How to cut an ovoid rod?

[joe webb]

How many rungs?
A decent spokeshave can safely knock this out in an hour. You can leave the ends round for simple joinery.


https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/...pokeshave.html

18 rungs that are 36" long

[Jared Sankovich]

Do you know anyone with a shaper (or moulder even) it would be a really easy and quick job.

[Curt Harms]

Ditch the dowels. They're inconsistent and tricky to machine. A bullnose on square stock is the obvious solution. Build yourself a simple router table with a fence.

That's what I was thinking. All that would be required would be a large roundover bit. Would require a router table though I'd think. Here's a souce for a bullnose bit if Joe is interested. That bit is not bearing guided so it'd require a fence of some sort.

https://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shop...s/bt_bull.html

[Pete Staehling]

I'd definitely skip the dowels and use a round over bit on the router table to round over some rectangular pieces. If you don't have a router table I have done a lot of similar round over work with a router clamped upside down in the side vise on my bench. I like to have a fence for round overs rather than just use the roller on the bit, but an improvised one in the form of a piece of wood clamped to the base plate works fine. The fence isn't absolutely necessary though. I just find it easier to keep everything under control.

[Thomas McCurnin]

My gym had (past tense, covid-19) round rungs. They simply squared off the ends to square tenons into matching mortises on the rails. That sounds way easier to me.

[Pete Staehling]

Jointer/Planer? The first pass or 2 might be a bit tricky without something to keep it from rolling. Maybe a block tacked to one end, or a handscrew clamp?

I'm kind of in the 'dowels are ugly' camp though. 45's on a rectangle and round it with a plane sounds reasonable, and you can choose the wood.

I'd feel safer running them through a thickness sander especially with clamps and whatnot

[Brian Holcombe]

As Pete mentions, use a round-over bit on a table mounted router.

If you don't have a router table, then now is a good time to buy one.