Alternative to 3/4" Roundover

[Mark118]

The mission: Putting a larger tabletop on a kitchen island I made from a large cabinet. The top is 3/4" thick and though advertised as oak or hardwood, doesn't look like either & produced in asia. It's glue jointed from strips and 3ft. wide and 5ft. long, which I plan to nip off 10". The edges are full radius, which would require a 3/4" roundover bit to be a theoretic match, which I don't have and would likely never use again. My working plan is to make the cut with a circular saw and guide with the blade set at an angle that would in turn let me complete the edging with a sander. Soooo...getting to the call of the question: at what degree of angle would one set the blade; my instinct is not exactly 45Deg., but a varying 5-10 degrees to allow better tying in with the top surface. The top is somewhat rustic in appearance, and the edges aren't precise when sighting along them, so I'm not working on a Stradivarius. All thoughts and suggestions appreciated!

 

[matt_i]

Buy bit, use bit, sell bit for 50% of new on craigslist. Definitely need a "big" router that can take 1/2" shank bits.

I don't think you are going to get the same quality of machining with a circ saw and a sander.

That said, if its already rustic I'd probably use a low angle block plane and go about putting a handmade edge on it, fine tune with a sander if needed.

How to finish the edge back to match the top?

 

[evildky]

If you are adamantly opposed to buying a roundover bit, just cut it at 90 and start sanding with a heavy grit paper, 36-40 grit, you'll be surprised how fast it'll eat the wood, just be sure you keep moving, both length and rounding back and forth over the edge for the most consistent look. Obviously once you get close to the shape start stepping the grit up.

alternately keep an eye on the clearance shelves at you local hardware stores bits get returned frequently and often sold at a heavy markdown, especially where the packaging is severely damaged or missing.

a quick check of amazon has 3/4 roundover bits starting around $20. it won't take long to use $20 worth fo sandpaper, and time.

 

[brianh]

If you have a block plane you can shave it down fast with a lot of control. The router bits on amazon as said are cheap. And I have had good luck with them.

 

[MoonRise]

Step #1 : Actually measure the thickness of the wood countertop. Just like a 2x4 isn't 2" x 4", a '3/4 inch' table top isn't necessarily 0.75 inches.

Step #2 : How are you going to match or get a compatible finish (varnish, etc) onto your made-in-asia piece of mystery wood after you machine the edge back to bare wood?

Those issues addressed, just buy the appropriate bit. $20-$50 for the bit and pretty much done.

Or as mentioned, use a hand plane to make the roundover and just do the final finish sanding to get it smooth and to final size and shape.

 

[kbs2244]

Use the right tool for the job.
Buy the bit and rent the router.
If you can sell the bit later, good for you.
But I would just consider it part of the cost of the job.

 

[CrashmanS]

If not fastened down yet seek a local votech carpentry or mill and cabinet program and see if they will run it for you. Little to no money. They have the equipment and labor to get it done for you.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[Mark118]

View media item 69255

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Thanks so much for the responses! The material is a true 3/4" thick. It has a satin finish without stain or coloring, so matching not an issue.

 

[buddyboy]

as others have said block plane would do it.

if you want to use circle saw to remove some before sanding, just put the saw on the surface and edge of the side you want to replicate. adjust angle of the saw to match what you want to remove. leaving the saw in place measure how far the base of the saw is from the edge.

clamp a straight edge that distance from the edge you want to cut and go for it.

hope that makes sense.

but 5 minutes with a block plane would knock out a perfect match.

 

[Mark118]

Makes perfect sense! On close inspection the edge is an asymmetrical radius and would require shaping after routing anyway. I'll post images of the finished product when it's done. Thanks again guys!

 

[boomer12831]

Not sure of your location but I have a 3/4 inch bit and also a router that can run it.

 

[PugetDude]

Makes perfect sense! On close inspection the edge is an asymmetrical radius and would require shaping after routing anyway. I'll post images of the finished product when it's done. Thanks again guys!

Ding, ding, ding! You're right- that isn't a 3/4" round over!
I'd probably rough it out with a circular saw set at 10-15 degrees, then use a sharp block plane and a 1/4 sheet sander at 80 grit to fine tune the asymmetrical shape- which includes the small round over on the bottom. Finish sand by hand thru 220 grit; you will be able to feel the imperfections in the shape.
Good luck.

