Question about forming edge of large table

[Jay Jolliffe]

I'm making a table that is 9'x38" wide. I'm planing on using 5/4 stock. The customer wants a tapered edge. My plan is & I know the safety consensus people will say that a raised panel bit is not the bit to use. I know that, but I don't want to form it by hand. I have a panel bit that will fit in my router which is a variable speed router & will go slow enough. Just wondering if anyone has done this. I'm not planing on hogging this off in one cut I'm planning on making many cuts a little at a time. Has anyone done this before...

[Carl Beckett]

I have never done it because swinging a raised panel bit in a hand help scares the bejesus out of me

They do have vertical raised panel bits, could you find one of those that would work? ( then make a guide to ride against the face with it)

[doug faist]

Jay - I don't have one, but I would think that if you could find a bevel plane with a wide enough iron, that would be a perfect choice. The idea of that big a panel on a not-so-big router table just scares the heck out of me.
Doug

[Rick Fisher]

I have a bit called a " Thumbnail " bit which I have used to ease table top edges.. Its a nice profile.. Its 2-1/2" In Diameter ..

I watched a video of a fella raising panels with a Festool 2200 Router .. He made a few passes but it worked.. End of the day, its about how confident you are.. holding the work piece extremely well and taking your time..

I usually use a router mat or bench cookies when routering .. no clamps.. If I was gonna freehand a raised panel cutter, I would clamp it extremely well .. no distractions, just slow and methodical ..

I have a router table, so I won't do it .. if I didn't have a router table, I would probably try it .. but it would be a slow process..

[Jay Jolliffe]

I do have a router table & have made plenty of raised panels but I don't want to try something that's 98'' x 38''.

[Peter Quinn]

I've done it plenty of times. No sweat. Use a big router, take light passes, hold on with both hands. I made an off set jig, roughly 8"X24" melamine cut off with a big hole in one end. You mount the router to this ( screw directly to the router like a big base plate), put a handle you can grip on the other side. This way you have a lot more bearing surface on the work piec so you don't tip. I even climb cut the corners on curves this way. Yes, I climb cut free hand with a panel raiser. That silence you hear is the safety police having simultaneous heart attacks. Normally I'll use 3-4 passes to form the profile on a router panel raiser, but free hand I might use 4-5 depending on species. Conservative is better IMO untill you get a feel for the process and what the species in question will tolerate.

[joe milana]

Some will say I'm crazy, but I've raised panels before. No problem at all. I used a Dewalt 1 1/2 hp router & a 3 3/8" bit. My biggest concern was tipping the router, so I used an offset router base. Sure made a heck of a mess! Did maybe 25, then burned up the router.

[johnny means]

Multiple passes, both hands on the router, shouldn't be a big deal. Pretty much standard practice when profiling large pieces.

[glenn bradley]

Did maybe 25, then burned up the router.

Ya think!?! :D:D:D

[Ari Friedman]

The offset base suggestion seems prudent. While you're at it, maybe add a vertical fence to your homemade base as well. This not only gives you a larger surface to register against the side of the panel, but acts as a guard to protect the half of the bit not cutting into the workpiece in case it does happen to slip.

[Scot wolf]

I used to use large thumbnail bits almost daily at work, I don't see why you couldn't make it work. Just make a off set jig.

[Mike Heidrick]

Why not contact a cabinet shop (or crazy hobby shop ;) ) and run it on a shaper and a feeder.

[John Coloccia]

Your customer wants a shallow taper on the edge his table? Won't that just make things like plates, silverware and glasses want to fall off?

[Prashun Patel]

Do they want a taper with a fillet or just a taper?
Can u bevel it on the thaw with a high fence? I've done that before and it works fine.

You can also do it on the jointer with tilted fence.

[Bill Huber]

Could you show a drawing of the profile you need, I am not sure I understand it and what you need.

[Jay Jolliffe]

This table top is 9' long & 3' wide..I don't think a table saw would work. The bevel is on the back side & not the top...Trying to make it look thinner on the edge. Not much maybe 7/8''...It's 1 1/8 now...

[joe milana]

Perfect opportunity to justify that sliding table saw/shaper you've been wanting. ;) But seriously, a bevel style raised panel bit & a simple shop made offset router base, and you'll make short work of that, and you are really not taking that big of a bite. Only issue I see is the sharp edge it will leave where the bevel meets the edge of the table. Maybe a profile bit like pictured below would be more appropriate. Experiment with different depths of cut till you get a look that you like. Woodriver bits are not the best bits on the market, but reasonably priced, and perfect for "one off" projects.
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