Cutting oval kitchen table with router

[Matt Roth]

I've found a couple commercially made jigs for using a router to cut an oval tabletop. Anyone have any plans or simple drawings for a shop-made version? Thanks!

[Mike Henderson]

Not really a jig, but what you can do is draw your oval on a piece of 1/4" MDF (you can use the string and two nails method). Then cut the MDF to size and use it as a pattern for cutting your table. Use a straight bit with a bearing on top.

Mike

[Joe Scharle]

You could make one of these. Make the arm any lenght. Rockler also sells them.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/194/DSC03895.JPG

[Matt Roth]

You could make one of these. Make the arm any lenght. Rockler also sells them.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/194/DSC03895.JPG

Joe, that's what I'm looking for! Do you have any more pics/details?

[Nate Carey]

...I made mine from plans in...
http://www.woodsmith.com/images/issues/084/cover-medium.jpg Woodsmith No. 84
...worked it hard for years and it's got plenty of years to go! If you can't get hold of the issue Matt, let me know...

[Alex Berkovsky]

Here's one from Popular Woodworking --> linky (http://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/Oval_Layout_Jig/)

Don't miss the link to the pdf file at the bottom.

[Matt Roth]

Here's one from Popular Woodworking --> linky (http://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/Oval_Layout_Jig/)

Don't miss the link to the pdf file at the bottom.

Looks pretty good! Any reason I couldn't modify the arm to attach a router instead of a pencil?

[Alex Berkovsky]

Looks pretty good! Any reason I couldn't modify the arm to attach a router instead of a pencil?I guess if you wanted to, you could even attach a guy with a handsaw. :D

[Prashun Patel]

I guess if you wanted to, you could even attach a guy with a handsaw. :D


LOL! Made my day

[Jamie Buxton]

Those crossed-slider mechanisms cut elliptical ovals. I find ellipses to be too pointy for furniture tops. I prefer ovals which are somewhat more square.

I generally make a full-size paper layout so I can see what the shape looks like in the room, and roughly sketch out the oval shape. Then I make a clean template which is one quarter of my oval, and use it to make the full template.

[Stephen Edwards]

Those crossed-slider mechanisms cut elliptical ovals. I find ellipses to be too pointy for furniture tops. I prefer ovals which are somewhat more square.

I generally make a full-size paper layout so I can see what the shape looks like in the room, and roughly sketch out the oval shape. Then I make a clean template which is one quarter of my oval, and use it to make the full template.

Jamie: How do you make your original 1/4 template? What technique do you use to "draw" a clean oval line, please?

Mike Henderson: Can you please explain or link to an explanation of the "two nail method"?

Thanks!

[Jamie Buxton]

...What technique do you use to "draw" a clean oval line, please? ...

There's a couple of techniques you can try to see which one you like.

* Draw it by eye on MDF. (This is one of the few good uses for MDF. It has no grain, and is fairly soft, so it makes good template.) Cut it with a saber saw, and clean it up with a belt sander. Your fingers are pretty good at finding flat spots and bumps, and you can take 'em out with the sander.

* Plot it on a computer screen. Print it out. For anything bigger than one sheet of paper, you must tile several sheets together with tape. Paste it to the MDF. I use a 3M spray contact cement available at HD. This generally yields a smoother line to cut&sand to than hand-drawn.

* For a some curves, you can borrow a trick from boat builders. Use a long flexible piece of wood. Bend it to shape by clamping it to the template stock. You can use a few clamps, or I've seen it done with weights. The point is that the bent stick gives you a nicely-faired line without bumps and wiggles. When the stick is right, use a pencil to write the curve to the template stock. Or you can just glue it to the template, and later use a flush-trimming router bit to cut the template stock. Then you knock the stick off and you're set.

[Joe Scharle]

Matt, pretty simple to make these. Cut an absolute square like 6 X 6. Mark the center on 2 adjacent sides. Chuck up a centering pin and set your RT fence so the marked side is centered on your pin. Remove the centering pin. Chuck up a large DT bit like 1/2" - 14 deg. Cut a slot 1/2 way thru your stock in both directions. Set your fence to nibble a sliding DT until you get an easy fit, not sloppy. Rip off the DT; as you can see in the pic, I leave a flat on top to help in mounting the arm. Cut 2 segments a little shorter than your slot is long, Use the pic for initial setting of the arm. When you're not using it, put a little knob on the arm and give it to a kid to play with!

[Stephen Edwards]

There's a couple of techniques you can try to see which one you like.

* Draw it by eye on MDF. (This is one of the few good uses for MDF. It has no grain, and is fairly soft, so it makes good template.) Cut it with a saber saw, and clean it up with a belt sander. Your fingers are pretty good at finding flat spots and bumps, and you can take 'em out with the sander.

* Plot it on a computer screen. Print it out. For anything bigger than one sheet of paper, you must tile several sheets together with tape. Paste it to the MDF. I use a 3M spray contact cement available at HD. This generally yields a smoother line to cut&sand to than hand-drawn.

* For a some curves, you can borrow a trick from boat builders. Use a long flexible piece of wood. Bend it to shape by clamping it to the template stock. You can use a few clamps, or I've seen it done with weights. The point is that the bent stick gives you a nicely-faired line without bumps and wiggles. When the stick is right, use a pencil to write the curve to the template stock. Or you can just glue it to the template, and later use a flush-trimming router bit to cut the template stock. Then you knock the stick off and you're set.

Thanks Jamie. Ya know, I've done the bent stick thing to make templates for a decorative base board for blanket chests, a decorative back piece on the top of a chest of drawers and for window cornice boxes. I just never considered that method for an "oval". I understand what you mean by making a 1/4 template. When I've used the stick method to get a curve or compound curves for the pieces described above I make a 1/2 template.

Thanks again.........

[harry strasil]

A piece of MDF with a grooves routed for that T slot stuff, drill 3 holes in a strip, one for the pencil or to attach to router, from Center of that hole, drill a hole half the narrow width of your oval, then from the center of the pencil hole half the distance of long width, the T track has to be a bit longer than half the width of the oval each side of center one way and half the length the other way. fasten it to the center of the intended oval and draw or rout away.