 

[ard]

Dremel.

 

[maxpower_hd]

We have a Woodworkers Warehouse here. That might be able to be done in a shaper? A friend of mine had a cabinet door made for a project he did. He couldn't make a raised panel and only needed one. They did it for him for pretty short money.

 

[Kaizen]

as others have said block plane would do it.

if you want to use circle saw to remove some before sanding, just put the saw on the surface and edge of the side you want to replicate. adjust angle of the saw to match what you want to remove. leaving the saw in place measure how far the base of the saw is from the edge.

clamp a straight edge that distance from the edge you want to cut and go for it.

hope that makes sense.

but 5 minutes with a block plane would knock out a perfect match.

buddy is on the mark. make sure you clamp the straightedge. op sounds quasiwoodworker so I would not suggest a block plane on end grain. sand it home.

 

[MoonRise]

Thanks so much for the responses! The material is a true 3/4" thick. It has a satin finish without stain or coloring, so matching not an issue.[/QUOTE]

As mentioned, that is not a full round-over.

Sanding and planing seems like the way to go.

My note about matching/compatibility on the finish was not so much for 'color', (which you still want to match up to) but actually making sure that whatever finish you want to use is actually 'chemically' compatible with the mystery Asian finish on the mystery Asian not-really-oak wood.

 

[rlitman]

...The top is ... advertised as oak or hardwood, doesn't look like either & produced in asia...

FYI, I believe it is "rubberwood". That's a common wood used in asian sourced furniture that they call "oak", but clearly isn't though is a hardwood.

The good news is that it is less splintery than most oak, as it has a tighter and more closed grain. I'd say it is pretty close to white oak in that regard (as opposed to the much more common red oak).

 

[DalyArcher]

You may want to flip it over and cut from the underside with the circular saw to reduce splintering and tear out.. Alternatively, score the cut line before hand and create a zero clearance base for your circular saw and use a fine tooth blade.

 

[rburke65]

Well we don't need any stinkin location.....

 

[Mark118]

Amputation was successful! Followed Archer,Puget, buddy & Kaisen's suggestions, which worked perfectly.View media item 69358View media item 69357Took all of 15 mins. to cut it and do the basic rough roundover with 40 paper on a pad sander, then over it with two finer papers on a orbital palm sander. Satin polyurethane matched exactly, checked compatibility on scrap first, per Moon. Thanks Boomer for the offer of help; it's that sort of collegiality that makes this site great. Rlitman was dead on: rubberwood - even smelled of rubber when sawed, but really nice wood to work with. Rburke, thanks for the heads up. I updated my profile. I'm next door to you in WV 60% of the time; the rest in central Germany. Big thanks to every who gave their time, thoughts and comments.

 

[rlitman]

Well done. That looks like one of my favorite types of jobs. The type where nobody will be able to tell what you changed, because it just looks right.

You were absolutely correct in that it was not a plain round-over. I recognized that profile when I saw it, but could not remember where I saw it from. It just hit me. I was given a rubberwood storage piece with five drawers. I did basically the same thing to it, cutting off the overhang from the top (to make it fit), and then matching the profile on the sides. I actually used a radius bit I have, since the edge is in a place nobody looks at, but if this were my kitchen island, I would have taken the time to get it to match, just like you did.

Just looked at your profile, and Gelsenkirchen rang a bell. I remember seeing it on the A2 last year as I drove past...

 

[Mark118]

Small World. I'm just off the A2 at the Gelsenkirchen-Buer exit. House directly beside Schloss Berge. Close to the Schalke Arena. What on earth took you to DE?

 

[rlitman]

Small World. I'm just off the A2 at the Gelsenkirchen-Buer exit. House directly beside Schloss Berge. Close to the Schalke Arena. What on earth took you to DE?

Work in the IT sector took me to Guetersloh twice in the past three years.
With a stick shift rental and a company paying for fuel, it should be no surprise that I got in as much autobahn time as possible, though that was only a few thousand kilometers, considering a busy work schedule.