I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to have the edges rounded.

I am considering a router. Can someone point me in the direction of a cheap and cheerful router that would do the job.

On 21/05/2020 22:14, Bazza wrote:
I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to have the edges rounded.

I am considering a router. Can someone point me in the direction of a cheap and cheerful router that would do the job.

What's wrong with using a plane and a bit more elbow grease?

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 21/05/2020 22:17, Martin Brown wrote:
On 21/05/2020 22:14, Bazza wrote:
I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the
slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not
long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to have
the edges rounded.

I am considering a router. Can someone point me in the direction of a
cheap and cheerful router that would do the job.

What's wrong with using a plane and a bit more elbow grease?


I would also go with planing if only a couple of planks.
If never used a router before you may not get the desired effect, it
took me few goes when I first used one.

On 21/05/2020 22:14, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the
slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not
long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to have
the edges rounded.

I am considering a router. Can someone point me in the direction of a
cheap and cheerful router that would do the job.

To be fair pretty much any small router will make an easy job of this
kind of task if equipped with a bearing guided roundover cutter.

An entry level 1/4" collet machine like:

https://www.lawson-his.co.uk/bosch-p...r-pof12-p99893

Or for edge detailing work, the smaller "laminate trimmer" class
machines are very nice. This is very popular with woodworkers:

https://www.lawson-his.co.uk/bosch-g...al-palm-p64800





--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
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| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:
I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to have the edges rounded.

I am considering a router. Can someone point me in the direction of a cheap and cheerful router that would do the job.

any 1/4" router should do that easily. The other option is a (vintage) moulding plane. They're very cheap.


NT

On Thu, 21 May 2020 22:52:07 +0100, ss wrote:

I would also go with planing if only a couple of planks.

+1

Coupla things: wood often planes better in one direction, depending on the
grain. (Same goes for routing...) Planing leaves shavings, routing blows dust
and chips everywhere. A flat plane is sufficient to round off the edge of a
board, a moulding plane is not necessary.

If it's a small radius, a block of wood, coarse sandpaper and elbow grease will
do the job, for more effort -- but less time and money, once you factor in
getting the router (or plane:-), learning how to use it etc.

Routing can leave you with dark/burnt spots that take a surprising amount of
sanding to get out.


Thomas Prufer

On 22/05/2020 08:33, Thomas Prufer wrote:
On Thu, 21 May 2020 22:52:07 +0100, ss wrote:

I would also go with planing if only a couple of planks.

+1

Coupla things: wood often planes better in one direction, depending on the
grain. (Same goes for routing...) Planing leaves shavings, routing blows dust
and chips everywhere. A flat plane is sufficient to round off the edge of a
board, a moulding plane is not necessary.

If it's a small radius, a block of wood, coarse sandpaper and elbow grease will
do the job, for more effort -- but less time and money, once you factor in
getting the router (or plane:-), learning how to use it etc.

Routing can leave you with dark/burnt spots that take a surprising amount of
sanding to get out.


Thomas Prufer

+1 to all that

On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:
I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder! In this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any rate.

On 22/05/2020 15:15, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:
I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the
slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not
long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to
have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder! In
this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a
much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any rate.

Those poly disc paint removal discs are a revelation - really very good
for stripping paint surprisingly gently - especially when its got to the
"starting to flake, and over painting is not going to be an option" stage.



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Friday, 22 May 2020 21:36:22 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 22/05/2020 15:15, David wrote:

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder! In
this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a
much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any rate.

Those poly disc paint removal discs are a revelation - really very good
for stripping paint surprisingly gently - especially when its got to the
"starting to flake, and over painting is not going to be an option" stage.

I've not heard of those - thanks for the tip! I have lots of black barge boards like that to do...

On Friday, 22 May 2020 15:15:48 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder! In this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any rate.

Very useful, but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board edges. Unless you really don't give a dry brown thing how they look.


NT

On Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:04:01 UTC+1, wrote:
On Friday, 22 May 2020 15:15:48 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder! In this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any rate.

