I want to build 3 doors for an audio/video equipment cabinet. The
doors will have 5 vertical pieces of varying widths and will have a
horizontal rail across the bottom and a curved rail across the top.
The doors are about 18 inches wide, and the radius of the curve at the
top is about 264 inches. I need to make the convex ends of the tops
the vertical pieces match the concave curve of the lower side of the
top rail. I would like to make templates to use to guide a router to
make the final curves.
I have made many curved templates by laying out a pencil line for the
arc, bandsawing close to the line, then sanding essentially "to the
line". As long as the curve appears smooth, it doesn't matter if I
deviate slightly from the line. However, now I need to make 2
templates that match exactly the same line, one from the convex side,
and one from the concave side. I doubt I have the skill (or the
patience) to sand exactly to the same line twice.
I'm sure this problem has been handled before, so I invite your
suggestions.
"JJ" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I want to build 3 doors for an audio/video equipment cabinet. The
> doors will have 5 vertical pieces of varying widths and will have a
> horizontal rail across the bottom and a curved rail across the top.
> The doors are about 18 inches wide, and the radius of the curve at the
> top is about 264 inches. I need to make the convex ends of the tops
> the vertical pieces match the concave curve of the lower side of the
> top rail. I would like to make templates to use to guide a router to
> make the final curves.
>
> I have made many curved templates by laying out a pencil line for the
> arc, bandsawing close to the line, then sanding essentially "to the
> line". As long as the curve appears smooth, it doesn't matter if I
> deviate slightly from the line. However, now I need to make 2
> templates that match exactly the same line, one from the convex side,
> and one from the concave side. I doubt I have the skill (or the
> patience) to sand exactly to the same line twice.
>
> I'm sure this problem has been handled before, so I invite your
> suggestions.
>
Unless you intend to somehow butt the panel to the rail and stiles, not
practical if it is wood as opposed to ply due to shrinkage, you are talking
a normal arched door in which case the panel fits in a rebate that is routed
into frame. (Do a Google search on 'Raised Arch Panel Doors). Cheap doors
just use flat plywood for the panel but better class work used a raised
panel. In either case hairline accuracy in matching to the top curved stile
is no that important.
Before I made my CNC machine I used to lay out the curve on a piece of ply
so that both the stile and panel templates came off the one cut and then
smoothed out as necessary.
Bernard R
Did a few pages on this topic in my "The Router Book", might be in
your library.
Essentially you make a master of the intended net design, lay that on
some templet material and cut a + & - templet (the working
templets)from the master on to the templet material.
Discard the master and use the working templets on the work. Cutter
diameters and bearings can be selected for an exact match.
http://www.patwarner.com (Routers)
*************************************************************
> I want to build 3 doors for an audio/video equipment cabinet. The
> doors will have 5 vertical pieces of varying widths and will have a
> horizontal rail across the bottom and a curved rail across the top.
> The doors are about 18 inches wide, and the radius of the curve at the
> top is about 264 inches. I need to make the convex ends of the tops
> the vertical pieces match the concave curve of the lower side of the
> top rail. I would like to make templates to use to guide a router to
> make the final curves.
>
> I have made many curved templates by laying out a pencil line for the
> arc, bandsawing close to the line, then sanding essentially "to the
> line". As long as the curve appears smooth, it doesn't matter if I
> deviate slightly from the line. However, now I need to make 2
> templates that match exactly the same line, one from the convex side,
> and one from the concave side. I doubt I have the skill (or the
> patience) to sand exactly to the same line twice.
>
> I'm sure this problem has been handled before, so I invite your
> suggestions.
JJ wrote:
Group: rec.woodworking Date: Fri, Mar 5, 2004, 11:33pm From:
[email protected] (JJ)
I want to build 3 doors for an audio/video equipment cabinet. The doors
will have 5 vertical pieces of varying widths and will have a horizontal
rail across the bottom and a curved rail across the top. The doors are
about 18 inches wide, and the radius of the curve at the top is about
264 inches. I need to make the convex ends of the tops the vertical
pieces match the concave curve of the lower side of the top rail. I
would like to make templates to use to guide a router to make the final
curves.
<snip>
******************************************************
My humble suggestion is to use the "pin and hole method" to make the
arcs. Use a flush cutting straight router bit with a bearing. Rout first
template. Move pin a distance of 1/2 the diameter of the bit. Rout
second template.
Peace ~ Sir Edgar
=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=
=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8=F8
Draw curve on piece of MDF, cut out TO THE LINE on bandsaw, one piece
will be concave, the other a convex exact match
Go slow, easy on the bandsaw with a good, sharp blade and the
templates will need little sanding
John
On Fri, 05 Mar 2004 23:33:58 -0500, JJ <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I want to build 3 doors for an audio/video equipment cabinet. The
>doors will have 5 vertical pieces of varying widths and will have a
>horizontal rail across the bottom and a curved rail across the top.
>The doors are about 18 inches wide, and the radius of the curve at the
>top is about 264 inches. I need to make the convex ends of the tops
>the vertical pieces match the concave curve of the lower side of the
>top rail. I would like to make templates to use to guide a router to
>make the final curves.
>
>I have made many curved templates by laying out a pencil line for the
>arc, bandsawing close to the line, then sanding essentially "to the
>line". As long as the curve appears smooth, it doesn't matter if I
>deviate slightly from the line. However, now I need to make 2
>templates that match exactly the same line, one from the convex side,
>and one from the concave side. I doubt I have the skill (or the
>patience) to sand exactly to the same line twice.
>
>I'm sure this problem has been handled before, so I invite your
>suggestions.
"JJ" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I want to build 3 doors for an audio/video equipment cabinet. The
> doors will have 5 vertical pieces of varying widths and will have a
> horizontal rail across the bottom and a curved rail across the top.
> The doors are about 18 inches wide, and the radius of the curve at the
> top is about 264 inches. I need to make the convex ends of the tops
> the vertical pieces match the concave curve of the lower side of the
> top rail. I would like to make templates to use to guide a router to
> make the final curves.
>
> I have made many curved templates by laying out a pencil line for the
> arc, bandsawing close to the line, then sanding essentially "to the
> line". As long as the curve appears smooth, it doesn't matter if I
> deviate slightly from the line. However, now I need to make 2
> templates that match exactly the same line, one from the convex side,
> and one from the concave side. I doubt I have the skill (or the
> patience) to sand exactly to the same line twice.
>
You could produce the curve once the way you suggest and then use it for a
router guide to rout through an underlying piece. Then you would have a
copy of the one you made and on the waste side, you would have the other
one. They would not be identical, the radius would be off by the diameter
of the router bit you used, but this might be close enough.
Frank