James Hart
03-29-2008, 9:08 PM
I hope i can desribe this well.
I'm putting oak treads on a neighbors spiral staircase. Not a full 360 or anything, just a gentle turn.
Each tread has a gentle concave curve on the left side and convex on the right.
I'm planning a template jig out of MDF. Will have a template for each end that I'll scribe to the curve. A lip on the front to register to the front edge of the stair. I plan to trim the template to fit, then use it with a pattern bit on the router to finish trim the tread.
Question; I want a stretcher of some kind between the two end templates that will allow me to push the two end templates flush, then lock the stretcher to capture the right width of the tread. What I can't figure out is how to lock the stretcher and still be able to lay the template flat on the router table.
I'm using a pattern bit rather than flush trim because I also have to shape the lip of the tread, which is 5/4, the tread is 4/4. The tread/template won't lay flat on the table if the template is on top.
Thanks,
Jim
I'm putting oak treads on a neighbors spiral staircase. Not a full 360 or anything, just a gentle turn.
Each tread has a gentle concave curve on the left side and convex on the right.
I'm planning a template jig out of MDF. Will have a template for each end that I'll scribe to the curve. A lip on the front to register to the front edge of the stair. I plan to trim the template to fit, then use it with a pattern bit on the router to finish trim the tread.
Question; I want a stretcher of some kind between the two end templates that will allow me to push the two end templates flush, then lock the stretcher to capture the right width of the tread. What I can't figure out is how to lock the stretcher and still be able to lay the template flat on the router table.
I'm using a pattern bit rather than flush trim because I also have to shape the lip of the tread, which is 5/4, the tread is 4/4. The tread/template won't lay flat on the table if the template is on top.
Thanks,
Jim