Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Cutting big shallow coves?????
Barry Irby
I am making a wine rake to go with a table I made a few months ago. I want to make a strip of oak with coves or troughs cut in it for the bottles to lay in. The strip will be about 3" wide and have five coves cut across it at 90 degrees. Shallow but a 4" diameter or 2" radius.
I know how to do it on the TS on the edge of a piece of wood but for the life of me I can't wrap my head around cross cutting them. I am thinking of using a RAS.
Any help?
Re: Cutting big shallow coves?????
William Duffield
How would a 4" diameter Forstner bit do? However, I'm not sure I've seen one larger than about 3-1/4".
Alternately, cut it on your bandsaw and smooth it with an oscillating spindle sander.
Re: Cutting big shallow coves?????
Sgian Dubh
Router, router bit, guide bush and jig of 1/2" MDF with an appropriately radiused arc cut in the MDF that allows for the offset required between the router bit and the the guide bush. Place the jig and make a series of plunge cuts with the router. Slainte.
Re: Cutting big shallow coves?????
AZ in Colorado Springs
Clamp a sheet of something (MDF?) to cover the top of your TS. This sheet has a pair of grooves cut into the top side, perpendicular to the blade. These are guides for the runners on the bottom of this next piece. This is a "sub top."
The next piece is a wide, short piece of MDF (?) with a fence across at the back (along a long edge). You'll also need a tall fence across the other long edge to keep the thing from coming apart. This is like a sled that'll run sideways across the blade.
Raise the blade through the sub top by 1/16", then run the sled across the blade. Once the cove is cut through the sled, it'll start cutting through your project piece.
The band saw / spindle sander combo will probably be faster.
Re: Cutting big shallow coves?????
Wiley Horne
Drill hole; rip down the middle. Might be a cheaper holesaw; didn’t shop price. Must have backing solid underneath what you’re drilling to avoid ragging on the backside of cut.
Duh!!! Thanks
Barry Irby
I cut the back supports with a hole saw. A crumby one someone gave me, but I nursed it through. Four rails with five semicircles cut out. Four inch diameter. I made similar ones for the front with smaller diameter for the necks of the bottles.
Today I assembled it. I was fearful that someone would drop a bottle down between the front and back rails. They are about 8" apart. After assembly, I played with it with two bottles. A tall slender one and a shorter fat one. Works well enough sober.
It never dawned on me to use the existing rails as patterns. I can glue a piece inside the back and route out the "U". Seems obvious now. Somehow I have been overthinking this. Or maybe underthinking it. I may pad the back rail on the inside to cut the chance of a falling bottle.
Thanks for the ideas.
Re: Cutting big shallow coves?????
John K Jordan
I've cut a bunch of coves like that, but smaller, with a forstner bit. A 4" forstner bit might be pricey though. A router bit could chamfer or round the edges.
Seems like you could cut out the bulk with a sabre saw then sand to size with an oscillating drum sander.
JKJ
Re: Cutting big shallow coves?????
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
Alternately, cut it on your bandsaw and smooth it with an oscillating spindle sander. Personally, I would cut with band saw because I am confident of kissing layout lines with a band saw. Then I would smooth as needed with a quality rasp and sand paper wound around something.
You will sand for an eternity the teeth marks left by a hole saw.
I don't do much pattern routing but that is the preferred route for anyone experienced in that operation. Rough out with band saw. Affix a pattern to the half circle, route away, repeat at next hole.