Very useful, but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board edges. Unless you really don't give a dry brown thing how they look.


NT

I've had some very good results. But I quite understand if you don't want to try it.

On 23/05/2020 22:09, David wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:04:01 UTC+1, wrote:
On Friday, 22 May 2020 15:15:48 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder! In this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any rate.

Very useful, but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board edges. Unless you really don't give a dry brown thing how they look.


NT

I've had some very good results. But I quite understand if you don't want to try it.

I have used an AG with a flap disk for woodwork on a number of
occasions. They are quite good for shaping things when you need to
freehand some operations. A typical example might be on things like
chair legs, where you want a significant bevel on all the ends in
contact with the ground to prevent the wood being split away of the
chair (other other "legged" furniture gets dragged.

Can also be handy for sculpting things like chair seats. (there are some
special planing / carving disks available for the purpose, and the level
of control they give is surprisingly delicate)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 22 May 2020 at 21:36:21 BST, "John Rumm"
wrote:

On 22/05/2020 15:15, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:
I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the
slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not
long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to
have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder! In
this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a
much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any rate.

Those poly disc paint removal discs are a revelation - really very good
for stripping paint surprisingly gently - especially when its got to the
"starting to flake, and over painting is not going to be an option" stage.

I've some masonry paint to remove - any disc brand recommendation?

--
Cheers, Rob

On 24/05/2020 06:37, RJH wrote:
On 22 May 2020 at 21:36:21 BST, "John Rumm"
wrote:

On 22/05/2020 15:15, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:
I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the
slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not
long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to
have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder! In
this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a
much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any rate.

Those poly disc paint removal discs are a revelation - really very good
for stripping paint surprisingly gently - especially when its got to the
"starting to flake, and over painting is not going to be an option" stage.

I've some masonry paint to remove - any disc brand recommendation?

I think the first ones I tried were from toolstation, and they were
surprisingly good - but they don't stock those particular ones any more.

These look similar though:

https://www.toolstation.com/abracs-p...tr=poly%20disc

or

https://www.screwfix.com/p/non-woven...el-115mm/83915


Note that I have only used them on wood and steel, where they worked and
lasted well.

You may find that you get a high wear rate on masonry. A wire wheel cup
brush might be better for that. (Various reviews also caution against
use on metal with sharp edges).


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Saturday, 23 May 2020 22:09:44 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:04:01 UTC+1, wrote:
On Friday, 22 May 2020 15:15:48 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder! In this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any rate.

Very useful, but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board edges. Unless you really don't give a dry brown thing how they look.


NT

I've had some very good results. But I quite understand if you don't want to try it.

I'm not the OP. Perhaps the OP could get a good result with an ag & sanding disc, but I've enough experience of disc sanding & ags to think the odds of that low.


NT

On 24 May 2020 at 12:29:12 BST, "John Rumm"
wrote:

On 24/05/2020 06:37, RJH wrote:
On 22 May 2020 at 21:36:21 BST, "John Rumm"
wrote:

On 22/05/2020 15:15, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:
I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by replacing the
slats. These are wide benches so the standard kits of slats are not
long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need to
have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder! In
this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a
much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any rate.

Those poly disc paint removal discs are a revelation - really very good
for stripping paint surprisingly gently - especially when its got to the
"starting to flake, and over painting is not going to be an option" stage.

I've some masonry paint to remove - any disc brand recommendation?

I think the first ones I tried were from toolstation, and they were
surprisingly good - but they don't stock those particular ones any more.

These look similar though:


https://www.toolstation.com/abracs-p...tr=poly%20disc

or

https://www.screwfix.com/p/non-woven...el-115mm/83915


Note that I have only used them on wood and steel, where they worked and
lasted well.

You may find that you get a high wear rate on masonry. A wire wheel cup
brush might be better for that. (Various reviews also caution against
use on metal with sharp edges).

Grand, thanks.

