# Help Finding a bit



## Charles Haine (Nov 27, 2015)

Router Forums!

I'm working at the Staten Island makers space on make a leaf for my vintage oak table. They have a router table, and the guys down there suggested I might ask on here to see if folks have bit recommendations.

Right now I'd just like to route the ends of the leaf to match the table (photos attached), but there's a part of me that is thinking of getting ambitious and seeing if I can't make support boards to mount to the bottom of the leaf to match the part that wraps around the table.

Any bit suggestions for one or both of those needs?

thanks,
Charles


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## Charles Haine (Nov 27, 2015)

Some more photos if it helps.

This is with the leaf in place (though it's not quarter sawn, and I'm thinking I might track down some quarter sawn oak and redo it to be a better match).

I sanded the leaf to match, but it's not quite perfect, and I'd like to route the quarter sawn oak if I can.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Welcome to the forum Charles. The bad news is that the original skirting was probably made with a shaper. However, it may be possible that Freud has a crown molding bit that does from the middle out in 2 passes. They have a few bits that will make crown up to about 5" wide that way. Someone with a CNC router might be able to re-create it too.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I looked for a molding bit like that and could find something close if it was a concave shape but not for convex. The bullnose half round profile at the bottom of the skirt could be made separately and then glued on to the other piece. Without knowing how wide the convex curve is I can't say if this is close or not but a table edge bit would make something similar. Molding & Edging :: Edging :: Table Edge :: Thumbnail Table Edge Router Bit - Large - 13141

Another alternative is to trace the profile of the convex curve onto a piece of heavy paper and send it to Whiteside Machine Company in North Carolina and they can make you a bit with that profile but it would be a little pricey.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

rough cut it amd make your own scraper to match to finish it up...

QS is a very good plan...

I believe the apron is a log siding profile...


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> rough cut it amd make your own scraper to match to finish it up...
> 
> QS is a very good plan...
> 
> I believe the apron is a log siding profile...


What stick says is the way to go. 
I have made a similar piece a few years ago on a cabinet bottom skirt that formed a front leg on the cabinet, it was only about a foot long and split lengthwise and the piece was missing.

You only need a couple of feet of apron, so make it yourself by hand. 

What I would do is rip a piece full width, make a template of the profile, and draw the profile on the ends of the board. 

On the table saw cut a rebate the size of the bottom bead on the apron. Looks like 3/8"X3/8" .

Run a full 3/8" bead on the router table. It will take 2 passes,one horizontal the other vertical.

Then with a Block plane, scraper, spoke shave,rasp, file,sanding block, what ever is easiest start working the large radius curve on the face. You will be surprised and happy how fast you can work it down to size. It is a pretty flat curve .
My preference to work it down would be a block with 60grit glued to one side and 80 grit to the other, and scrub lengthwise like a plane.

Once you get it made you will beam with satisfaction at doing it yourself.

Herb


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Herb Stoops said:


> Once you get it made you will beam with satisfaction at doing it yourself.
> 
> Herb


and the skill level improves, markedly...


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

How about the idea of attaching a runner to each side of the blank, slightly higher than the thickness of the finished part? Run the assembly across the blade, adjusting both the height of the blade and the fence distance at each pass to kind of "nibble" away at the profile - kind of like making a half lap joint by making successive passes with the saw and then cutting out the fingers with a chisel. You could probable get close enough to the finished profile that smoothing with a plane, spokeshave and sanding block would be easy as all you would have left after the saw would be a series of ridges.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

tomp913 said:


> How about the idea of attaching a runner to each side of the blank, slightly higher than the thickness of the finished part? Run the assembly across the blade, adjusting both the height of the blade and the fence distance at each pass to kind of "nibble" away at the profile - kind of like making a half lap joint by making successive passes with the saw and then cutting out the fingers with a chisel. You could probable get close enough to the finished profile that smoothing with a plane, spokeshave and sanding block would be easy as all you would have left after the saw would be a series of ridges.


Another good way to do it.

Herb


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

First off that may be chestnut and not oak you can tell by the weight of the wood. If it's heavy it's oak if not then chestnut. As far as trying to match the edge profile I would redo the entire edge with a slightly larger bit and that way it would be a perfect match. The downside would be that the raw wood would have to be stained to match and that probably wouldn't be an exact match so you would have to strip the entire table. As far as the skirting goes as long as it isn't a curved section a table saw, rasp and sand paper would take care of it without much effort. Once you got the profile a beading bit or round over bit would make the bottom edge.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Another thought would be to leave off the skirt and just use the flat board. My Walnut dining room table has 2 leaves and no skirt attached. It only shows when the table is expanded and no table cloth is on it. We always use a table cloth so there is no problem and these are the original leaves that are over 80 years old. One advantage to storing leaves with no skirt are they are less cumbersome.

But on the other side of the coin, it is a challenge and a skill builder like Stick has mentioned, and that is basically what woodworking is about,honing your skills.

Herb


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## bcfunburst (Jan 14, 2012)

You might try looking for a shop that does custom milling to get the exact profile you need; OR they might be able to match up something very close so you can replace all the skirting to get what you want. I love the old wood too. It really IS worth getting exactly what YOU want!! Go for it! Enjoy!


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## Charles Haine (Nov 27, 2015)

*thanks*

WOAH! What amazing thorough answers, thanks!

I'll post when it's done, once I figure out what to do.

Great to know that the original 80 year old leaves didn't have aprons: it does seem like that would get in the way of easy storage without providing a ton of function, but I might go for it anyway, we'll see.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Charles Haine said:


> WOAH! What amazing thorough answers, thanks!
> 
> I'll post when it's done, once I figure out what to do.
> 
> Great to know that the original 80 year old leaves didn't have aprons: it does seem like that would get in the way of easy storage without providing a ton of function, but I might go for it anyway, we'll see.


but....

.


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