blade to the line, rip one side, flip it around and rip the other side. Move the fence away, the width of the blade, raising the blade to the line, making the two rips. Keep repeating until the blade rips the last bit in the middle. Now you can sand, plane, or scrape it until happy.

You can also do the same with a router table if you prefer.

I'd use a dado blade, changing the tilt as I went too but most of you don't have them or as you mentioned in the opening post run the wood across the saw blade and cove it, probably using the same cut and flip to line as the ripping method.

Don't forget your push sticks et cetera. :wink:

Pete

 

[MikeG.]

I have a woody with a curved base. I would* hog off the majority with a series of grooves, then get the woodie to work to fair the curve, then finish off with a curved scraper. In the normal run of events it would be my pleasure to post the woodie (and the scraper, if necessary) to you in Yorkshire for you to use and then return. However, even once I'm out of isolation after this weekend I can't see a visit to the post office as fitting into any definition of "essential". If you can think of another way of getting these bits of kit from my workshop to yours, then you're welcome to borrow them.

*I wouldn't, because I wouldn't be trying to make such a thing!!

 

[Bodgers]

I have a woody with a curved base. I would* hog off the majority with a series of grooves, then get the woodie to work to fair the curve, then finish off with a curved scraper. In the normal run of events it would be my pleasure to post the woodie (and the scraper, if necessary) to you in Yorkshire for you to use and then return. However, even once I'm out of isolation after this weekend I can't see a visit to the post office as fitting into any definition of "essential". If you can think of another way of getting these bits of kit from my workshop to yours, then you're welcome to borrow them.

*I wouldn't, because I wouldn't be trying to make such a thing!!

It is a very kind offer Mike, but I definitely wouldn't want to trouble you at this time.

I'll see if I can grab an old one from eBay.

I do have another thought about doing this as a bent lam. I have some spare MDF I could use to create a form....

This is air dried Ash, so it might lend itself well to that...

Table saw route is not one I'm keen on. A and E visits are not something to risk at the moment!

 

[Adam9453]

Depends on the intended finish etc but generally we would form that shape using a convex former and layers of flexi ply or thin mdf, then apply a solid lipping to the front face edge (and back edge if seen) then veneer over it, using a vacuum bag press preferably. If you don’t have that equipment or prefer a solid timber construction then one of the methods described above by the others. If you don’t mind a stripy appearance then you could bandsaw our thinner layers to the face edge shape and then glue them together to create the depth required, would only then require minimal clean up with a plane, scraper and/or sander. Hope that helps

 

[woodbloke66]

If you don't have any rounds, it's not impossible to reshape an old wooden jack for a job like this - I think Woodbloke has done that.

Indeed and it works a treat. The Alan Peters blanket chest in Olive Ash completed last summer has a concave curve worked into the lid and most of the material was removed with a convex soled wooden jack; another one of AP's favourite tools - Rob

 

[Yojevol]

It may be a silly question but I'll put it anyway - Does the interior have to be curved?
Brian

 

[mbartlett99]

I did some chair seats just like that. Draw curve on both sides, runacross with router/track saw set to correct depth, whack out waste with chisel and either spokeshave or sand it fair. Wasn't very time consuming or hard.

 

[xy mosian]

Possible daft question here. Could it be curfed to bend from the flat. Maybe steaming, or soaking, the 'face' to help the bend?
xy