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cutting a curved rebate

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cutting a curved rebate

#1

cutting a curved rebate

Howard Pollack

Hi. I'd like to make an elliptical frame for a piece of glass that will be the top of a coffee table. The glass would fit into a rebate cut into the inside edge of the frame. I could cut that rebate with a router, but I'd prefer to do it by hand. This would be like cutting the ledge for edge banding on a guitar, only much larger. If folks could recommend a technique for doing this I'd appreciate it. It needs to come out very clean as it will show. Thanks. -Howard

Re: cutting a curved rebate

#2

Re: cutting a curved rebate

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Howard, I’ve not done this, but the target is a nice challenge.

I am mindful that the elliptical frame will have grain issues. Some will run out, and this can create a problem if you attempted to plane with, say, a router plane.

There are special curved rebate planes - for barrels - but barrels are made of staves, and this would eliminate run out. I think they are called a croze.

Guitar bodies use purfling cutters to prepare the circumference for inlay. I would try the same technique, cutting vertically, and then using a chisel to pare out the waste about 1-2mm deep at a time. A purfling cutter or cutting gauge could be used at the end to ensure the floor was level.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: cutting a curved rebate

#3

Re: cutting a curved rebate

Bruce McCrory

Shape with carving gouge(s) and skew chisel if curvature is tight. The wood species will inform you how difficult the work will be. Oak is splintery and testy. If you have a hand router (non-electric) it can be used for final leveling.

A complication can be comparison of hand work to machine work.

Re: cutting a curved rebate

#4

Purfling etc.

john jesseph

I feel like this is a job an electric router was made for. What size would the channel be?

Purfling cutters work better on an outer radius than an inside radius, but it’s do-able. Guitar bindings are probably quite a bit smaller than what you would want for a mirror. Getting clean looking vertical walls on an inside curve might be tricky. That’s the difference in what you are trying to do, and e.g. carving a gooseneck molding for a highboy. That might include a fillet, but no large square profiles.

I’m not much help, am I?

Re: cutting a curved rebate

#5

Clint Searl

Re: cutting a curved rebate

Clint Searl

I've done it by hand routing to depth close to the line followed by wide sweep in-cannel gauge work to the line.

Re: cutting a curved rebate

#6

A better method?

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

I have beaded on a curve, and this is not too different from rebating.

Again, start with a cutting gauge or purfling cutter to set the boundaries an ensure the grain does not tear. Then use a scratch stock to remove the waste, such as the LV cast iron scratch stock…

Here is a link to a review I wrote:

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/LVCastScratchStock2.html

Having written this, a power router would be my tool of choice.

Regards from Perth

Derek

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