The surface is a combination of fairly well stuck masonry paint, and on top a
thin coat of what looks like emulsion (it obviously isn't though, maybe) that
scrapes off easily - almost with a fingernail. There's also about 20% of the
surface that's brick - plain weathering has taken all the paint off.

So I'm going to try a variety of tools/methods

--
Cheers, Rob

On 24/05/2020 13:31, wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 22:09:44 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:04:01 UTC+1, wrote:
On Friday, 22 May 2020 15:15:48 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by
replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the standard
kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need
to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder!
In this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a
much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any
rate.

Very useful, but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board
edges. Unless you really don't give a dry brown thing how they
look.


NT

I've had some very good results. But I quite understand if you
don't want to try it.

I'm not the OP. Perhaps the OP could get a good result with an ag &
sanding disc, but I've enough experience of disc sanding & ags to
think the odds of that low.

As with any aggressive sander - light pressure and keep moving at a
constant speed. For bench slats I would expect to get plenty good enough
results with an AG if that was what I had to use.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Sunday, 24 May 2020 14:17:39 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/05/2020 13:31, tabbypurr wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 22:09:44 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:04:01 UTC+1, tabby wrote:
On Friday, 22 May 2020 15:15:48 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by
replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the standard
kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would need
to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle Grinder!
In this case with a sanding disk. I find this combination a
much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor woodwork at any
rate.

Very useful, but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board
edges. Unless you really don't give a dry brown thing how they
look.


NT

I've had some very good results. But I quite understand if you
don't want to try it.

I'm not the OP. Perhaps the OP could get a good result with an ag &
sanding disc, but I've enough experience of disc sanding & ags to
think the odds of that low.

As with any aggressive sander - light pressure and keep moving at a
constant speed. For bench slats I would expect to get plenty good enough
results with an AG if that was what I had to use.

For the op, who knows. Lots of not very experienced diyers took up the disc sander in the 70s, and the results were in most cases terrible. They are usable, but probably the hardest type of sander for the job.


NT

On 24/05/2020 14:26, wrote:
On Sunday, 24 May 2020 14:17:39 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/05/2020 13:31, tabbypurr wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 22:09:44 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:04:01 UTC+1, tabby wrote:
On Friday, 22 May 2020 15:15:48 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by
replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the
standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would
need to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle
Grinder! In this case with a sanding disk. I find this
combination a much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor
woodwork at any rate.

Very useful, but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board
edges. Unless you really don't give a dry brown thing how
they look.


NT

I've had some very good results. But I quite understand if you
don't want to try it.

I'm not the OP. Perhaps the OP could get a good result with an ag
& sanding disc, but I've enough experience of disc sanding & ags
to think the odds of that low.

As with any aggressive sander - light pressure and keep moving at
a constant speed. For bench slats I would expect to get plenty good
enough results with an AG if that was what I had to use.

For the op, who knows. Lots of not very experienced diyers took up
the disc sander in the 70s, and the results were in most cases
terrible. They are usable, but probably the hardest type of sander
for the job.

You are not comparing like with like though. A 70's disc sander was
probably a backing pad stuck on the end of a B&D drill spinning at 2400
rpm.

An ungainly and difficult to use contraption, that is likely to snag and
twitch all over the place. Not to mention all the reaction forces are
all in the wrong directions.

A small AG is far more controllable, and more effective due to the much
higher surface speed.

Still its normally fun to watch claims that something can't be done be
interrupted by someone actually doing them... :-)

So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Monday, 25 May 2020 01:03:12 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/05/2020 14:26, tabbypurr wrote:
On Sunday, 24 May 2020 14:17:39 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/05/2020 13:31, tabbypurr wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 22:09:44 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:04:01 UTC+1, tabby wrote:
On Friday, 22 May 2020 15:15:48 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by
replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the
standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would
need to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle
Grinder! In this case with a sanding disk. I find this
combination a much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor
woodwork at any rate.

