Replies

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Jun 02, 2009 02:16pm | #1

   Welcome to Knotts.

   Such molding is typically made on a shaper or router table, using a template as a guide for the curved sections and making several passes - at least one each for the inside, outside and bottom surfaces. Hard to tell from the picture, but it's likely that your molding overlaps the top a bit - kinda like a picture frame where the table top is the glass & art -- so a bottom pass would be needed to create the rabbet.

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA
   Everything fits, until you put glue on it.

1. 
   jeffbonta | Jun 03, 2009 03:56am | #4

   Thanks. When you suggest using a template as a guide, what do you mean? My concern for using the router is that the inside corner of the moulding is a pretty tight curve, so getting my fingers that close with a small piece of wood is a bit nerve racking. Thoughts?

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jun 03, 2009 04:02am | #5

   Hands stay on the handle of the router.  You will have secured the wood to be routed on the work bench.

2. 
   AdamCherubini | Jun 03, 2009 04:44am | #6

   This appears to be a copy of something folks used to do by hand. Why not just do it that way?From what I could make out,it looked like the table top was a piece of ply wood with an edge member glued to it. The top may have been veneered. It looking like they made runs of moldings, then corner pieces and glued it all together.They made stuff kinda like this in the past. They would have used gouges to shape the little corner bits. I recently did something kinda like this on the chair I'm making.I'm not saying this is the best or easiest approach. But I'd encourage you not to rule it out as overly difficult. Make sure your tools are deadly sharp and just remove little shavings until it looks right to you.Adam

   
3. 
   MikeHennessy | Jun 03, 2009 02:27pm | #7

   You make a template with the curve you need, fasten the workpiece to it with screws (carefully positioned - DAMHIKT) or double-sided tape, and follow the template with the router with a guided bit or a template guide. The template can be as big as you want on the edges that are not serving as the bit guide. This means your hands can stay safely away from the bit since the workpiece is controlled by the template.

   You can make the actual template the exact shape of the piece, and fasten it to a board so you can control things with the board, or make two templates - one for each side of the molding. Easier to do than describe - if I'm not being clear enough, lemme know and I'll draw something up for ya.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.

1. 
   jeffbonta | Jun 05, 2009 10:20pm | #8

   Mike,
   I've seen pictures of a template sitting on top the the piece where the template follows the bearing on the router bit. I can see how this would work for the outside corner. However, I am not sure how to use a template for the inside corner (once the outside corner has been routed). If you don't mind, a sketch would be most helpful.Thanks,
   Jeff

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Jun 08, 2009 02:57pm | #9

   Here's a quick sketch of the setup I was refering to. With this method, you can rout both edges without resetting. If the profile is so narrow as to make it so you can't use the template to control the work during the process, you can mount the template to a second board to hold it firmly during the process. In that case, you may need to re-mount the template to another second board to cut the second side.

   I like using signboard (plywood with hard paper faces) to make templates like this. They seem to be sturdier than standard ply. You may need to adjust the shape of the template if the guide bushing you use is not the exact diameter of the router bit.

   View Image

   Of course, it goes without saying that you should take successive fine cuts and not try to hog out the whole thing on one pass.

   Another method I have used a couple of times in a pinch was to mount the workpiece rough stock to a second board (base) with glue and rosin paper, mount the template on the top with the same method and rout away with a hand-held router. Then, just split the workpiece off at the paper and clean it off. (Kinda like turners do sometimes to mount workpieces to bases, or to make split turnings.)

   Of course, an nice overarm pin router would work well for this as well. Let me know when you get yours -- I'll come over and borrow it. ;-)Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.

   
2. 
   dustymctevish | Jun 02, 2009 03:33pm | #2

   Here’s another option, FWW issue 142 has an article by Chris Gochnour, ‘Master a Classic Style’ in which he explains how he made curved crown moldings for a French Country piece.  He made the curved corner moldings on a wood lathe, I’ve tried it and found the process gives you more control of the shape.

    

3. 
   saschafer | Jun 02, 2009 04:11pm | #3

   The proportions look about right for the table top to be resting on the aprons/legs, with the bottom edge of the molding being flush with that seam. A table top thickness of about 3/4" and an overall molding height of 1-1/4" or so would be about right.

   -Steve