Need help with curved top

[Jim Young]

I am in the planning stage of making a chest for my daughter's doll. The chest will be large enough for the dolls bed and it's belongings. My intention is to make the top/lid curved. Somewhere I saw an article that showed how to size and glue up the strips for the top. Then you use a hand plane to knock down the sharp edges which rounds off the top. Does anyone know of an article that describes the layout process? TIA

[Doug Cowan]

I am surprised you haven't gotten more responses. I believe that the process you describe is called "coopering". You might try a search for a "coopered lid" here and on google. Good luck.

[Steve Cox]

Jim, I'm sure there is a layout tool somewhere for this but to get it done rough and ready try this:

1. Draw an end view of the top both inside and outside curves full size.

2. Draw an outline of a flat board that will fit the thickness of that curve by whatever width you want the board to be. If you want wide boards they will need to be thicker, narrower boards will be thinner.

3. After drawing all the boards in outline draw the intersection between them from where they touch on hte top and cross on the bottom. Pick up that angle with a sliding bevel and use it to set your tablesaw for the bevel cuts.

[Ken Garlock]

Hi Jim.

Some time back, David Marks made a "treasure chest" that had a curved top. He built a form and bent 1/8th poplar plywood to form the top curve, and followed up with a veneer on both sides.

Take a look at: chest (http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/ww_chests/article/0,2049,DIY_14440_2380916,00.html)

[Scott Coffelt]

Do a search on Mark Singer's name on this site. He made a cbinet with coppered doors. He deatailed his work, I think it will give you the info you are looking for.

[Mike Vermeil]

Jim,

Check out this link to a post about a chest w/ curved top I built. The top was rather large & the wood prone to tear-out with hand planes, so I built a jig to round the coopered top. Maybe it will be of some help to you.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=15470

But more to your actual question, I calculated the angles to cut the boards on paper, and made a full-scale drawing to double check.

Hope this helps.

Mike