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Shaping compound curves - ideas?

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Shaping compound curves - ideas?

#1

Shaping compound curves - ideas?

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>Hey, everyone -

Crossposting again, tapping some handtool expertise: The bed legs I'm working on sweep in two directions:




(BTW, these are two views of the same two prototype legs, and the sweeps are intentionally different. I'm a slacker, but not that off...)

I'm wanting a 3/8" roundover on the edges. I can rout the straigth edges, but a router ain't gonna get it on the compound curves. Ideas? I've got a LV LA spokeshave, but in practicing with it, it seems slower than necessary (though this is likely my ineptitude shining through). Tried rasps and files, but couldn't get a clean curve.

Suggestions? Practice more? Help?

Scott

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

#2

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

joel

>get a cabinetmakers or pattermanker's rasp. It will do the job brilliantly and quickly but will take a little practice. pencil in guide lines to work more accurately.

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

#3

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

deanj

>LV LA spokeshave which can convert from flat to curve bottom? That should do the trick.... It may go faster with a pair of std spokeshaves, one flat bottomed one curved, but the LV LA will work. Otherwise patternmakers rasp as mentioned...

Pencil in some reference marks and give it a try.

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

#4

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

Bob Hackett

>For the final finish after the rasp and file work you might consider making a radiused scraper to even things up.

MB

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

#5

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>If you're willing to live with the radius you'll get, which is not 3/8", a concave shave does a nice consistent job of running a radius on a compound curve.

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

#6

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

Frank Mutchler

>Scott, what about the Stanley #66 or the LN #66 with a blade ground to the radius you want? Seems to me it would do the job??

Re: Shaping compound curves - ideas?

#7

Success!

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>Thanks everyone. Did some setup and fine tuning on the Lee Valley shave, practiced on some of the leg off cuts, and got some good results. Spokeshave, files, and a little sanding. Might try to find/make a radiused scraper, 'cause I hate to wreck the beautiful finish the shave leaves on the wood. Regardless, this is fun work.

Thanks for the input, everyone.

Scott

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