Must be a better way!

[Ken Lamb]

Greetings, I lurk here off and on I don't contribute much info, due to the fact I feel there are many here more experienced than myself. With that precedent,I have a wood working predicament. I have to put egg shaped impressions in harwood 1-3/4 wide by 2-1/4 appr.

3/8 deep. I have been using a jig that I clamp to the wood and I use a 1-1/2" dia. cove shape cutter in a 3 hp plunge router. This is a very labor intensive way to accomplish this task. The bit leaves a small area in the center I need to sand out with my Foredom, and it is very scary plunging into the wood. Any ideas? Maybe get a special made cutter, so I don't have to go around in the jig? Chip clean out is a problem as well. Here is a link to a pic of the finished pocket. do these inline. Could this be accomplished with a cnc router? Thank you for your time.

[Morris Dovey]

Easily.

[Frank Ketchum]

A second router with a flat cutting bit set to the correct depth (not a plunge setup) would make the leftover cleanup a breeze. Why is it scary plunging the router into the wood? Routing is a relativly safe activity with the correct techniques. Maybe there is something in your technique that needs to be fixed. Maybe you need to make the plunge in a couple of steps so you are not removing too much at once. Maybe if you take my advice about the second router, you could clean out the middle first with the flat bit and that would be less for the profiled bit to remove.

If you are doing several next to each other like it appears on the picture, make a jig that will do all of the cutouts at once so you only have to position the jig once instead of moving it and realigning it for each cut.

Yes definately, but the cost may be excessive. I would spend some time making your current setup work better before deciding to tak the plunge (ha!).

Frank

[Ken Lamb]

[Frank Ketchum]

Makes sense. I am also in Michigan (Clarkston) but am unaware of any shops that could help. I'm sure they exist however. Where do you live?

Frank

[Norman D. Crow]

Ken, Couple thoughts. Are these cups the same depth front to back, or shallower @ the front edge(or would you like them shallower @ front edge)? The picture looks like same depth. I agree with Frank that you may need to do it in 2 steps, taking about half the depth, then coming back @ full depth.

I understand the "labor intensive" part! Did the whole front porch railing system, cutting pockets for spindles in the bottom rails with 3/8" straight bit & plunge router. Can't help you with that dilemma unless you're willing to shuck out the shekels for the CNC work.

IF you wanted the pocket "tapered" you could make your jig tapered, say 1/4" higher @ the front edge. Might also help some of the *scary* plunge, start @ the shallow end and go deeper.

Just my $.02

[Stephen M]

Would it save passes to hog out material with a big fortner bit in a DP first?

-s

[Ken Lamb]

Saginaw

1hr 15min N of you

Ken

[Ken Lamb]