Ovolo router cutters one radius is different from the other?

[metso]

Hello,

I'm in the middle of repairing an external door where the bottom rail and stiles have rotted away.

I've cut the stiles back and intend to join in some new wood.

The stiles have an Ovolo beading cut in and I need to be able to replicate this in the wood I'm replacing.

the short radius is 8mm and the taller radius is 11mm. Please see the attached photo.

I'm finding it hard to find a Ovolo cutter that matches this profile and not sure how to go about resolving this.

I've tried looking at Axminister, rutland, trend etc and the closest cutter I've found is an AXCALIBER OVOLO CUTTER - D=28.5 - X=12.7 - R=8MM - S=1/4" but I'm afraid this will give me a quarter carter cut as oppose a slider taller than wide Ovolo profile.

Appreciate any suggestions.

Thank you
Adrian

 

[HOJ]

Any good: Lambs tongue cutter set

 

[metso]

Thanks Hoj, I just had a look at the lambs tongue cutter set and I'm slightly confused how this matches the profile I need.

Any good: Lambs tongue cutter set

The lambs tongue seems to be bell shaped..

thanks
Adrian

 

[rogxwhit]

Ovolo is just the generic name for a shape. If you need to match one with particular dimensions you are quite likely to need a bespoke grind. Which is easy to produce yourself for a spindle moulder but a bit tricky for a router.

Another answer is a moulding plane ....

 

[rogxwhit]

To expand on the moulding plane idea - you don't necessarily need an exact profile - an ovolo can be roughed out with those of the 'hollow' variety that come in various widths.

 

[Spectric]

I've tried looking at Axminister, rutland, trend

The last places I would look, try Wealdons, Infinity, Titman, Whiteside or CMT.

 

[metso]

To expand on the moulding plane idea - you don't necessarily need an exact profile - an ovolo can be roughed out with those of the 'hollow' variety that come in various widths.

Thanks Rogxwhit,

I'm gonna need a little bit of guidance here...

this is diving into a completely new area for me.

 

[rogxwhit]

Ask away. Sometimes a bit of original thinking is helpful, and might relate to what tools you have to hand (to save expenditure!). You don't have to produce a moulding in one hit - you can 'build it up' in parts until you have the whole. For instance the 'ledges' that flank the ovolo could be defined by using shallow cuts on a circular sawbench ... before attacking the convex part of the mould between them by other means ... for which maybe you could use a shoulder plane ...

 

[Limey Lurker]

I checked your drawing with a 55mm dia template. Obviously the dia is meaningless, but it does show that the curve is constant: only one radius. I suspect that the radius of the original curve was smaller than you have copied, and over the years has been sanded to its present size.

 

[niall Y]

I believe @rogxwhit has covered the salient points. The task in hand really depends on the tools you have at your disposal. You can use a combination of router cutters to achieve the end result. (as long as they are not removing stock that doesn't need to be removed) Any slight blips left over from this, can easily be removed with abrasive paper. You will also find that a small bullnose plane, or even a side rebate plane, comes in handy when shaping convex profiles

 

[Yojevol]

I've traced from your photo and have found that the curve is actually circular, not eliptical. It's radius is 15mm:-

My first thought was to find a router cutter with R=15 and set it up at an angle, but the largest R in a reasonably priced cutter is 12.7mm.
My next thought was to create the curve on a rectangular length of wood using a plane and sandpaper. It would be easy to make a profile gauge if you can produce a 30mm hole, with say a forstner bit, in a scrap of ply.
The top and tail square sections could then be glued on.
Brian

 

[rogxwhit]

The top and tail square sections could then be glued on.
Brian

It's an external door - the last things you'd want are tiny sections of wood 'glued on'. And how would you (1) register them & (2) clamp them whilst the glue was setting? Let's keep it practical and effective.

 

[Yojevol]

It's an external door - the last things you'd want are tiny sections of wood 'glued on'. And how would you (1) register them & (2) clamp them whilst the glue was setting? Let's keep it practical and effective.

I agree it's not ideal, but in this situation compromise is required. My suggested fabrication could be rearranged to give a less fiddly glue up:-

These parts could be glued into a stile rebate as separate items.
@metso's description refers to a beading cut in. This is a little ambiguous. Is it a moulding cut in or a beading glued in? His picture would suggest the latter.
Brian

 

[Jacob]

I've traced from your photo and have found that the curve is actually circular, not eliptical. It's radius is 15mm:-

View attachment 144472

My first thought was to find a router cutter with R=15 and set it up at an angle, but the largest R in a reasonably priced cutter is 12.7mm.
My next thought was to create the curve on a rectangular length of wood using a plane and sandpaper. It would be easy to make a profile gauge if you can produce a 30mm hole, with say a forstner bit, in a scrap of ply.
The top and tail square sections could then be glued on.
Brian

I was going to say the same. They tend to be circular, unless obviously deviating like the lambs tongue shape. It's just that they tend be ground on a smaller radius half-round profile wheel and taking out a circle by eye is easiest.
As a rule there are no off the peg router cutters to match most trad mouldings which I discovered early on and started grinding my own spindle cutters - perfect replicas at a fraction of the price!

 

[Inspector]

Saw/tool sharpening places can modify stock router bits for special tasks. Ask around and see if any near you can help.

Pete

 

[rogxwhit]

Saw/tool sharpening places can modify stock router bits for special tasks. Ask around and see if any near you can help.

Some of us live out in the country. ;-)

And as Jacob said, convenience and cost-wise there's no contest.

One isn't going to be commissioning a bespoke router grind for a very limited run, and if you're doing long runs you're not going to be using a router!

Either way, for a few feet, improvisation is the way .... time is the key.

 

[Inspector]

Given that the OP asked for a router bit in the first place and said it is "a completely new area for me." I gave him a suggestion that should be relatively easy for him to accomplish given that he lives in London and not in the weeds. I also expect that he doesn't have much in the way of hand tools or the experience with them. I would have no problem improvising or making a scratch stock filed to the right profile to get'r done. It might not be something the OP is ready for.

I'll add that given that my province of Saskatchewan is roughly 5 times bigger than England and only has a population of 1.2 million compared to England's 56 million I suggest there is no such thing as you living out in the country.

Pete

 

[Adam W.]

A scratch stock would be the perfect solution, if there isn't a great deal to be done.