Very useful, but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board
edges. Unless you really don't give a dry brown thing how
they look.


NT

I've had some very good results. But I quite understand if you
don't want to try it.

I'm not the OP. Perhaps the OP could get a good result with an ag
& sanding disc, but I've enough experience of disc sanding & ags
to think the odds of that low.

As with any aggressive sander - light pressure and keep moving at
a constant speed. For bench slats I would expect to get plenty good
enough results with an AG if that was what I had to use.

For the op, who knows. Lots of not very experienced diyers took up
the disc sander in the 70s, and the results were in most cases
terrible. They are usable, but probably the hardest type of sander
for the job.

You are not comparing like with like though. A 70's disc sander was
probably a backing pad stuck on the end of a B&D drill spinning at 2400
rpm.

An ungainly and difficult to use contraption, that is likely to snag and
twitch all over the place. Not to mention all the reaction forces are
all in the wrong directions.

A small AG is far more controllable, and more effective due to the much
higher surface speed.

agreed

Still its normally fun to watch claims that something can't be done be
interrupted by someone actually doing them... :-)

So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test

who claimed it couldn't be done? No-one.

Hint: you won't find many people using an AG as a finish sander.


NT

On 25/05/2020 11:31, wrote:
On Monday, 25 May 2020 01:03:12 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/05/2020 14:26, tabbypurr wrote:
On Sunday, 24 May 2020 14:17:39 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/05/2020 13:31, tabbypurr wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 22:09:44 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:04:01 UTC+1, tabby wrote:
On Friday, 22 May 2020 15:15:48 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by
replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the
standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would
need to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle
Grinder! In this case with a sanding disk. I find this
combination a much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor
woodwork at any rate.

Very useful, but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board
edges. Unless you really don't give a dry brown thing how
they look.


NT

I've had some very good results. But I quite understand if you
don't want to try it.

I'm not the OP. Perhaps the OP could get a good result with an ag
& sanding disc, but I've enough experience of disc sanding & ags
to think the odds of that low.

As with any aggressive sander - light pressure and keep moving at
a constant speed. For bench slats I would expect to get plenty good
enough results with an AG if that was what I had to use.

For the op, who knows. Lots of not very experienced diyers took up
the disc sander in the 70s, and the results were in most cases
terrible. They are usable, but probably the hardest type of sander
for the job.

You are not comparing like with like though. A 70's disc sander was
probably a backing pad stuck on the end of a B&D drill spinning at 2400
rpm.

An ungainly and difficult to use contraption, that is likely to snag and
twitch all over the place. Not to mention all the reaction forces are
all in the wrong directions.

A small AG is far more controllable, and more effective due to the much
higher surface speed.

agreed

Still its normally fun to watch claims that something can't be done be
interrupted by someone actually doing them... :-)

So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test

who claimed it couldn't be done? No-one.

Well your phrases we

"but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board edges. Unless you really
don't give a dry brown thing how they look."

and

"I've enough experience of disc sanding & ags to
think the odds of that low"

Which I read as fairly strong discouragement. I was just countering that
in not completely unskilled hands, the chances of successfully rounding
over the corners of some bench slats with an angle grinder were in fact
pretty damn good. It may not be the first choice of tool, but if its
what is to hand, then it will do a decent enough job.

Hint: you won't find many people using an AG as a finish sander.

Hint: Rounding over an edge is not a finish sanding operation. You would
do the finish sanding after. As mentioned elsewhere a foam sanding block
will tidy it up nicely.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Monday, 25 May 2020 12:36:15 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 25/05/2020 11:31, tabbypurr wrote:
On Monday, 25 May 2020 01:03:12 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/05/2020 14:26, tabbypurr wrote:
On Sunday, 24 May 2020 14:17:39 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/05/2020 13:31, tabbypurr wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 22:09:44 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:04:01 UTC+1, tabby wrote:
On Friday, 22 May 2020 15:15:48 UTC+1, David wrote:
On Thursday, 21 May 2020 22:14:53 UTC+1, Bazza wrote:

I'm looking to renovate a couple of garden benches by
replacing the slats. These are wide benches so the
standard kits of slats are not long enough.

