Fluting long boards - How?

[Jacob Reverb]

How are you folks fluting long boards (as shown in the vertical piece below)?

https://i.ibb.co/6wVG6Vd/screenshot-846.jpg

Moulding cutter head in TS? Round-nose cove bit in router table, with jig to space flutes? Or maybe hand-route and use a moving fence?

I'd like to find an easy, easy-to-repeat setup to do this. I guess I could set up my Belsaw planer/moulder to cut this, but I hate to change over from planer to moulder -- setup time is a killer. Plus I don't know how I'd terminate the flutes near the end of the board if I use that machine...

Thanks in advance for any tips.

[Jamie Buxton]

Hand router with a fence. The challenge is to start and stop the flutes cleanly. If you're painting, you can use a plunge router and just plunge at the start. You may burn the bottom of the flute, but the paint will cover. If I'm clear-coating, I make ramps that slide the router down into the work. The router starts in the air beyond the end of the work, and slides down the ramp to make contact to the work.

[John TenEyck]

The picture suggests that the fluted section was capped by another piece. If correct, the fluting was likely cut full length on a molding machine. You could reproduce it on your router table or TS.

John

[Sam Beagle]

I’ve had the most challenge w sloping the flute in and out. So I just put stops on both ends and a guide long ways and hand route. Then a nice sharp gouge to do the beginning and ending fluting

[Jacob Reverb]

Thanks, guys. Sounds like hand-routing with a fence and ramp or stop is the way to go. I appreciate your help.

[Lee Schierer]

Hand router with a fence. The challenge is to start and stop the flutes cleanly. If you're painting, you can use a plunge router and just plunge at the start. You may burn the bottom of the flute, but the paint will cover. If I'm clear-coating, I make ramps that slide the router down into the work. The router starts in the air beyond the end of the work, and slides down the ramp to make contact to the work.

When I first started making stopped flutes or grooves in the face of a board with a hand held router I also noted that the start and stop points had some level of burn marks. What I learned was that if I started a few inches away from the end point and worked to that end and then as soon as I hit my stop, reversed direction and routed to the other end. When I reached the far end stop I would once again reverse direction and release the switch to turn off the router while slowly moving along the groove back toward the start point. This resulted in no burn marks nor awkward handling of the router trying to tilt the router in/out of the groove.

Note that the Borgs and many lumber yards sell trim boards that are already fluted.

[johnny means]

I use drop cuts on a router table. I extend my fence to allow for stops at each end or, when I'm feeling confident, I just mark my start and stop them be real careful.

[Jacob Reverb]

This all sounds like good advice. Thanks again, everyone!

[Don Wurscher]

Sears (Craftmans) sold a 3-knife moulding head that included cutters for fluting. I have one, and with good hold downs, a zero clearence throat plate on a table saw, you can make flutes all day long.
Spaceing between individual flutes is fix by the cutters. A note of caution, these moulding cutters are nothing to fool around with, and caution is the PARAMOUNT, not a just a byword.