Hi,

anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for a
router? i was hoping to use it to make curved chair backs. I know it
would put a lot of pressure on the shaft, but I would take small bites
at a time.

thanks,

david

david blumberg wrote:
Hi,

anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for a
router? i was hoping to use it to make curved chair backs. I know it
would put a lot of pressure on the shaft, but I would take small bites
at a time.

thanks,

david

What type of pattern bits? or do you mean molding bits like these?
http://tinyurl.co.uk/g2zv

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

"The3rd Earl Of Derby" wrote in message
.uk...
david blumberg wrote:
Hi,

anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for a
router? i was hoping to use it to make curved chair backs. I know it
would put a lot of pressure on the shaft, but I would take small bites
at a time.

thanks,

david

What type of pattern bits? or do you mean molding bits like these?
http://tinyurl.co.uk/g2zv

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite




I'm pretty sure he means a flush trim bit. He wants to be able to follow a
hardboard/mdf pattern.

"david blumberg" wrote in message

anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for a
router? i was hoping to use it to make curved chair backs. I know it
would put a lot of pressure on the shaft, but I would take small bites
at a time.


Good luck ... I was never able to find anything over 2". Be sure to let us
know if you do locate one.

ITMT, consider doing like the rest of us and tune up that bandsaw.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/01/06

Can get you to 2.5" but a real scarey cutter, for fighter pilots only.

http://www.patwarner.com (Routers)
*******************************************
david blumberg wrote:
Hi,

anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for a
router? i was hoping to use it to make curved chair backs. I know it
would put a lot of pressure on the shaft, but I would take small bites
at a time.

thanks,

david

(in
) said:

| Can get you to 2.5" but a real scarey cutter, for fighter pilots
| only.

| david blumberg wrote:
|| anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for
|| a router? i was hoping to use it to make curved chair backs. I
|| know it would put a lot of pressure on the shaft, but I would take
|| small bites at a time.

Too scary (Kamakazi pilots only!)

I'd suggest bandsawing close and using a 1" pattern bit with the
router firmly mounted in a router table.

At three inches, it's the bit that's in control rather than the
operator.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto

david blumberg wrote:

anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for a
router?

I've got a 60mm (bush guided, not bearing - from Axminster's yellow
range) and the longest bearing-guided one I've seen is 2"
(commonplace). Look for "kitchen fitters' worktop cutters".

I wouldn't like to use anything longer! -- and I'm using a pretty hefty
router with them.

david blumberg wrote:
Hi,

anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for a
router? i was hoping to use it to make curved chair backs. I know it
would put a lot of pressure on the shaft, but I would take small bites
at a time.

thanks,

david


Use a bandsaw to cut close to the pattern and use a pattern drum sander
in the drill press to clean it up.

Jess.S

Thanks for all the comments...a 3" bit seemed like a scary idea to me,
also...

I recently built 4 red oak hi-chairs for the kitchen island, and the
hardest part was the curved chair backs. I cut them from oversized
blanks on the band saw, and cleaned them up with an oscillating spindle
sander, and sandpaper on a curved block of wood. They turned out OK,
but not perfect,and took a LONG time.

I just finished a cherry dining table (48" diam expands to 10 ft) and
want to make 6 cherry chairs to go with it. Have considered steam
bending (never done it) but the tenoning process seems like a problem to
me (among the other imagined problems)...the bandsaw/oversized blank
idea is pretty wasteful of wood, but is probably how I will
go...Considering getting a compass plane to help smooth things out. Any
ideas on that, or any of the above?

I have since installed the Carter style BS guides on my saw, so
hopefully I can get closer and smoother with the bandsaw.

advice much appreciated!

david

david blumberg wrote:
Hi,

anyone know of a company making a 3 inch or larger pattern bit for a
router? i was hoping to use it to make curved chair backs. I know it
would put a lot of pressure on the shaft, but I would take small bites
at a time.

thanks,

david

"david blumberg"

I have since installed the Carter style BS guides on my saw, so
hopefully I can get closer and smoother with the bandsaw.

It's a good bet it will. Anything that will improve the quality of your
bandsaw cuts will improve the quality and ease of getting useable parts in
less time and with less waste.

A good sharp, top quality resaw blade in a well tuned bandsaw (I use a 1/2"
to cut radii in the 20" range on my older 14" Delta), and carefully cutting
as close as possible to a thin line, while still leaving the line, works
well for me on curved parts.

Besides a well tuned bandsaw, there is little doubt that technique also
plays a large part in getting a consistently smooth cut, witness Sam
Maloof's use of the tool.

When cutting chair back rails, I try to cut with the curves always oriented
in the same direction, while taking care that I am using the same one hand
for feeding the stock, and the other for guiding the cut, so that muscle
memory comes into play. For me, being consistent in these two things means I
get a better feel for, and can anticipate any blade wandering.

I find that with a little practice/warm-up on waste of the same thickness, I
generally need very little cleanup and sanding of parts ... certainly in
much less time than with the fuss of jigging up for a pattern bit on the
router table, and with the following being an example of the results:

http://www.e-woodshop.net/images/CrftsManCh20.JPG

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/01/06

nice chair backs! how did you index or reference the angles for the
mortises in the rails for the spindles? small wedges? Looks like you
used a router. I have a Delta mortiser I used on my other chairs, and
it turned out OK, but not totally precise. probaly a smoother curve
profile would have helped...


It's a good bet it will. Anything that will improve the quality of your
bandsaw cuts will improve the quality and ease of getting useable parts in
less time and with less waste.

A good sharp, top quality resaw blade in a well tuned bandsaw (I use a 1/2"
to cut radii in the 20" range on my older 14" Delta), and carefully cutting
as close as possible to a thin line, while still leaving the line, works
well for me on curved parts.

Besides a well tuned bandsaw, there is little doubt that technique also
plays a large part in getting a consistently smooth cut, witness Sam
Maloof's use of the tool.

When cutting chair back rails, I try to cut with the curves always oriented
in the same direction, while taking care that I am using the same one hand
for feeding the stock, and the other for guiding the cut, so that muscle
memory comes into play. For me, being consistent in these two things means I
get a better feel for, and can anticipate any blade wandering.

I find that with a little practice/warm-up on waste of the same thickness, I
generally need very little cleanup and sanding of parts ... certainly in
much less time than with the fuss of jigging up for a pattern bit on the
router table, and with the following being an example of the results:

http://www.e-woodshop.net/images/CrftsManCh20.JPG

"david blumberg" wrote in message

nice chair backs! how did you index or reference the angles for the
mortises in the rails for the spindles? small wedges? Looks like you
used a router. I have a Delta mortiser I used on my other chairs, and
it turned out OK, but not totally precise. probaly a smoother curve
profile would have helped...

http://www.e-woodshop.net/Projects10.htm

Scroll on down to "jigs for jigs"

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/01/06