I have some hardwood planks that are suitable but would
need to have the edges rounded.

I can't believe nobody else has suggested it - Angle
Grinder! In this case with a sanding disk. I find this
combination a much-underrated woodworking tool, for outdoor
woodwork at any rate.

Very useful, but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board
edges. Unless you really don't give a dry brown thing how
they look.


NT

I've had some very good results. But I quite understand if you
don't want to try it.

I'm not the OP. Perhaps the OP could get a good result with an ag
& sanding disc, but I've enough experience of disc sanding & ags
to think the odds of that low.

As with any aggressive sander - light pressure and keep moving at
a constant speed. For bench slats I would expect to get plenty good
enough results with an AG if that was what I had to use.

For the op, who knows. Lots of not very experienced diyers took up
the disc sander in the 70s, and the results were in most cases
terrible. They are usable, but probably the hardest type of sander
for the job.

You are not comparing like with like though. A 70's disc sander was
probably a backing pad stuck on the end of a B&D drill spinning at 2400
rpm.

An ungainly and difficult to use contraption, that is likely to snag and
twitch all over the place. Not to mention all the reaction forces are
all in the wrong directions.

A small AG is far more controllable, and more effective due to the much
higher surface speed.

agreed

Still its normally fun to watch claims that something can't be done be
interrupted by someone actually doing them... :-)

So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test

who claimed it couldn't be done? No-one.

Well your phrases we

"but entirely the wrong tool for rounding board edges. Unless you really
don't give a dry brown thing how they look."

and

"I've enough experience of disc sanding & ags to
think the odds of that low"

Which I read as fairly strong discouragement.

yup. No-one said it was impossible.

I was just countering that
in not completely unskilled hands, the chances of successfully rounding
over the corners of some bench slats with an angle grinder were in fact
pretty damn good. It may not be the first choice of tool, but if its
what is to hand, then it will do a decent enough job.

sure, I don't disagree. But when an OP is asking how to round the edge/corner of wood it does not indicate that they are skilled. I've seen enough disc sanding by the unskilled to not recommend it myself.


Hint: you won't find many people using an AG as a finish sander.

Hint: Rounding over an edge is not a finish sanding operation. You would
do the finish sanding after. As mentioned elsewhere a foam sanding block
will tidy it up nicely.

Yes you can. But it's easier for an unskilled diyer to do it in one move, which is what would happen with the more usual ways, ie router or moulding plane.


NT

On 25/05/2020 15:38, wrote:
On Monday, 25 May 2020 12:36:15 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 25/05/2020 11:31, tabbypurr wrote:


Yes you can. But it's easier for an unskilled diyer to do it in one
move, which is what would happen with the more usual ways, ie router
or moulding plane.

Which had all already been suggested by various people including you
before you decided to go off on the whole "AG Bad!" campaign to what was
probably a tongue in cheek post from David in the first place.

Hence I thought it worthwhile countering the sentiment since, perhaps
counter intuitively, an AG will do a decent enough job and not everyone
would necessarily consider it.




--
Cheers,

John.

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On 25/05/2020 20:54, John Rumm wrote:
On 25/05/2020 15:38, wrote:
On Monday, 25 May 2020 12:36:15 UTC+1, John RummÂ* wrote:
On 25/05/2020 11:31, tabbypurr wrote:


Yes you can. But it's easier for an unskilled diyer to do it in one
move, which is what would happen with the more usual ways, ie router
or moulding plane.

Which had all already been suggested by various people including you
before you decided to go off on the whole "AG Bad!" campaign to what was
probably a tongue in cheek post from David in the first place.

Hence I thought it worthwhile countering the sentiment since, perhaps
counter intuitively, an AG will do a decent enough job and not everyone
would necessarily consider it.


