Advice: How to address a curved edge

[Greg Guarino]

Been awhile since I've posted here. I'm a weekend hobbyist at best.

I'm planning out a "bridge" to sit on my desk:

It is to help organize my music recording setup, some of which is shown in schematic form.This is a fairly utilitarian piece that will be largely obsc ured by the stuff on it, but I'd like it to look nice.

I'd like to make it from plywood. It will be 6' long and figure ply is less likely to be twisted, cupped, etc. But there's that curved edge, I could j ust use the iron on edge veneer, but I'm not crazy about how that looks at the edges.

I see that thicker edge banding is made (1.5 and 3mmm), but I have only fou nd it in really large quantities. I tried bending some 1/4" oak strip at Ho me depot the other day (by hand) and it looks like it would make the bend, but I wouldn't want the piece to launch itself at me someday (and I don't h ave a steamer).

Any ideas?

[DerbyDad03]

n schematic form.This is a fairly utilitarian piece that will be largely ob scured by the stuff on it, but I'd like it to look nice.

ss likely to be twisted, cupped, etc. But there's that curved edge, I could just use the iron on edge veneer, but I'm not crazy about how that looks a t the edges.

ound it in really large quantities. I tried bending some 1/4" oak strip at Home depot the other day (by hand) and it looks like it would make the bend , but I wouldn't want the piece to launch itself at me someday (and I don't have a steamer).

Do you have a table or band saw?

You could rip strips much thinner than 1/4" that glue would easily hold.

[DJ Delorie]

Random thoughts...

For my desk, I made hardwood T-moulding that glued into slots on the edges of everything. I did NOT want it to peel off in the future.

I don't know how bendable such T-moulding would be, though.

Next thought would be a bent lamination (glue-up, not steamed), so that there's (1) no "spring" to pop it off, and (2) enough thickness to use biscuits to hold it in place. Glue two 1/8" strips together in a curve, to make one 1/4" curved trim piece that's pre-bent.

(if you do this, perhaps using the T-moulding idea for the two flat parts of trim, and a miter joint, would "capture" the bent part of the trim between the two flat trim bits)

Lastly, consider hardwood instead of plywood, or baltic birch plywood, so that a bare edge doesn't look horrible ;-) (it's an excuse to buy a jointer/planer if you don't have one, because you need "very flat wood" :)

[DerbyDad03]

n schematic form.This is a fairly utilitarian piece that will be largely ob scured by the stuff on it, but I'd like it to look nice.

ss likely to be twisted, cupped, etc. But there's that curved edge, I could just use the iron on edge veneer, but I'm not crazy about how that looks a t the edges.

ound it in really large quantities. I tried bending some 1/4" oak strip at Home depot the other day (by hand) and it looks like it would make the bend , but I wouldn't want the piece to launch itself at me someday (and I don't have a steamer).

P.S.

I made a half dozen of these to glue on the 1/8" poplar edge banding for some plywood shelves that I recently made. Cheap and easy, work great.

I made the edging just slightly oversized, which makes it easier to center, then a quick pass with the router leaves a perfectly flush edge.

If you choose to round-over the edges, the seam will virtually disappear.

[Just Wondering]

Veneer edging $7 for a 25-foot roll. Glue is heat activated.

[Greg Guarino]

Yes, I neglected to mention my limitations. I do not have either a table saw or much of a band saw. Although getting a table saw is on my list, finally. Probably not soon enough for this project, though.

[Greg Guarino]

I have used this before. My problem with it is that you really can't ease the edges very much or very well. I would much prefer a thicker material.

[-MIKE-]

Whenever I rip poplar, birch, or maple, I'm always very surprised at how flexible the thinner cut-offs are. A strip of any of the above 1/8"-3/16" thick could *easily* make that bend. Glue, clamp, an hour later it's on there forever.

You could probably get thicker piece to bend to that radius, but it's probably not necessary.

[Scott Lurndal]

You could do the whole thing in hardwood with a jack plane, a handsaw, a coping saw and a block plane with a bit of practice.

[DerbyDad03]

You have used what before? There is no context for your comment, not even the handle of the person who you are responding to.

[Markem]

A sabre saw would do. With that I would glue a trim piece that is deeper than the curve, then sand to make a nice edge.

[Greg Guarino]

That was possibly my first attempt at posting from a phone. I'm not sure why nothing was quoted, but it was "iron-on" veneer rolls that I have used before.

[Greg Guarino]

I could (and might) do the whole thing in hardwood, which would solve the "edge" issue. But whatever the material, there will be motors involved. :)

[Dave in SoTex]

O/T to your inquiry but an observation based on my experience:

I hope you do not wear bifocal glasses. With your monitors at such an elevated level your neck will be constantly cocked back such that you will likely experience some kind of repetitive stress discomfort - as I have. My own monitor sits such that the top fourth of the screen is approximately eye level. Consider, if you have not already done so, a full frame pair of prescription readers. Mine have helped considerably.

Dave in SoTex

[Sonny]

How about asking a local cabinet shop to cut some laminate strips for you? Shouldn't cost too terribly much.... might even do it for free, for such a small job. Just show them your plans.

Sonny

[Leon]

With a gentle curve like you drawing shows you can easily rip 1/4" strips and attach. Oak will very easily bend tighter than that. Glue and brad or pin.

[Leon]

Excellent point!!!

FWIW my monitor is lifted 4" above my desk top and I certainly would not want it any further up whether I wore glasses or not.

You want to be able to see the screen and the keyboard with out moving our head.

[Greg Guarino]

onitors at such

I don't wear bifocals. My old shelf kept the monitors considerably higher t han 4", but I thought they were a little low for my taste. I have jury-rigg ed a temporary shelf that I have decided is a little high, but I intend to try out different heights before I settle on the design. I had already chan ged it before I posted here, but the curve was the same, so it didn't matte r.

While I will occasionally type emails and do other work like that, I won't be using a (QWERTY) keyboard that much. My main keyboard has 88 keys. :) Bu t I do have an audio mixer and some other controllers that I want to fit un derneath the monitor "bridge".

[Jack]

++1

The other option is not to put a curve on it to begin with. This is particularly true if you don't have tools to shape and smooth the curve. This type of "bridge" commonly has no curve so that option may not be as nice, but still worth consideration.

[DerbyDad03]

I'm not sure why the post you responded to was attributed to me. Bad snippage, perhaps?