Making Cove Molding on the Table Saw

[George Bokros]

An upcoming project will require cove molding. I am thinking about making my own on the table saw. Is this any more dangerous than ripping on the table saw? I checked our a Wood Magazine article and video and it looks easy enough.

I know you are better off using a 60 - 80 tooth crosscut blade to reduce the amount of sanding required, is there anything one needs to know before making cove molding?

I want to make my own so I can use the same material that the project (Shaker Style Mirror) will be made.

Thanks.

[Mike Henderson]

I've made cove molding several times on the table saw. It's been a while but I just followed the directions (you can find directions on the web) and it worked fine. Go slow and make sure everything is clamped well and you'll have no problems.

Mike

[Pat Barry]

I've made cove molding several times on the table saw. It's been a while but I just followed the directions (you can find directions on the web) and it worked fine. Go slow and make sure everything is clamped well and you'll have no problems.

Mike

Ive done it exactly one time for a raised panel door. It worked nicely although I found it took a lot of trial and error to get the curve I wanted. Need to take light passes and gradually increase the depth of cut pass after pass. When I did it, try as I might to cut slowly on the final pass, I ended up with telltale scoring lines from the table saw blade. I cleaned this up reasonably well with sandpaper to 220 grit and then BLO and varnish coated.

[Peter Christensen]

I've done it a number of times with normal saw blades and a 6" wobble dado set without the wobble. Better yet if you plan on doing this more often will be a round tip moulding head or round tip cutters. The cove will need less sanding. If the blade is tilted you can make a cove with a parabolic shape.

http://www.mikestools.com/235-006-07...head-only.aspx

[Jerry Miner]

Is this any more dangerous than ripping on the table saw?

Yes. But still do-able. You probably won't be able to have a riving knife or guard in place. Just go slow and be careful. Be sure to use some sort of push-shoe.

What size is the cove you want to make? The tablesaw method creates an elliptical curve, not a circular one, so a smaller blade often makes a better-looking cove.

[Sam Murdoch]

Easy and safe with some trial and error to determine the finished cove and following normal safety precautions. I have ALWAYS found that I need to make a matching scraper and/or sanding block to finish up. Can never do a close to finish cut with the TS blade - at least I have never succeeded. I have always enjoyed doing this.

[John TenEyck]

As mentioned above, a round tipped knife in a molding head gives a smoother cut than a TS blade. You can use a cove cutting knife, too, as long as you feed from that side.

It's a little scary the first time, but it's safe as long as you use a fence, or even two as some do, take light cuts, feed the right way, and use push blocks. And being able to use the same wood as your project definitely makes it worth the effort.

John

[Lee Schierer]

I think I recall the Wood article. Here are some lessons I learned. Make sure you build a jig that captures the piece being molded between guide rails on each side that are clamped to the table so they absolutely can't move. Remove the majority of the waste from the cove side using rip cuts with a dado blade. Take extremely light cuts when you star cutting the cove. Use a blade with some raker style teeth. An alternating tooth grind will leave ridges that eventually have to be sanded out. Push the cove piece through the cut slowly so the blade can cut without leaving ridges. Use push pads to push down on the piece being cut as it passes over the blade. Test your set up on scrap. Make lots of extra pieces as resetting to get the same curve can be a bear.

[Bob Wingard]

A power feeder takes all the anxiety out of it.

[Scott Buehler]

I've never find it with my time, easier to just buy it or purchase a shaper. The extra sanding you will do is tedious and yes, then there is the chance of kickback but you should be fine if you go slow

[Tom Bain]

I’ve done it a couple times, but wouldn’t want to do a lot of linear feet. Cleaning up the coves with scraper and sanding is kind of a PITA. The first time it will feel like the weirdest thing you’ve ever done on a table saw (at least it did for me) but after a few passes it becomes more comfortable. As others have states, definitely use two guide rails so the piece being cut is completely trapped through the cut.

[Franklin Ferrier]

I did something similar recently. I wanted a cove cut in the end of a post to emulate a finish on an old English cabinet. As well as doing a simple cove cut, I had to elevate the leg as well as rotating it on the table saw top. I basically followed the technique described in a Wood Magazine article and added my own 3rd dimension inclinator. It all worked smoothly and actually felt quite safe, with hands nowhere near the blade. So I think running a plain cove is definitely achievable on a home saw, BUT be sure to use push sticks and blocks as appropriate.

The cut I was trying to emulate is the cutout at the top of the corner post:
corner.jpg

The jig I ended up with, after using the article's fence setting jig to set the approximate cove:
covejig1.jpg covejig2.jpg

And after adjusting the lead angle a couple of times, the finished cut:
cove.jpg

[Mark Bolton]

Matthias wandel has cove calculators on his site for all shapes.

[Grant Wilkinson]

I do quite a few cove picture frames, so I bought this

https://www.amazon.com/CMT-235-006-0...ve+cutter+head

It leaves a good finish requiring only minimal sanding. It's pricey, though, if you are doing a lot of coves.

Lee's advice is very good. I made a jig to ensure the piece cannot move. I think Rockler sells one, but they are not difficult to make. For me, the key is to remove as much of the waste as I can using a dado set so that the cove cutter is really only removing a very little.

[Mark Bolton]

https://woodgears.ca/cove/calculate.html

https://woodgears.ca/cove/asymmetric.html