Hi,
starting this as a new thread, originally was about finding a 3" pattern (flush trim) router bit...
************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 potential 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