How to "dish" wood

[Scion]

I want to put a small dish / concave indentation in a piece of wood, for the ball of a bales catch. What's the neatest way of doing this? The wood is a door frame and is fixed in position already.

[Scion]

fred put finger to keyboard:

I have a receiver, and yes, I could drill a shallow hole. But I'd look up at it every time I went past, thinking "That could look better!"

FWIW it's actually a pair of doors between two rooms that are normally open, so it's more important it looks OK than, say, an airing cupboard door.

[John Rumm]

Either a carving gauge, or the nose of a small belt saner / power file? Possibly an abbrasive ball or burr on a die grinder (dremel) type machine)

[Scion]

John Rumm put finger to keyboard:

Carving gouge is what I need, thanks John.

As ever, it's the terminology that eluded me.

[fred]

Don't you have a receiver for the catch. Just drill a shallow hole. The receiver will cover it, no?

[John Rumm]

and the spelling me ;-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

buy a suitable burr for an electric drill

[The Natural Philosopher]

Still say a burr is easier

[Scion]

John Rumm put finger to keyboard:

Google knew what you meant.

[Muddymike]

John Rumm put finger to keyboard:

Just give it a good thwack with a ballpein hammer!

Mike

[fred]

In article , Muddymike writes

And miss . . . .

by all means place a ballpein in the desired spot and thwack it with a bigger hammer.

[Scion]

Muddymike put finger to keyboard:

I did consider the percussive method. Quick, cheap and easy. Too much potential for damage though.

[Mathew Newton]

Given aesthetics is obviously important to you might it be an issue you hav ing an 'unprotected' indentation, the edge of which may (will?) get worn by the ball? I always assumed that was part of the purpose of the receiver i. e. to act as a resilient surface for the the catch to rub against...

[Scion]

Mathew Newton put finger to keyboard:

I'm still going to use a receiver, but it needs an indentation for the ball to spring into.

[John Williamson]

Surely if you're using the right type of receiver anyway, you can't see the hole? Mine are split about 50/50 here.

[Mathew Newton]

Ah, I see. The only ball catch we've got here has a receiver that is effect ively a solid plate with an indentation i.e. it covers up the hole made in the wood behind it. Presumably your receiver has a hole in the centre hence the hole in the wood will be visible?

[Roger Mills]

Ball-ended router bit?

[Scion]

Mathew Newton put finger to keyboard:

Yup. Most of 'em seem to be like that. The roller type catches tend to have the solid receiver, the ball ones hollow.

[Matty F]

The neatest way would be to put the wood in a lathe. Yes I do have a lathe big enough!