[OP]
Contributor
I'm trying to put a 1/8" radius on a leg detail for my butcher block. The detail goes al the way across the leg - a straight crosscut. This thread shows the leg detail Im working on.
Ive been using rasps and sandpaper. Is a gouge a better tool for this work, if I ordered one with a small radius? Maybe a 4 mm #9?
Im not a carver, so I dont know much about gouges. I've heard Woodcraft has some swiss made that cut well.
Thank you!
Fred
Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 06-24-2017 at 5:45 PM.
Contributor
I didn't see the detail in the other thread. In my experience, gouges tend to cut better with the radius edge down. If you want to cut a bead across the grain it may be better to knife the outside and then use a #3 sweep or even a skewed #2 gouge to shape it.Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
[OP]
Contributor
20170611_144950.jpg
Sorry Jim. I should have been more clear. If you look at this pic carefully, you can see the groove Ive cut across the grain is rounded on one side. That's the detail I'm referring to.
I'll try the flatter gouge as you suggest. Thank you.
Fred
Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 06-24-2017 at 7:33 PM.
Contributor
Rounding a corner across the grain is always a bit tricky. Currently one of my hollow molding planes would be sharpened to the hilt and given a try coming from both sides. A low angle block plane can also coax a corner into roundness.
Many ways to get the same effect.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
I'm with Jim on this. I would round over as much as possible with a block plain, and then finish with a very sharp hollow plane (I just happen to have the Asian ones from Lee Valley).
Last edited by John Schtrumpf; 06-24-2017 at 8:31 PM.
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks John. How do you like those Asian H&Rs? Ive been eyeballing them a long time but have heard they are decent but not up to LV's own in-house quality. How do you gind yours?
Member
They are not in the same class as Veritas, but for wooden planes they are okay, and work. They come already ground. I initially (before first use) sharpen the bevel with sandpaper wrapped around a dowel and the back flat on a stone. Then I hone them before every use with a dowel charged with honing compound on the bevel, and the back on my normal strop.
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks John. Next time they have free shipping, I think I'll buy a couple of the small radius ones and see what I think.
Moderator
This may sound sloppy but I round end grain edges like that with sandpaper glued on a flat stick. I keep thin sticks with 80-400 cloth-backed grit, 1" and 2" wide, fastened with spray contact adhesive. They may not look machine cut but that doesn't bother me.
JKJ
[OP]
Contributor
John, you're sanding WITH the grain, correct? I hadnt thought about a 2" wide stick. I kept wishing I had a shorter/wider rasp. <head slap!>
Moderator
For your case I'd be basically sanding end grain to form the radius. (We sand end grain it all the time on the lathe.) Be careful not to go crazy and scar the side grain! I do save the last bit of rounding for going with the grain on the face.John, you're sanding WITH the grain, correct? I hadnt thought about a 2" wide stick. I kept wishing I had a shorter/wider rasp. <head slap!>
The drill is:
- sand a 45-deg flat. The width/depth of that first flat is critical as it determines the minimum radius.
- sand narrower flats on either side at 1/2 the angle
- sand the peaks of off to form close to a arc and smooth to a nice arc with fine sandpaper
The whole thing is similar to the technique of turning successive flat spots to end up with a perfect sphere on the lathe.
I use Klingspor Gold sandpaper in 1" and 2" width rolls. The choice of 1" and 2" wide sticks was easy then.
I usually put one grit on each side so I don't have so many sticks to keep up with. I write the grit number right on the face of the sandpaper with a fat blue Sharpie. If the stick is thicker (I sometimes use scraps of 1/2' plywood) I also write the grit on the sides of the stick with arrows pointing to the correct surface.
sanding_blocks.jpg
Oh, I often finish sand a radius like this with fine sandpaper stretched around a soft sanding block - a white Magic Rub eraser!
sanding_soft_block.jpg
The sanding sticks are perfect for lots of tasks. One thing I use them for is to put a 180-deg polished radius on the edges of these, to catch the light:
penta_maple_ellis_IMG_5435.jpg
JKJ
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks John!
Fred
Contributor
This thread came to mind while working out in the shop. When using dowels to hold things together one end will be rounded over if it is going to show. A friend convinced me it is better to leave them proud so it looks like it was meant to be instead of having them flush and looking like a patch.
One of my ways of quickly rounding one end is to make a flute on a piece of scrap to hold a piece of sandpaper in the round hollow. Tried it out and it works to round over a square edge.
Before having planes to cut a flute my way of doing this was to drill a hole through a piece and then cut down the axis of the hole.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks Jim!
Fred
Contributor
Without pictures they say it didn't happen. So here is a picture:
Dowel & Edge Rounder.jpg
The piece on the right is alder. (actually both pieces are alder) The sandpaper holder is on the left. It has side flutes and the top is rounded to make it more comfortable in use rounding dowels.
On the alder 80 grit paper was used followed by 320 grit and then wiped with my furniture wax rag.
The holder is also handy for holding a soft piece of leather charged with green stropping compound to strop gouges.
jtk
Last edited by Jim Koepke; 06-25-2017 at 8:44 PM. Reason: The holder is also handy...
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
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