# Juice groove in curved cutting board



## deancruse (Oct 18, 2007)

Hi folks. First time here. I've searched using what I can think of, but not finding any easy answers. I'm making a cutting board with a curved detail edge and I want to route a juice groove to follow the edge. See the attached photo of the template I'll use to make each corner of the board with a flush trim bit at the table. On the template, I drew in (rather badly) the rough outline of the groove.

Any thoughts on the best way to route the groove? A standard edge guide won't navigate the tight corners on the curves.

Thanks for any advice!


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Hi Dean and welcome. That is not a table mounted router job. It's a job for a plunge router. It would be easy to make a duplicate of the cutting board the way you describe with a flush trim bit but not the juice groove. You need to make a template to follow with either a guide bushing and round nose bit or template and round nose bit with matching diameter bearing that fits on the router bit's shaft. I think I've seen a few round nose bits with bearing but usually you would have to buy the bit and bearing separate. That would pretty much limit you to a 1/2 inch round nose bit with 1/4" shaft as the minimum size.


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## Bushwhacker (Jun 16, 2009)

That Charles is so smart.


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

make a jig. I am not sure if this method will work on the scalloped edge. Make a plywood template of the pattern. Make a second template using the first template and a rabbet bit. This will produce a 2nd template that is concentric to the first but 3/8" smaller from the edge. Do it again using the 2nd and the 3rd will be 3/4" inside. The difference can be reduced by using a larger bearing. (i.e. if you want 5/8" difference use a larger bearing and get a 5/16" rabbet X 2 = 5/8" difference ) You want the difference to equal a router bushing. Use 3rd template on the first template with a pattern/template bit to rout out the interior of the first template. mount first and third templates to the work and with a bushing and cut the groove.
I hope this was clearer than mud. It is how I made the templates I used for my cutting board http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/98545-meat-platter-cutting-board.html


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## scottgrove (Sep 4, 2016)

very simply as Paduke as explained. One suggestion is to use an extended route base, this will help keep the router stable when making the outside corner cuts.
good luck


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## deancruse (Oct 18, 2007)

Some great ideas, guys - thanks! I was initially thinking about this by making/buying a edge guide for my plunge router with a point, or a bearing to ride along the scalloped (that's the right word!) edge. I saw that Bosch makes a roller bearing guide for the trim router. I've also seen what appear to be guides for Dremmels for banding applications. But, I think I'd rather use my larger plunge router for this job. It also seems like it might be a bit hard to control using this method. Anyone have any experience with these types of edge guides?

That aside - I think you guys are right - a template and a bearing bit or bushing is the way to go. My template in the photo is a quarter of the final board, but I think I'll make a full size template and then try Bill's method by also making a smaller template so I have a controllable slot for the bushing to ride in. 

Thanks again for the ideas!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey, Dean; welcome!
"My template in the photo is a quarter of the final board,..."
-Dean

Whew! I was wondering where the juice was supposed to end up(?).


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Dean Cruse said:


> Some great ideas, guys - thanks! I was initially thinking about this by making/buying a edge guide for my plunge router with a point, or a bearing to ride along the scalloped (that's the right word!) edge. I saw that Bosch makes a roller bearing guide for the trim router. I've also seen what appear to be guides for Dremmels for banding applications. But, I think I'd rather use my larger plunge router for this job. It also seems like it might be a bit hard to control using this method. Anyone have any experience with these types of edge guides?
> 
> That aside - I think you guys are right - a template and a bearing bit or bushing is the way to go. My template in the photo is a quarter of the final board, but I think I'll make a full size template and then try Bill's method by also making a smaller template so I have a controllable slot for the bushing to ride in.
> 
> Thanks again for the ideas!


I thought about suggesting the roller guide Dean but there are several issues to overcome. 1-you have to be able to stay 90* to the edge your are guiding from. 2- you have to be able to keep the router flat while you are working and 3- you have to plunge down to start while doing all this. It's not impossible but it would take some practice to see if you can because it's a lot do all at the same time.

There is an easy way to make a template that will be so close that it isn't likely anyone would be able to tell it's not perfect. Based on the same idea as using the roller make a marking jig of a stick with one hole drilled for a pencil and another for a dowel that will stick down and follow the cutting board. Stick some paper down on the board and follow the edge with the marking jig staying as close as you can to perpendicular. 

I did the math on this once and you have to be off perpendicular by about 10* or more before it starts to make much of a difference in the distance from dowel to pencil. You can see if you're off before you get to 10*.

I would recommend using a guide bushing over a bearing guided bit personally. The bearing equipped bit will work but you need a much thicker template because you have to make sure the bearing is in contact with the template before it touches down on the cutting board.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Dean.


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## deancruse (Oct 18, 2007)

Turned our nice, folks. Thanks for the ideas. Now just a bit more sanding (man, that cherry can burn!) and ready for the finish.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

It looks like you used a straight bit for the groove Dean. My personal preference is a round nose bit. A rounded groove is easy to sand by getting a dowel rod the same radius as the bit and gluing a wrap of sandpaper on it. You can glue up several different dowels with different grits to speed things up.


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## Job and Knock (Dec 18, 2016)

Dean Cruse said:


> I saw that Bosch makes a roller bearing guide for the trim router..... It also seems like it might be a bit hard to control using this method. Anyone have any experience with these types of edge guides?


That type of guide is called something like a follow bearing guide and they were originally designed specifically for use with the non-bearing laminate trimming cutters we used to use in the dim and distant past. They are designed to sit directly below the cutter and there is a definite knack to using them - the bearing should be chosen to be of larger diameter than the cutter so that it isn't possible to take a chunk out of the workpiece (if you twist the router/trimmer around the bearing will stop the cutting action - this makes them very safe and economical for laminate trimming). In use it's a bit like the knack you develop for pencil scribing (coping in USA) an edge with a pair of compasses. What they really aren't designed to do is be offset from the cutter in the way your job would require. In that situation I cannot begin to see how you'd control the cut to get a nice smooth groove. As others have said, the best method will be a template, guide bush and a cutter although I wouldn't try going the guide bush in a slot idea as GBs tend to bind very easily if the slot is at all tight, and in any case how would you get a slot to go round the full perimeter of a board?

Added this post for information about the way in which these roller guide bearings are supposed to work


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