I am reminded of the old joke about the academic crying "Yes, yes, I
know it works in /practice/ but does it work in /theory/?"

--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

In article , Robin
wrote:
On 25/05/2020 20:54, John Rumm wrote:
On 25/05/2020 15:38, wrote:
On Monday, 25 May 2020 12:36:15 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 25/05/2020 11:31, tabbypurr wrote:


Yes you can. But it's easier for an unskilled diyer to do it in one
move, which is what would happen with the more usual ways, ie router
or moulding plane.

Which had all already been suggested by various people including you
before you decided to go off on the whole "AG Bad!" campaign to what
was probably a tongue in cheek post from David in the first place.

Hence I thought it worthwhile countering the sentiment since, perhaps
counter intuitively, an AG will do a decent enough job and not everyone
would necessarily consider it.


I am reminded of the old joke about the academic crying "Yes, yes, I
know it works in /practice/ but does it work in /theory/?"

like Bumble bees being able to fly?

-

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

On Monday, 25 May 2020 01:03:12 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test

Excellent - thank you John. Looks like a fine job to me

Actually, my suggestion of using an AG for rounding bench slats was entirely serious. Should I be ashamed that it was the first tool that sprung to my mind, and would probably have been the tool I'd have used?

David

On 25/05/2020 22:47, David wrote:
On Monday, 25 May 2020 01:03:12 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test

Excellent - thank you John. Looks like a fine job to me

Actually, my suggestion of using an AG for rounding bench slats was
entirely serious.

Well given the tradition in the group, I needed to allow for the
possibility. :-)

Should I be ashamed that it was the first tool
that sprung to my mind, and would probably have been the tool I'd
have used?

No need to be ashamed - you can do surprisingly fine work with an AG -
especially with the wide range of abrasives, and polishing / finishing
discs and pads available these days.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
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On Monday, 25 May 2020 20:54:53 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 25/05/2020 15:38, tabbypurr wrote:
On Monday, 25 May 2020 12:36:15 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
On 25/05/2020 11:31, tabbypurr wrote:


Yes you can. But it's easier for an unskilled diyer to do it in one
move, which is what would happen with the more usual ways, ie router
or moulding plane.

Which had all already been suggested by various people including you
before you decided to go off on the whole "AG Bad!" campaign to what was
probably a tongue in cheek post from David in the first place.

Hence I thought it worthwhile countering the sentiment since, perhaps
counter intuitively, an AG will do a decent enough job and not everyone
would necessarily consider it.

Obviously no-one said AGs were bad.

John Rumm wrote:
On 25/05/2020 22:47, David wrote:
On Monday, 25 May 2020 01:03:12 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test

Excellent - thank you John. Looks like a fine job to me

Actually, my suggestion of using an AG for rounding bench slats was
entirely serious.

Well given the tradition in the group, I needed to allow for the
possibility. :-)

Should I be ashamed that it was the first tool
that sprung to my mind, and would probably have been the tool I'd
have used?

No need to be ashamed - you can do surprisingly fine work with an AG -
especially with the wide range of abrasives, and polishing / finishing
discs and pads available these days.

Matty (from NZ) was quite the artist with an angle grinder.

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

On Mon, 25 May 2020 01:03:10 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test


Okay.

Now, in order of decreasing price and decreasing desirability, all cheaper than
a cheap router and cutter:

https://www.dictum.com/en/japanese-p...s-plane-717034

https://www.dictum.com/en/traditiona...s-plane-703277

https://www.dictum.com/en/western-wo...s-plane-703095

So much less dust, and, should the plane, the blade, and the wood cooperate: the
gentle whistle of the shaving paring off the board, the smell of newly-laid-open
oak, the little chirp as the plane come off the end...

Not arguing with the angle grinder, just saying.

(I'd round off all the undersides with the angle grinder first, so as to have my
hand well in when it comes to the visible side.)


Thomas Prufer

On 26/05/2020 20:43, Thomas Prufer wrote:
On Mon, 25 May 2020 01:03:10 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test


Okay.

