How to make a groove in a curved piece of wood

[Dick Snyder]

I am making a headboard. The top will be curved. There will be slats that want to fit into a groove in the top piece. How would you go about cutting the groove into that curved headboard?

TIA.

Dick Snyder

[Swingman]

My preference would be a slot cutting bit in a router table equipped with a pin, and a couple of good push blocks. Make incremental cuts and vary the bit height to get your width.

[Norm Dresner]

Well ... the same way that porcupines make love: Carefully. Very Carefully.

Seriously though, a router with a board clamped to the workpiece to act as a guide is one good way.

Norm

[George]

Shaper with two collars at my house.

Hedge your bet with the router by mounting a collar the same diameter as your pilot if able.

[bridger]

[max]

You can make a pattern of the curve and clamp it in place and use a flush cutting router bit with a bearing on the shank end. Once the pattern is clamped to your work you run the router bit against the pattern to mill your groove. max