Making Cove Molding on the Table Saw

[George Bokros]

An upcoming project will require cove molding. I am thinking about making my own on the table saw. Is this any more dangerous than ripping on the table saw? I checked our a Wood Magazine article and video and it looks easy enough.

I know you are better off using a 60 - 80 tooth crosscut blade to reduce the amount of sanding required, is there anything one needs to know before making cove molding?

I want to make my own so I can use the same material that the project (Shaker Style Mirror) will be made.

Thanks.

[Mike Henderson]

I've made cove molding several times on the table saw. It's been a while but I just followed the directions (you can find directions on the web) and it worked fine. Go slow and make sure everything is clamped well and you'll have no problems.

Mike

[Pat Barry]

I've made cove molding several times on the table saw. It's been a while but I just followed the directions (you can find directions on the web) and it worked fine. Go slow and make sure everything is clamped well and you'll have no problems.

Mike
Ive done it exactly one time for a raised panel door. It worked nicely although I found it took a lot of trial and error to get the curve I wanted. Need to take light passes and gradually increase the depth of cut pass after pass. When I did it, try as I might to cut slowly on the final pass, I ended up with telltale scoring lines from the table saw blade. I cleaned this up reasonably well with sandpaper to 220 grit and then BLO and varnish coated.

[Peter Christensen]

I've done it a number of times with normal saw blades and a 6" wobble dado set without the wobble. Better yet if you plan on doing this more often will be a round tip moulding head or round tip cutters. The cove will need less sanding. If the blade is tilted you can make a cove with a parabolic shape.

http://www.mikestools.com/235-006-07-Cove-cutter-head-7-diameter-5-8-arbor-6-carbide-teeth-Cutter-head-only.aspx

[Jerry Miner]

Is this any more dangerous than ripping on the table saw?

Yes. But still do-able. You probably won't be able to have a riving knife or guard in place. Just go slow and be careful. Be sure to use some sort of push-shoe.

What size is the cove you want to make? The tablesaw method creates an elliptical curve, not a circular one, so a smaller blade often makes a better-looking cove.

[Sam Murdoch]

Easy and safe with some trial and error to determine the finished cove and following normal safety precautions. I have ALWAYS found that I need to make a matching scraper and/or sanding block to finish up. Can never do a close to finish cut with the TS blade - at least I have never succeeded. I have always enjoyed doing this.

[John TenEyck]

As mentioned above, a round tipped knife in a molding head gives a smoother cut than a TS blade. You can use a cove cutting knife, too, as long as you feed from that side.

It's a little scary the first time, but it's safe as long as you use a fence, or even two as some do, take light cuts, feed the right way, and use push blocks. And being able to use the same wood as your project definitely makes it worth the effort.

John

[Lee Schierer]

I think I recall the Wood article. Here are some lessons I learned. Make sure you build a jig that captures the piece being molded between guide rails on each side that are clamped to the table so they absolutely can't move. Remove the majority of the waste from the cove side using rip cuts with a dado blade. Take extremely light cuts when you star cutting the cove. Use a blade with some raker style teeth. An alternating tooth grind will leave ridges that eventually have to be sanded out. Push the cove piece through the cut slowly so the blade can cut without leaving ridges. Use push pads to push down on the piece being cut as it passes over the blade. Test your set up on scrap. Make lots of extra pieces as resetting to get the same curve can be a bear.

[Bob Wingard]

A power feeder takes all the anxiety out of it.

[Scott Buehler]

I've never find it with my time, easier to just buy it or purchase a shaper. The extra sanding you will do is tedious and yes, then there is the chance of kickback but you should be fine if you go slow

[Tom Bain]

I’ve done it a couple times, but wouldn’t want to do a lot of linear feet. Cleaning up the coves with scraper and sanding is kind of a PITA. The first time it will feel like the weirdest thing you’ve ever done on a table saw (at least it did for me) but after a few passes it becomes more comfortable. As others have states, definitely use two guide rails so the piece being cut is completely trapped through the cut.