Now, in order of decreasing price and decreasing desirability, all cheaper than
a cheap router and cutter:

https://www.dictum.com/en/japanese-p...s-plane-717034

https://www.dictum.com/en/traditiona...s-plane-703277

https://www.dictum.com/en/western-wo...s-plane-703095

So much less dust, and, should the plane, the blade, and the wood cooperate: the
gentle whistle of the shaving paring off the board, the smell of newly-laid-open
oak, the little chirp as the plane come off the end...

Not arguing with the angle grinder, just saying.

(I'd round off all the undersides with the angle grinder first, so as to have my
hand well in when it comes to the visible side.)

All I did for this worktop was to roughly round it with an ordinary flat
plane. That of course left me with half-a-dozen steps around the curve.
Which a couple of minutes with some sandpaper was near-as-dammit a
smooth curve.

Now of course I'm noticing that it isn't quite the same along the entire
length, and it'll bother me...

.... but not enough to improve it. (My intention was to give it another
coat of oil once the weather warmed up, but I'm now working full time on
what was supposed to be my "clean workbench")

Andy

On 26/05/2020 17:50, Tim+ wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
On 25/05/2020 22:47, David wrote:
On Monday, 25 May 2020 01:03:12 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:
So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test

Excellent - thank you John. Looks like a fine job to me

Actually, my suggestion of using an AG for rounding bench slats was
entirely serious.

Well given the tradition in the group, I needed to allow for the
possibility. :-)

Should I be ashamed that it was the first tool
that sprung to my mind, and would probably have been the tool I'd
have used?

No need to be ashamed - you can do surprisingly fine work with an AG -
especially with the wide range of abrasives, and polishing / finishing
discs and pads available these days.

Matty (from NZ) was quite the artist with an angle grinder.

Yeah, I was thinking of him when I wrote that, but am ashamed to say I
could not recall his name ("Matty F" IIRC now) at the time...

(sadly many of the images he posted have now expired on tinypic)





--
Cheers,

John.

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\================================================= ================/

On 26/05/2020 20:43, Thomas Prufer wrote:
On Mon, 25 May 2020 01:03:10 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test


Okay.

Now, in order of decreasing price and decreasing desirability, all cheaper than
a cheap router and cutter:

https://www.dictum.com/en/japanese-p...s-plane-717034

https://www.dictum.com/en/traditiona...s-plane-703277

https://www.dictum.com/en/western-wo...s-plane-703095

So much less dust, and, should the plane, the blade, and the wood cooperate: the
gentle whistle of the shaving paring off the board, the smell of newly-laid-open
oak, the little chirp as the plane come off the end...

Not arguing with the angle grinder, just saying.

(I'd round off all the undersides with the angle grinder first, so as to have my
hand well in when it comes to the visible side.)


Thomas Prufer

I've done it with a surform and permagrit sanding block when lacking
anything else


--
The biggest threat to humanity comes from socialism, which has utterly
diverted our attention away from what really matters to our existential
survival, to indulging in navel gazing and faux moral investigations
into what the world ought to be, whilst we fail utterly to deal with
what it actually is.

On Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at 8:43:25 PM UTC+1, Thomas Prufer wrote:
On Mon, 25 May 2020 01:03:10 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

So here you go:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/..._Woodwork_Test


Okay.

Now, in order of decreasing price and decreasing desirability, all cheaper than
a cheap router and cutter:

https://www.dictum.com/en/japanese-p...s-plane-717034

https://www.dictum.com/en/traditiona...s-plane-703277

https://www.dictum.com/en/western-wo...s-plane-703095

So much less dust, and, should the plane, the blade, and the wood cooperate: the
gentle whistle of the shaving paring off the board, the smell of newly-laid-open
oak, the little chirp as the plane come off the end...

Not arguing with the angle grinder, just saying.

(I'd round off all the undersides with the angle grinder first, so as to have my
hand well in when it comes to the visible side.)


