Never Seem To Have The Right Tool

[Paul Fitzgerald]

I'm working on my cedar planter for the third weekend in a row and I'm stuck on how to do something...

The planter has 8 rails (3/4" x 3" x 14"), each with an arc along one of the long edges. I rough cut the arch in the first one with my jigsaw, cleaned up the edge with my belt sander, and finally sanded it smooth by hand. I then rough cut the arc in the other 7.

I was planning on using my router with a pattern bit and using the first rail as the template. But I can't figure out how to secure the workpiece and the template without my clamps being in the way.

If I had a router table, I think I could use double sided tape, but I don't have a router table, and don't have the money to go out and buy one right now.

So... now for the questions...

Where can I get double sided tape suitable for use in woodworking?

Will double sided tape hurt western red cedar when I remove it?

If you were in my situation, how would you make the arcs in the remaining 7 rails?

Thanks!

Paul

[jonathan snyder]

Paul,

Double sided carpet tape from the borg work just fine. It wont hurt the cedar, but will stick best to a smooth surface. Tape your two pieces together and clamp it to the edge of your workbench. Use a pattern routing bit and go as far as you can, then move the clamps and rout a bit more until done.

When it comes time for a router table, don't go buy one, build one, it does not have to be fancy to work well. There are lots of free simple plans on the net. You can even make a router plate out of 3/8" acrylic.

Hope this helps. Be sure to show us pics of the planters when you finish

Jonathan

[dan moran]

would you consider tacking the pieces together with some brads?

if your stock is longer than you need, it would be easy to tack em together in a future piece of waste...

[Bruce Page]

I agree with Jonathan, just clamp them together and route a 3’-4’ section, move the clamps, repeat – it’s not a big deal.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Boy I'm glad I've got a resource like SMC. :D

You guys are wonderful!

Thanks for the help!

Paul

[dan moran]

I agree with Jonathan, just clamp them together and route a 3’-4’ section, move the clamps, repeat – it’s not a big deal.


that too..

[Steve Rowe]

Paul,
I agree with the others, just move the clamps around. I would suggest just adding additional clamps before removing the ones in the ways to avoid shifting of the template.

On the subject of double sided tape. I never cared for using the borg carpet tape because it was too thin and adhering two pieces of wood together was marginal with the bond. It may be OK to prevent slipping. For double sided tape, I like using the tapes available from woodturners catalogs such as Packards or Craft Supplies. This tape is much thicker and you can get a good strong bond. These tapes are designed for attaching items to lathe faceplates so this should give a perspective of the strength required.

Steve

[Charles McKinley]

Paul,

Tape the edges not being routed togeather with duct tape or packing tape.

[Doug Shepard]

You could always just use a couple of screws. The holes are going to end up covered by dirt anyway.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

I tried the double sided carpet tape from HD, but it was thick and gooey. It allowed the wood to shift under clamp pressure, and was very difficult to get off. So I scrapped that idea.

I ended up just clamping one side, routing the other, moving the clamps to the other side, and finally routing the final side. It worked great!

I'm going to to try to find some of the tape Steve was talking about. I think it'll come in handy next time.

I'm just about done with the planter... All I have left is to put a chamfer on the edges, sand it smooth, and put the top frame on.

Thanks for the help guys!

Paul

[glenn bradley]

I don't know the official term for it but the 1" wide stuff Rockler sells works great. I assume there are other sources (what a big help I am, eh?). Anyway, it is thin sticks almost too good and wasn't expensive.

[jonathan snyder]

Paul,

Sorry if I gave you a bum steer! The carpet tape, I have, works great. It is thin and very sticky, but not gooey. Not sure where I got it.

Jonathan