How Would You Cut This Cove?

[Brian Kent]

This is a drawing of the top of a pedestal stand for a table. The joint is similar to a Maloof pedestal joint, but because of the shape of the table I am setting the legs at 60° and 120° from each other instead of 90° all the way around.

The cross-hatched parts need to be cut, scraped, routed, or otherwise removed. I am very open to hand tool solutions. The result should be a smooth curve in the center of the pedestal between the legs.

The pedestal part to be cut will be 12-14" tall. The legs are made out of 8/4 oak, so the two big curves to be cut away are about 2-1/2" across and the two mini curves are about 3/8" across.

The 2nd picture is in Maloof's shop - 2 pieces made with the same joinery. The 3rd is from the Maloof exhibit in Riverside, a candelabra with the joint I am trying to modify.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'd do a lot of the roughing-in before I did the glue-up. I'd cut off most of the big triangles with a table saw or bandsaw, then glue up, and then carve from there. For carving, you can go hand tools, or you can use power tools. In the power tool vein, I like an Arbortech blade in a 4" right-angle grinder, followed by sanding discs on the same grinder.

[Brian Kent]

I agree about cutting of the triangles first. I have never used or even thought of the arbortech idea.

I am fine with finishing the sanding with sanding blocks custom made to match the curves.

[Doug Shepard]

The larger radius rough-in might be possible on a table saw with a cove cutting setup. The smaller one looks like easy work for a round bit (core box bit) on a router table. Then sand to the final contour with the custom sanding blocks. Leastways that's how I'd probably try approaching it if I were trying it.

Edit: Note - I'm assuming you'd cut the points off flat first with either method.

[Brian Kent]

Here's a 3-D sketch of what I am doing. The legs attach to the center of the pedestal all the way from top to bottom. The areas I need to cut and curve also go top to bottom.

I can picture a cove cut on a table saw. Never done it, but it happens in my mind.:rolleyes:

[Doug Shepard]

Here's a link
http://woodgears.ca/cove/

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I agree about cutting of the triangles first. I have never used or even thought of the arbortech idea.

My first guitar neck I carved using rasps. The arbor tech tool is a nice tool but, can be so very aggressive that I'd not use it on things that required a light hand until after I'd mastered the thing.

[Michael Schwartz]

Here's a link
http://woodgears.ca/cove/

second the method of using the table saw to cut coves. Just make sure you raise the blade only a little bit at a time. Its a surprisingly non intimidating method once you do it, and its safe as long as you use common sense.

[Brian Kent]

Here's how I ended up doing it - with a home made plane. I took a plane I already had and gave it a curved bottom and blade.

Here is the plane in action and the finished product:

[Chaz Alexopoulos]

Very nice, Brian. And beautiful finish I might add.

[John Lucas]

CMT makes a cove cutter for the table saw. It does a real smooth job.
http://www.woodshopdemos.com/jrl-352.jpg

You adjust the "attack angle" the same way you would using a standatd blade but this gives much smoother cuts.
http://www.woodshopdemos.com/jrl-354.jpg