Thomas Prufer

OK But first he would have to teach himself how to sharpen the plane and then how to set it up and finally how to use it correctly. I think how to use a trim router might be easier

On Wednesday, 27 May 2020 10:21:57 UTC+1, fred wrote:

OK But first he would have to teach himself how to sharpen the plane

Sounds like a job for my angle grinder :-)))

On Wed, 27 May 2020 02:21:55 -0700 (PDT), fred wrote:

OK But first he would have to teach himself how to sharpen the plane and then how to set it up and finally how to use it correctly. I think how to use a trim router might be easier

He would have to teach himself how to set up and how to use the trim router,
also too as well.

Go the wrong way round, and the edge is a mess. Go too fast, and you end up
tearing and sanding a lot, go too slow and you get burn marks from the cutter or
the pin. Go too deep and then turn over the slat, the bearing pin runs on the
routed bit and not the flat, leading to the top and bottom being different.
Sometimes just a bit -- as I noted after mounting them randomly, and it looking
a mess.

Routing narrow slats is a PITA, no way to easily fix them and just go round.
Non-slip mats help, but they get dusty and slip...


Thomas Prufer

On 28/05/2020 08:21, Thomas Prufer wrote:
On Wed, 27 May 2020 02:21:55 -0700 (PDT), fred
wrote:

OK But first he would have to teach himself how to sharpen the
plane and then how to set it up and finally how to use it
correctly. I think how to use a trim router might be easier

He would have to teach himself how to set up and how to use the trim
router, also too as well.

As with any tool. Practice on some scrap first!

Go the wrong way round, and the edge is a mess. Go too fast, and you
end up tearing and sanding a lot, go too slow and you get burn marks

For roundover cutters, there is *lots* of latitude IME - they are not
usually heavy cuts.

from the cutter or the pin. Go too deep and then turn over the slat,

A decent bearing guided cutter rather than a pin type is infinitely
preferable IMHO. It gives a better result overall, and is much less
likely to burn with a low feed rate.

the bearing pin runs on the routed bit and not the flat, leading to
the top and bottom being different. Sometimes just a bit -- as I
noted after mounting them randomly, and it looking a mess.

Routing narrow slats is a PITA, no way to easily fix them and just go
round. Non-slip mats help, but they get dusty and slip...

Router table is the way forward for lots of thin bits. That way you are
not relying on the bearing or the pin to get the registration from the
edge, and the clamping problem goes away.

--
Cheers,

John.

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On Thu, 28 May 2020 13:42:21 +0100, John Rumm
wrote:

A decent bearing guided cutter rather than a pin type is infinitely
preferable IMHO. It gives a better result overall, and is much less
likely to burn with a low feed rate.

In my case, it was a bearing-type in a large Festo. Routed both sides of 19mm or
so, edge radius five or ten mm, put it up, saw it wasn't symmetric... aaaargh.
(Wasn't important or really visible to anyone but myself, so I left it for quite
a few years.)

Router table is the way forward for lots of thin bits. That way you are
not relying on the bearing or the pin to get the registration from the
edge, and the clamping problem goes away.

At the time, I had access to a saw-shaper, with a shaper head and also a feed
unit. That, a feather board or three, made from scrap and a bandsaw, and a some
time, and there's your idiot-proof production setup for repetitive work. And,
the pros warned me: sometimes you are making *many* of something. And once you
get from hundreds to thousands, everyone turns into an idiot: the mind wanders,
you lose count, and then you are already down at the pub in your head while
shoving the last hundred through.

Most of the stuff I made was for myself, small one-offs, didn't know if it'd
work, knock it together quick. So, "round off the edge" or "put a bevel on it"
was mostly "shove it against the edge sander" -- because that's the five-second
way forward:-) and gives good, consistent results (after many poor, inconsistent
results, i.e. practice.) But once in while, if the router were out already, I'd
hold the lath down on the nearest workbench, run the router round with the other
-- and was grateful for the soft-starter:-)


Thomas Prufer