Groove on a curved edge

[Zalsa]

I am making frame and panel doors for a cabinet, and have a divider in the middle of the frame that has a curved edge in which the panel will be going (i.e., there will be two panels per door). I figure I can make the groove in the divider with a router with a bearing bit and a slot cutter - but was wondering if there is a way to do it with handtools. Any ideas on a handtool approach to this?

[blackhat]

Coach makers had planes designed for that task. Source???????

[Bill_Houghton]

Which way does it curve? If convex, you might be able to use a plow plane and just follow the curve (I've never tried this, just speculatin').

If concave, use a marking gauge to scribe deep lines on each side of the groove location, then chisel it out. A nail driven into a board to the design depth will help you know when you're done. As always when using a plane or chisel, observe and honor the grain direction. You could equally use this on a convex curve, if the plow idea doesn't work.

[Zalsa]

Thanks folks - sounds like in most cases I would need to buy a pretty special purpose tool - although the chisel idea is good too (the center pieces are concave curved). I might just use the slot cutter with router than risk it with the chisel.

[Scoony]

Roy has an episode where he is making a door for a corner cabinet. It has the tombstone design panels. He used a marking gauge and a sash mortise chisel. I have done it on one door and it is not that hard to do. The sash mortise chisel is basically a longish mortise chisel.

[Bibliophile 13]

Scoony said:

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Roy has an episode where he is making a door for a corner cabinet. It has the tombstone design panels. He used a marking gauge and a sash mortise chisel. I have done it on one door and it is not that hard to do. The sash mortise chisel is basically a longish mortise chisel.

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I used a similar method for frame-and-panel before I had a plow plane. Scribe with a mortise gauge, cut out with a chisel. Instead of chopping it out like it was a really long mortise, I was able to save a little time by deepening the lines with a utility knife and then using a mallet and chisel to gouge out shavings. It still felt kind of slow to me, but I proved to myself that I could make the method work for short, one-off pieces.

[Scoony]

If you have a marking gauge that allows deep scores, helps a lot. I was able to cut out the groove for the top of an arched door rather quickly.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

I would use an old Preston quirk router or a beading plane. Stanley #66 came with a routing cutter for this purpose.

[Steve N]

Similar??

I was thinking make a scratch stock to do both groove, and face detail. Make it truly a one of.

But of course if it were me I'd rout it off a pin, on a bearing guided bit, before assembly

There is a time to toil, and a time to just get er dun.

[Derek Cohen]

Zalsa said:

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I am making frame and panel doors for a cabinet, and have a divider in the middle of the frame that has a curved edge in which the panel will be going (i.e., there will be two panels per door). I figure I can make the groove in the divider with a router with a bearing bit and a slot cutter - but was wondering if there is a way to do it with handtools. Any ideas on a handtool approach to this?

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Hi Zalsa

I shall be doing this soon in the form of grooves along drawer fronts, where the drawer fronts all curve.

I was considering a cooper's croze. However this really needs the curve to be constant, and the curve I have is more parabolic.



For this reason, I shall need to score the outer lines deeply, chisel out some of the waste, and then use a router plane (with a small footprint) to take it to depth.

Regards from Perth

Derek