Marvin Goins
01-02-2010, 4:46 PM
Been working on paneling our Reading Room over the last few months & needed about 40 feet of matching 3” crown molding made from old growth pine. Had seen a few magazine articles over the years talking about making large scale cove molding with a table saw. Finally, an opportunity to try it.
First problem to solve was: auxiliary fence angle and maximum blade height. Was able to take advantage of Fine Woodworking’s Cove Calculator for these settings. The calculator can be accessed here: http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=24067
Just input a few variables:
• Blade Diameter
• Cove Depth
• Cove Length
• Apex Offset
• Miter Gauge 90 (0 or 90)
and the proper settings are calculated in a click.
For the 3” molding, I went with a 2 ½” cove, yielding a 33 degree fence angle to the blade, and a maximum blade height of ½”.
Fence setup (I ended up taking off the extra 1x4 board on the left & ran everything using only the edge guide on the right. The extra fence didn’t seem to help anything.
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/mgoins01/Projects/ReadingRoom/IMG_0121.jpg
Prior to running the boards, let’s take a moment to talk shop safety:
1) Mark each board to ensure the same edge is run against the fence each time, in case you’re not exactly centered over the blade.
2) Begin with a blade height no more than 1/16” to prevent kickback. And, raise the blade 1/16” every run thereafter.
3) Use pushblocks. I used jointer style push blocks to keep the wood steadily in contact with the blade.
4) Go slow. The process is a slow one, but the results are worth it.
5) Be careful. No distractions. The blade is exposed during these operations & must be respected.
First 3” test piece:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/mgoins01/Projects/ReadingRoom/IMG_0120.jpg
Once run thru the saw, the molding will have to be cleaned up with scrapers or sandpaper. Prior to finishing, this was sanded from 100 thru 150 grit sandpaper.
Finished product:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/mgoins01/Projects/ReadingRoom/IMG_0252.jpg
Up-close:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/mgoins01/Projects/ReadingRoom/IMG_0367.jpg
Installed – up close:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/mgoins01/Projects/ReadingRoom/IMG_0323.jpg
Link to the entire Reading Room project: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=128482
Thanks for playing along…
First problem to solve was: auxiliary fence angle and maximum blade height. Was able to take advantage of Fine Woodworking’s Cove Calculator for these settings. The calculator can be accessed here: http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=24067
Just input a few variables:
• Blade Diameter
• Cove Depth
• Cove Length
• Apex Offset
• Miter Gauge 90 (0 or 90)
and the proper settings are calculated in a click.
For the 3” molding, I went with a 2 ½” cove, yielding a 33 degree fence angle to the blade, and a maximum blade height of ½”.
Fence setup (I ended up taking off the extra 1x4 board on the left & ran everything using only the edge guide on the right. The extra fence didn’t seem to help anything.
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/mgoins01/Projects/ReadingRoom/IMG_0121.jpg
Prior to running the boards, let’s take a moment to talk shop safety:
1) Mark each board to ensure the same edge is run against the fence each time, in case you’re not exactly centered over the blade.
2) Begin with a blade height no more than 1/16” to prevent kickback. And, raise the blade 1/16” every run thereafter.
3) Use pushblocks. I used jointer style push blocks to keep the wood steadily in contact with the blade.
4) Go slow. The process is a slow one, but the results are worth it.
5) Be careful. No distractions. The blade is exposed during these operations & must be respected.
First 3” test piece:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/mgoins01/Projects/ReadingRoom/IMG_0120.jpg
Once run thru the saw, the molding will have to be cleaned up with scrapers or sandpaper. Prior to finishing, this was sanded from 100 thru 150 grit sandpaper.
Finished product:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/mgoins01/Projects/ReadingRoom/IMG_0252.jpg
Up-close:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/mgoins01/Projects/ReadingRoom/IMG_0367.jpg
Installed – up close:
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/mgoins01/Projects/ReadingRoom/IMG_0323.jpg
Link to the entire Reading Room project: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=128482
Thanks for playing along…