# Cutting coves on a table saw



## opelblues (Aug 22, 2008)

Well after weeks of rain, and one cyclone going down the coast, and two many hours on the road with work. I got starting on making up the frames and sides panels for the desk. Problem I don’t have a raised panel bit – and don’t have that much dollars to buy one.
So what are my options 1- do a search on the web. 2 – Give up on raised panels.
I saw a video awhile ago where they were doing raised panels on a table saw then I found this “Raised panels” Jig so what can I do with this – and this is what I came up with 

Queue The Photo’s
As you can see the fence is set to an angle to the saw blade of 22deg, the base is centered to the bench saw and fixed to the timber bench, and then with saw running I slowly brought the blade up through the base sow it just poked through. – The spot I fixed a perplex cover (taken off for photos) screw to the fence; sorry I have only pieces of black left.
I worked out how high or how deep I want to cut the cove in the raised panel and marked it on the fence, I found it very easy from here on – you start at a low cut with the saw and as you have finished each run all the way around the board slowly raise the blade un till you get the depth of cut you want. Some sanding left to do.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

A nice demonstration Gary, I'd all but forgotten that method which I've seen demonstrated but never actually tried.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Gary

All I say you got more GUTTS than I have , using a table saw as a molder/shaper/router table , I did try it one time making some cove molding once on the table saw and I said that's it...must be a safer way to do this job..I didn't have your type of jig ,I used some boards clamped to the top, man I was in a cold sweat after one 4 ft. piece  not to say anything about all the sanding I needed to do on the board to remove the saw marks .. 


They now make router bits to do that job safe.. 

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opelblues said:


> Well after weeks of rain, and one cyclone going down the coast, and two many hours on the road with work. I got starting on making up the frames and sides panels for the desk. Problem I don’t have a raised panel bit – and don’t have that much dollars to buy one.
> So what are my options 1- do a search on the web. 2 – Give up on raised panels.
> I saw a video awhile ago where they were doing raised panels on a table saw then I found this “Raised panels” Jig so what can I do with this – and this is what I came up with
> 
> ...


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Although cove cuts on the TS can be safe with the proper jig, used properly, I've always been worried about something going wrong in the middle of the cut.

My pinkies are allergic to de-pinkinators. 

For raised panels, I personally prefer traditional profiles.


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## opelblues (Aug 22, 2008)

Hi thanks for the comments
I did have a lot of concerns in regards to doing this, fingers was the start, blade breakage, side pressures on the saw blade (warping), so before i started I searched the web found some sites in relation to doing the job - and down loaded their safe practice guidelines or here in Australia a JSA - Job Safety Analysis - a take 5 and numbering my fingers. 11 in total, after all that I went and spoke a solid timber cabinet maker I deal with.

He would not recommend it to be done on the record IE litigation – being sued, but we did talk about different things in relation to this. So to say do not recommend this practice just in case you get sued.

I did take on board all the information that I was provided, the limitations, and the safety aspects. Set up of jigs, How much to take of each pass. Type of Blade, Quality of blade, blade guards, push blocks, and as you can see in the photo’s a my standard kill switch, the bench is a GMC unit but under the deck there is a blade brake – my dad had it on his GM cast iron bench for about 15 years, don’t know how it works but it works. He has all his fingers and I intend to keep mine too. There is dust extraction on the bench and a foot plate dead man switch on the floor- can be a pain in the ---, when running large sheets of ply through.

And on that note yes I would like a router bit to be able to do this job, but I also would need a new router with speed control as well to be able to lower the screaming rev’s.


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## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

You can rip a bevel on the workpiece that will remove a lot of the waste before you start the cove operations. And in this case, since you have relatively wide panels, you can add a plexi blade cover out over the top of the blade. More of a dummy guard to remind you where the blade is as the workpiece enters and exits the cutting zone.

Make some "L" shaped push blocks with sandpaper gripping surfaces that you can use to manouver the piece.

Lots of light cuts, and a full kerf blade help. 

There is also a theory (and I make no claims to it) that if you cut these coves by using the BACK of the blade it means the wood is being pushed into the fence instead of pulled away as it could with the blade cutting down into the table. Keep in mind that either way, you should be using pushblocks to hold down and move through the blade. Not your phlangies!!!

For the last pass, I make it as light as possible and pass the work over the blade a second time without moving the blade. This seems to help knock off the ridges. Could just imagining it though. I don't have hundreds of coves in my sample set.

And finally, the times I've done this I used a card scraper (get a gooseneck/french curve shaped one) before the sandpaper and it removes the marks ASAP.


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## opelblues (Aug 22, 2008)

thanks Rob
I didn't think of the scraper i got one someware. the last place i saw it was before i started packing things up when i sold the property, i know if i find the spoke plane i will find it. re to the blade im using a 60 t * 256 zero chip. the board im pushing across is form ply so its fairy slippery. i tried using the back of the blade but i found it wanted to lift the timber and the saw dust built up in the fence and jamed. started to smoke in a few minutes so that way was bad.

short day today. i did a couple of the frames and fitted the raised panel spot on, there is a cut out i the back of the panel, that was done with the router 
i will put up some more photo's of the finished jig with guard and push blocks


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## rwyoung (Aug 3, 2008)

The sawdust pileup on the backside is the same problem I had. Even with making a small rabbet on the sacrificial fence before starting, it still made a mess. The other few times I've just worked from the "front" of the blade, slowly and carefully.

All in all, the technique works (by the way, try tilting the blade too, you can make some interesting drawer pulls) but for panels, I think a router table can do the operation safer. Or you can get your hands on a panel raising plane.


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## opelblues (Aug 22, 2008)

Thanks for the comments,
I got some time of from work; two weeks so I got around to taking a photo of the jig that I made to do the cope on the face board ( IMG_0001) I do under stand the risks that come with type of cut, using the table saw as was pointed out I the post. Thanks for your concern, all the comments have been taken on board 

I have looked a raised panel bit but I will still need to buy a second router with speed control. I do have plans for a Horizontal Router Mortising unit that I could uses for doing raised panels. Anyway that’s just not a cost I can afford at the moment

With the time off I put together the carcass of the cabinet for the right hand side of the computer desk.
I have been cutting and routing the parts for the last two months and stacking up until I had enough parts to do the cabinet.


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Opel that method is totally safe. The key is a rock solid jig which it looks like you have. I have done it and felt totally safe doing it.

Many places sell these jigs and a company like Rockler does extensive testing on them before they decide to let the end user get them. They work great.

Making your own jig is a little more tricky but it seems you figured out a neat way to do it!


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