How Do You Do this?

[Carl Eyman]

I am in process of making a Grandfather clock. I'm stuck on the Swan Neck Mouldings for the pediment. If you look at the drawing it is part #34 that I'm worried about the most. You can best see its shape by looking at the right side version of it. The overall cross section is 1 1/4" wide by a 3/4" high. (the height is measured in the vertical plane) The bottom portion of thr moulding is a cove of a 3/8" radius while the upper half is an ogee. I have two bits of the proper shape. I think I can do it if I laminate the piece. (though my practice attempts have been dismal).

My specific questions are:

1. Can this be done in one piece? (cut the swan neck out of 1 1/4" stock and cut the cove and then the ogee in it)

2. If I have to do it as a laminate, I plan to cut patterns in 1/4" plywood, screw the blanks to the ply and let the router bit bearing ride on the ply. Is there a better way?

At Williamsburg last January Dave Anderson (NH) and I saw Mack Headley carve it by hand, but he's in Virginia and not here.

[Mark Stutz]

Carl,
There was an article in FWW a few years ago. I will try to search for it, but the author described making these pediments using multiple router bits without laminating pieces together. I can't wait to see the results as this is on my list of future projects when my skills improve.
Mark

[George M. Perzel]

Hi Carl
Try FWW #130- good article on making broken pediments. Will fax or email you a copy if you can't find it.
George

[Jim Becker]

Mark, I remember that article, too...now if I could only find it! It really did "simplify" the process...

[Carl Eyman]

I've subscribed to FWW since the first; so I should have it in the attic. Thank you one and all. I did this morning complete a practice piece that didn't come out too badly. Had to do it in two layers, though. I'll post progress pictures in case any one is interested.

[Richard McComas]

A few years ago I built this scaled down version of a Highboy. The pediment mouldings took me 3 days to make. At the time I did a lot of searching for methods of making the molding. I didn’t find much information on the process at the time except for the already mentioned article in Fine WoodWorking. I found bits and pieces here and there in different magazines.

I ended up ruffling out with the router and spending 3 days with scrapers and sand paper and router bits. Of course if one has a shaper and the money to have the profile custom made you can make the pediment in a matter of a couple hours.

What I have learned since then, Lonnie Bird has a relatively new book out named “ Shaping Wood” and it is a very good book that every serious wood worker could find useful. Don’t let the name of the book fool you, this book is not all about shaping wood with a shaper and is not a book on how to use a shaper. It covers many methods of shaping wood using routers, shapers, scrapers, chisels and so on.

The book has a section on making pediment moldings or gooseneck moldings with one of two methods. One method is with a shaper and a cutter he has developed and sells (which I assume being production made would be much less expensive than having one custom made). The other method is using the router table and some jigs that effectivly turns your router table into an inverted pin router.

Buy the book and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

<img src="http://www.fototime.com/E2E541EE58C9537/standard.jpg" border=0>

[Carl Eyman]

Beautiful piece, Rich. I'll look up the book. You don't know of a source, off hand, do you?

[Richard McComas]

Beautiful piece, Rich. I'll look up the book. You don't know of a source, off hand, do you?

I belive I got mine at Amazon.com

[Chris Padilla]

Very nice, Rich. I did a lil' work on your avatar...time for an update?? :D Send me a pic...I work it up for ya! :)

[Richard McComas]

Very nice, Rich. I did a lil' work on your avatar...time for an update?? :D Send me a pic...I work it up for ya! :)
Thanks Chirs, I'll come up witn a new pic soon.

Rich.

[Bruce Page]

Very nice, Rich. I did a lil' work on your avatar...time for an update?? :D Send me a pic...I work it up for ya! :)
Hey Chris, can ya do a little work on mine? :D

[Rich Konopka]

Hey Chris, can ya do a little work on mine? :D
Does this work for you :p :D :p

[Chris Padilla]

LOLOLOLOL!! Good one, Rich...good one.... I had to massage it a tad, however! :D

Sorry, Carl, for totally hijacking this thread! I'm so bad at that....:rolleyes:

[Peter Stahl]

Carl,

Check this link out below, done with a router and spindle sander.

Pete

http://www.cjohnhebert.com/Swanneck.htm

[David Klug]

That is beautiful Richard, how long did it take you to build it?

DK

[Carl Eyman]

Thanks to all of you that have responded. I looked for FWW #130, but sadly I have 129 & 131 and about 170 other issues but not #130, I did download a Nov/Dec 1985 article "Tall Newpost Clock" That addressed the issue of the swan Neck molding. It would require a major expenditure in router bits; so that's on hold.


By the time you read this I will have ordered Lonnie's book "Shaping Wood".

In the meantime I took a crack at making the moldings in two pieces. The practice run was far from perfect, but encouraging. Pictures attached. If the approach is to be a success a lot of scraping, carving tool tweaking, and sanding will be required, but what is woodworking all about?

One of the things I learned from the practice go is one must be careful with the flush trim bit. I think I can master that problem. Here are the results so far. (Obviously the moldings are just screwed on at this point so they can come off.)