Joining Contours from Woodworking.com

This discussion came from a woodworker who was posting on a forum section for beginning woodworkers -- but his question applies to projects from more advanced woodworkers as well. - Editor

"Assume I have two different woods and want to contour each, and then join. How do I cut the contours accurately such that when they join, there are no spaces?" - (from a woodworker called "like challenges")

He received a few suggestions on how to accomplish this. - Editor

"If you were cutting a contour with a band saw or jigsaw, you could stack the two boards on top of each other and cut them both at once. Then the left top piece would match with the right bottom piece, and vice versa." - Dave

"I have done this by making a template of the edge, use that to trace the cut line on the wood, use a band saw to make the cut and then a drum sander to sweeten up the fit and 'joint' the edges to get a good glue-up." -Tom H.

"I would use the band saw to make a single template out of 1/4" MDF. Obviously, a band saw won't give you a nice smooth surface, so finish the template with a drum sander. Then use some strong double-sided tape to attach the template to the piece, and use a router with a flush trim bit to make the cut. Then flip the template over and attach it to the second piece. This will ensure that both pieces have the exact same contour." - (from a woodworker called "deepwood")

The original poster responded to this last suggestion with the things he'd tried -- and the problems that arose from these methods. - Editor

"Yes, I've tried that. The drum sander does help to get the contours close. If many curves (in different directions), it's still impossible to get a perfect joint fit. Any mistake in sanding leaves a gap and the only way to fix it, is to drum sand the entire profile all over again - probably making another 'over-sanding' mistake. The gaps may be small and can be filled with wood filler; however, I would rather not see any trace of wood filler. Flipping the template gives you an opposite profile. I'm beginning to think I need two perfect templates (one for each side) and then use a flush trim router bit on each piece. Now the challenge is how to make the two perfect templates -- this brings me back to a jigsaw and drum sander. The contour problem is created by the curves changing direction -- a circle or an arc is relatively easy (no direction reverses). I'm not sure there is a method - other than a lot of hand fitting." - (from a woodworker called "like challenges")

But he thought that he did eventually find a solution. - Editor 

"Think of the contour as part of a template you would use when doing inlays. Using the homemade template, cut one piece of wood using a Router Inlay Kit with the small diameter guide. To cut the contour on the other piece of wood, add the bushing to the inlay cutter (to achieve the larger diameter guide). Now, using the same template, cut with the router. There are limitations with this method: 1. The contour template should have only 'easy' turns of changing directions. 2. The radius of the curves should be much larger than the larger diameter guide (above). 3. The router faceplate should be supported over the entire surface (so it will not rock/tip). The results will be close but not perfect. A drum sander will still be required to fix some areas. I'm beginning to think that the old method of: 1. Create your contour template and rough it out with a jigsaw and smooth with drum sander. 2. Trace a pencil line on both pieces. 3. Do the jigsaw work and drum sander work on the two pieces -- being very careful with the drum sander. 4. When 'close enough', give in and use a wood filler with the same wood color as one of the pieces. If the gaps are slight, they may not be noticed..... will be just as successful. (from a woodworker called "like challenges")

Issues with Table Saw Binding on Angled Cut from Woodworking.com

While the last woodworker was trying to deal with curves, this one's issues were with angles -- or at least, his table saw's issues were. - Editor

"Hello. I was planning to hang a cabinet via a French cleat. Cleat is being made from 3/4" birch plywood, about 3'L x 4"W. While trying to put a 45 degree cut through it, my table saw binds up (and circuit breaker trips) for some reason. The blade being used is a combination blade (Woodworker I from Forrester) in good shape, and the table saw is powered by a 1.5 amp motor. I have no issues sawing through the exact same wood at 90 degrees, so I assume my saw blade is sharp enough and motor is powerful enough? But I also realize the cross-section of the cut is somewhat wider at a 45 degree angle so...? I am using the table fence to guide the cut. And I do not have a throat insert for 45 degree cutting, so I am working without an insert in place. Is there anything from a technique perspective I should be aware of?" - (from a woodworker called "AA040371")

Readers of the forum had a few ideas on what could be going wrong with his saw. - Editor

"Belt drive saw? Could be that the belt is binding and causing the motor to overheat." -Keystone

"Two things come to mind: 1) The blade is tilted TOWARD the fence (bad idea if that's the case); 2) The alignment between the tilted blade and the fence is not parallel (never heard of this problem but it's a quick check)." - Rion 








"Perhaps try it with a fence featherboard; if the board tends to rise a bit, the part between the blade and fence is cut a bit wider; then, if board is held down to table, it will bind the saw." - Frank C.

"I would check how parallel your fence is to the blade. What might be happening is that the fence is good at the start of the blade, but as the wood moves through it, the fence may be pushing the wood into the blade, causing it to bind." - from a woodworker called "GenerationW.W.")

"For any cut you need to have an insert, if nothing else just for safety. I, too, agree that your blade isn't parallel with the fence, also that having the tilt toward the fence is not just annoying, it's dangerous. A .001" difference in clearance is enough to cause the stalling of the blade, hence the stalling of the motor which will lead to the professed power output of the motor. Easy fix: put your fence on the other side of the tilt. See if it makes a difference. If not, use the most useful tool in the shop to help fix it." - (from a woodworker called "Dal300")

And one had a suggestion to fix the problem by taking a different tack on the intended end project. - Editor

"The only advice I can give here is that I don't think you need to use such a deep bevel on a hang cleat. I work in a cabinet shop that does hang-cleats as a standard. We only put on a 10 to 15 degree bevel. Reducing the bevel could help with the binding issue... although it seems there may be more going on than just that." - (from a woodworker called "deepwood")