[Franklin Ferrier]

I did something similar recently. I wanted a cove cut in the end of a post to emulate a finish on an old English cabinet. As well as doing a simple cove cut, I had to elevate the leg as well as rotating it on the table saw top. I basically followed the technique described in a Wood Magazine (https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/lumber/make-your-own-cove-molding)article (https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/lumber/make-your-own-cove-molding)and added my own 3rd dimension inclinator. It all worked smoothly and actually felt quite safe, with hands nowhere near the blade. So I think running a plain cove is definitely achievable on a home saw, BUT be sure to use push sticks and blocks as appropriate.

The cut I was trying to emulate is the cutout at the top of the corner post:
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The jig I ended up with, after using the article's fence setting jig to set the approximate cove:
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And after adjusting the lead angle a couple of times, the finished cut:
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[Mark Bolton]

Matthias wandel has cove calculators on his site for all shapes.

[Grant Wilkinson]

I do quite a few cove picture frames, so I bought this

https://www.amazon.com/CMT-235-006-07-Cutter-800-523-11-Molding/dp/B000P4JP66/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514990559&sr=8-1&keywords=cove+cutter+head

It leaves a good finish requiring only minimal sanding. It's pricey, though, if you are doing a lot of coves.

Lee's advice is very good. I made a jig to ensure the piece cannot move. I think Rockler sells one, but they are not difficult to make. For me, the key is to remove as much of the waste as I can using a dado set so that the cove cutter is really only removing a very little.

[Mark Bolton]

https://woodgears.ca/cove/calculate.html

https://woodgears.ca/cove/asymmetric.html

[David Eisenhauer]

Lee pretty much covered it as far as I am concerned. Let me also add that you should try hard to make all of the moulding you need on the first go around because I have yet to be able to exactly repeat a shape. I know there are calculators developed for this, but apparently I cannot figure the whole thing out because there is way, way more guessing/shifting/trying again in my setup of the guide to the blade/blade tilt operation. Curved scrapers are your friends.

[George Bokros]

What about doing it on the router table? Infinity Tool and Amana Tool have bits for making cove molding.

[Cary Falk]

What about doing it on the router table? Infinity Tool and Amana Tool have bits for making cove molding.

I have on of these bits. It leaves a much better finish with minimal sanding. I now have planer/moulder which is much better but the router bit is the way. I am assuming you are wanting to do it on the TS for cheap.

[George Bokros]

I have on of these bits. It leaves a much better finish with minimal sanding. I now have planer/moulder which is much better but the router bit is the way. I am assuming you are wanting to do it on the TS for cheap.

Not opposed to buying the router bit, I just discovered they exist.

[Jerry Miner]

I have a couple of the Infinity cove bits-- and I've done a fair amount of cove-cutting on the table saw. Both work fine. Table saw method can create a wider range of sizes. Router bits have a fixed curve. Both require multiple passes. Router bits leave a smoother surface. Both methods will require some sanding.

I think cove-cutting on the table saw is a technique worth learning. Opens a lot of possibilities. Back in the early days I even did raised panels this way.

[Tony Leonard]

Don't know that I can add much to what's been posted already. I did my first a couple of years ago. I had used a router bit once before and that worked fine. But it was too small for what I was building. I did a fair amount of reading a viewing before I started. There are several good methods/setups out there. I used the two fence method. Make sure everything is clamped good and tight! Take small bites. Go slow. Be prepared for the dust and lots of it!

I used my own software to calculate the curve and print a template. Make sure you leave enough room on either side of the cut exit for support and make sure there is enough meat above the cut so that the work piece doesn't snap in half. Push blocks! Watch the end - don't put your hand near the end of the board as the cut is finished.

I was a little anxious, but it went well and worked out nice. I used a gooseneck scraper and sandpaper for cleanup. My work piece was mahogany - around 1 x 5 or so. The next challenge was cutting and installing the cove. Oh, and cutting the angles on the cove top and bottom was interesting too.

Tony

I had just remove one side of the fence...
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This picture reminds me...pick your stock carefully. I ended up with an exposed knot across the molding. I used it anyway.
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