Woodworking Basic And Advanced Edge Forming Techniques
adorning an armoire top, a crisp bevel on a raised panel, an ogee cut around the edge of a tabletop. These decorative flourishes were once created painstakingly by hand, using planes and spokeshaves; today they are invariably made with an array of electric woodworking tools, chief among them the portable router.Visit Woodworking Plans TV for more details....
Stationary power tools such as the jointer and table saw can cut rabbets, and the table saw can also shape decorative edges, but the router is the most versatile, efficient tool for the job. Utilizing a wide range of interchangeable cutters, it can also make cuts that are impossible to perform with any other power tool; imagine forming a decorative bead around the inside of a circular picture frame without a router.
Commercial accessories and shop-made jigs expand the routert ability to shape edges still further. A simple cornerrounding jig can round tabletops or shelves to your specifications. A flush-trimming guide helps you trim solid wood edge banding applied to core stock. A veneer trimmer proves handy for preparing veneer for book-matching.
Mounting the router in a table or pin routing attachment enables you to create more complex edge profiles and elaborate curves. It also provides the stability needed for raising panels, an edgeforming
technique that can also be accomplished on the table saw, radial arm saw, and drill press.
The pin router is perhaps the ultimate shop tool for complex edge-forming tasks. Essentially an inverted router table, the tool features a pin projecting from the tabletop directly under the bit along which the stock is guided, making the tool ideal for template work. A shop-made pin routing attachment is easily built and adaptable to most commercial router tables. Remember, too, that not all edge forming must be done with a router. By installing a molding head on the table saw or radial arm saw you can rout detailed moldings.
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