Sizing an ogee to the work.

Re: Sizing an ogee to the work.

William Duffield

This is not "one sie fits all." It depends on what style and period you are trying to emulate. A lot of good examples of different treatments can be found in E. J. Warne's "Furniture Mouldings."

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&an=warne&tn=furniture+mouldings&kn=&isbn=

Currently, it can be had for about $5 on the used book market, or you can download a free PDF from the internet.

Personally, I don't usually use ogee molding planes, since I have a half set of hollows and rounds, and can use them to make up ogees in a wide variety of sizes.

It is a profile I almost never use

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Before you devote time to such a plane be sure where you are going to use it. I don't profile with planes. I have about 100 router bits with one or two with ogee profile. I don't have more because I never use the ones I have. I don't regard it as an attractive profile for a table top edge or most any edge for that matter.

Re: Sizing an ogee to the work.

Warren in Lancaster, PA

There are five ogee planes in the Seaton chest. They are 1/4 , 5/16, 3/8, 1/2, and 5/8 inches wide. Smaller ogees are particularly difficult to make with hollows and rounds, so an ogee plane is much more likely to give a handsome result. It is faster to make an ogee moulding with an ogee plane than with hollows and rounds, but in traditional work we see examples of both.

Gives the edge a bit of elegance

Clint Searl

I think the ogee dimensions and "radius" should be in keeping with size and thickness of the top as well as the overall design of the piece. Several examples:

Thanks and a follow-up question.

Chuck Nickerson

My copy of the Seaton Chest book has been ordered.

Do you know if the dimension represents the width of the face affected or something else? If not, my copy will be here eventually.

Re: Thanks and a follow-up question.

Warren in Lancaster, PA

I think you will enjoy the Seaton chest book, although information on where these mouldings were used is lacking. The dimension refers to the width of the moulding.

Here are some uses for the smaller ogee mouldings:

Bottom of a table skirt

Inside edge of a frame in a frame and panel door or chest

A small ogee at the bottom of a large crown moulding

Edge of a rail on a joint stool

Any place where you have a square corner that would otherwise look a little clumsy.

The edge of a table or a low chest can have an ogee with the hollow part at the top or the hollow at the bottom.

A book of moldings

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

There is a dandy book showing full sized sections of Period Furniture moldings, if your plane intention is making Period Furniture. The author is E. J. Warne. Because the moldings are full sized you can see what sized plane it will take to make them in one ogee step.

There is no shortage of ogee examples. They are in applications too formal for my tastes. I prefer beads and coves alone or in combination for what I make.