Make Duplicate Curves with a Spindle Sander
golfteeb
| Posted in Jigs, Fixtures, Tips & Tricks on
FWW # 228 Methods of Work had this jig. Great idea, but I can’t figure out how it will work. How can the leg ever make contact with the spindle sander without taping the leg to the pattern with an “overlap” equal to the width of the wooden bushing? Getting this overlap to match the pattern seems problematic, particularly for double curve legs.
I have some double curved legs that I have previously made on the router table with a pattern, but I would like to try the spindle sander approach because of the width of the legs.
Has anyone made this jig work?
thanks.
Replies
Template, template . . .
. . . on the wall, which curve is the fairest of them all? ;-)
It seems to me that templates come in three flavors: positive (larger than the finished shape), precise (the same size as the finished piece), and negative (smaller than the finished piece). Templates used with a guide bushing on a router might need to be either positive or nevative, depending on how the cut is being made. Templates for use with a trim bit with a bearing would be of the precise kind. In many (most?) cases, the post-routing/shaping piece may still need a bit of sanding. That, I believe, is where the spindle-sanding jig might come in handy. (I can't imagine trying to remove major amounts of wood on a spindle sander.)
The design of the spindle-sander jig is much like a guide bushing/router combo, just turned upside down. As such, the template would need to be "negative" - smaller than the desired finished piece, and concentric to the curves and lines of the work piece. The amount of negative offset would be equal to the thickness of the collar and the spacing between the collar and the surface of the sanding drum, plus the amount of wood you want to remove.
In my view, the dimensions of the collar, and its placement in relation to the spindle, would need to be fairly precise. Otherwise, the offset would change if you used different radial points on the spindle. That, in turn, would result in inaccuracies in the shape of the final work piece.
thanks for your comments. I agree with your conclusion that the offset needs to be very precise for this setup. The picture/commentary in the magazine makes it look very simple, which is somewhat misleading.
I normally use a router table and template to make double curved legs (after bandsawing) but the length of the bit results in multiple passes.
The spindle-sander seemed like a good idea, but it probably is more work than using the router table.
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