I am interested in cutting arches, like arches over a doorway, curved railing on a deck (top rail is simply 5/4 x 6 cedar, no fancy detail), and other similar projects using straight flat stock (or multiple pieces as needed) turning into curved flat stock. I looked around the web a bit, and can't find much in the way of here's what you need to make/cut/shape an arch, and here's how to do it.
I'd like to know what tools are best/recommended for this, and one of the projects involves 2" thick mahogany, so I have to be able to accommodate that. Also, any suggestions/tips on how to get the smoothest/most accurate arches would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!