Hi,
anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for a router? i was hoping to use it to make curved chair backs. I know it would put a lot of pressure on the shaft, but I would take small bites at a time.
thanks,
david
What type of pattern bits? or do you mean molding bits like these?
I'm pretty sure he means a flush trim bit. He wants to be able to follow a hardboard/mdf pattern.
Good luck ... I was never able to find anything over 2". Be sure to let us know if you do locate one.
ITMT, consider doing like the rest of us and tune up that bandsaw.
Can get you to 2.5" but a real scarey cutter, for fighter pilots only.
| Can get you to 2.5" but a real scarey cutter, for fighter pilots | only.
| david blumberg wrote: || anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for || a router? i was hoping to use it to make curved chair backs. I || know it would put a lot of pressure on the shaft, but I would take || small bites at a time.
Too scary (Kamakazi pilots only!)
I'd suggest bandsawing close and using a 1" pattern bit with the router firmly mounted in a router table.
At three inches, it's the bit that's in control rather than the operator.
-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA
I've got a 60mm (bush guided, not bearing - from Axminster's yellow range) and the longest bearing-guided one I've seen is 2" (commonplace). Look for "kitchen fitters' worktop cutters".
I wouldn't like to use anything longer! -- and I'm using a pretty hefty router with them.
Use a bandsaw to cut close to the pattern and use a pattern drum sander in the drill press to clean it up.
Jess.S
Thanks for all the comments...a 3" bit seemed like a scary idea to me, also...
I recently built 4 red oak hi-chairs for the kitchen island, and the hardest part was the curved chair backs. I cut them from oversized blanks on the band saw, and cleaned them up with an oscillating spindle sander, and sandpaper on a curved block of wood. They turned out OK, but not perfect,and took a LONG time.
I just finished a cherry dining table (48" diam expands to 10 ft) and want to make 6 cherry chairs to go with it. Have considered steam bending (never done it) but the tenoning process seems like a problem to me (among the other imagined problems)...the bandsaw/oversized blank idea is pretty wasteful of wood, but is probably how I will go...Considering getting a compass plane to help smooth things out. Any ideas on that, or any of the above?
I have since installed the Carter style BS guides on my saw, so hopefully I can get closer and smoother with the bandsaw.
advice much appreciated!
david
david blumberg wrote:
"david blumberg"
It's a good bet it will. Anything that will improve the quality of your bandsaw cuts will improve the quality and ease of getting useable parts in less time and with less waste.
A good sharp, top quality resaw blade in a well tuned bandsaw (I use a 1/2" to cut radii in the 20" range on my older 14" Delta), and carefully cutting as close as possible to a thin line, while still leaving the line, works well for me on curved parts.
Besides a well tuned bandsaw, there is little doubt that technique also plays a large part in getting a consistently smooth cut, witness Sam Maloof's use of the tool.
When cutting chair back rails, I try to cut with the curves always oriented in the same direction, while taking care that I am using the same one hand for feeding the stock, and the other for guiding the cut, so that muscle memory comes into play. For me, being consistent in these two things means I get a better feel for, and can anticipate any blade wandering.
I find that with a little practice/warm-up on waste of the same thickness, I generally need very little cleanup and sanding of parts ... certainly in much less time than with the fuss of jigging up for a pattern bit on the router table, and with the following being an example of the results:
nice chair backs! how did you index or reference the angles for the mortises in the rails for the spindles? small wedges? Looks like you used a router. I have a Delta mortiser I used on my other chairs, and it turned out OK, but not totally precise. probaly a smoother curve profile would have helped...
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