# 2mm round over - how can I deal with corners and flush joints



## Jeffoo (May 20, 2020)

Hi,

This is probably really basic, but I'm stuck for the right solution.

I'm making a big bookcase, my intent is fit all the shelf front facing edges (top and bottom) to have a 2mm round over applied. I have the same intent for the verticals.

I have 5 shelves and underneath the bottom shelf is a cupboard. The top 4 shelves are offset back from the verticals by 3mm. This makes adding the round over easy, I can do it before construction.

The bottom shelf is 3mm deeper and will sit flush with the verticals. This is so it completely covers the lower cupboard door.

The trouble is, if I apply a 2mm round over to my verticals, the area that abuts the edge of my bottom shelf looks silly.

If I were having my time again I'd pick a different design, but given there is no going back now... What would you suggest I do.

1. Relcluctantly have no round over on the verticals 

2. Do the round over, construct, then fill and sand the unwanted dimple beside the bottom shelf.

3. Mark on the vertical.where he shelf will be. Perhaps.set a stop of some sort. The round over the vertical missing out the marked area.

4. Wait until.everything is constructed, do the round over then (basically running the router around the 'box' that makes up each shelf, then tidy up the corners that won't be reached by hand. This high risk, ideally I'd route as much as I can before assembly.

5. Something else?

Very grateful for any advice, I'm new to routing so sorry if this is basic. 

I'm using a Makita 18v palm router.

Many thanks!


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey JefF; welcome!
You can post pictures if they're on your own hard drive (or your phone? Not sure about that one...) It's only links and stuff from the 'net that you need 10 previous post for.
Pictures would be really helpful in this case.
I always make my shelving adjustable so I'm not much help to you in this case.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Hi Jeff and welcome. Truthfully I never use a round over that small. A couple of strokes with a small hand plane to make a chamfer and then sanding that round(er) is easier and faster to me. Or just sanding a few extra strokes. That would allow you to “ease” the edges as much as you like and where you like. 

If you really want to use a router get a 1/16” radius one, I think that’s the smallest one made, and route the shelves before you assemble and rout the verticals after assembly. That will leave a square edge give or take about 10mm above and below each shelf. You can hand sand that part to transition to only the part next to the shelf being fully square.


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Using a round over on your edges does take that sharp edge factor out but could also be accomplished with a chamfer bit or simple as explained, hand sanded. The amount of round over is determined by the bit itself and the depth of cut. I just made several chisel holders to mount in my wall tool cabinet and used soft maple. All edges were very slightly routed using a small round over bit on the router table with the bit making minimum contact. All I wanted was the edge to be "softened" which this accomplished and could have been done a number of ways including hand sanding lightly. 

As to the bottom I'm a bit confused and a picture or drawing would be very helpful. I always route and sand my edges before assembly. Depending on the project I may also pre-finish some or all the parts as well. You have many options and that's where scrap comes in very handy. Try and test you ideas on scrap before committing to the project itself. 

BTW.....welcome to the forum. Also if you would fill in your profile information as that can make a difference in advice given depending on where you are from such as availability of tools/parts and so on.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Welcome to the Forum...

Given the choices you described I would vote for 3. or 4. Either will work and there is no more risk in 4. You would dry assemble (clamps, etc.), route the roundover and then reassemble. Setting a stop where marked will be easier (3.) If you decide to route rather than sand, whether you use a roundover or chamfer bit is really up to you.

But for a roundover that small, I would go with Cherryville's solution and just do a light sanding on the edges once assembled. If you do this, be as consistent as possible in your sanding, especially where the grain "changes direction". You'll see the difference right away and you can do lighter or heavier sanding in those spots. For better consistency, wrap a piece of sandpaper on a scrap of wood or use a sanding block...more better :smile: Try to sand with the grain rather than cross grain...smoother edge that way. 

If it's not too late, you could also extend your bottom horizontal past its line and have the vertical butt on top of it. This way you can roundover the vertical all the way and not need to deal with a stop.

Share a pic when you're ready...


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## Bstrom (Jan 2, 2020)

I agree the router approach will produce the most consistent results and isn't that slow to do if you route them all at one time. I wouldn't trust my hands with such a great tool to do the work... 

The 'difference in the rounded surfaces coming together would bug me too - maybe you can stop the roundover on the vertical pieces that meet up with your cupboard just short and let both pieces keep their square corners? Stop the roundover about an inch? You could that on all your rounded shelf surfaces and let them meet their vertical points with a square visual connection. I'd go with a slightly bigger roundover to make that design element more obvious, maybe?


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

If you set your fence so that just a tiny bit, and I mean a tiny bit of the round over touches it will ease the edges so little that you won't notice them. The same can be done with sandpaper but it isn't as neat looking.


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## ger21 (Feb 10, 2019)

Round over after assembly, or leave it slightly short and hand blend it in after assembly.


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## marecat3 (Nov 30, 2010)

Welcome to the forum


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## Jeffoo (May 20, 2020)

Thanks all for the replies - very much appreciated.

I've started with the 2mm roundover on some pieces already - so I'm afraid I'm committed to that - at least for this project.

Sorry, I don't have a pic - pieces all over the house at the moment, but to try and explain a little better:

- I'm building a bookcase (6 shelves) where the bottom shelf has some cupboard doors. I'm actually building 5 of them that will be joined together in due course.
- Pretty standard 18mm MDF 'ladder' construction.
- The bookcase carcass (two verticals, top and bottom piece) are all 300mm deep.
- The bottom shelf (under which I will have cupboard doors) is also 300mm deep.
- The rest of the shelves at 297mm

My approach of applying a 2mm roundover to the front facing pieces is fine, but for the point at which the bottom shelf attaches to the verticals. The 300mm deep non-rounded shelf side edge, is flush with the 300 deep rounded vertical. I'm trying to find a way to avoid that.

I think I might try the approach of doing a dry fit, marking the area not to be routed, setting a 'stop' (using the ever so slight 'touch' MGMine mentioned and see how it looks.

Can anyone advise on how best to set the stop? I'm using the a Wealdon Tools T8355B-8 bit (can't post the URL).

Presumably the diameter of the guide bearing is the significant value (12.7mm)?

So assuming I have a pencil line marked on my piece where I want the material, ideally, go from rounded to not-rounded, am I right in thinking that I would want to set my stop BEYOND that mark?

I'm not quite sure what the maths looks like... Divide diameter of the bearing by 2 (6.35mm), then minus the radius of the cutter (2mm) takes me to 4.35. So if I set a stop 4.35mm PAST where I want the rounding to stop, that should be correct? Rounding up to 5mm to achieve the MGMine 'touch' perhaps.

Is there an easy way to set things up? Left to me own devices I would make my line during dry fit, mark 5mm to the side of that. Carefully clamp a scrap of 18mm mdf along the line, then get routing?

Thanks for all the help and suggestions


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## Jeffoo (May 20, 2020)

*Premature Assembly Now Making Routing Impossible*

Hello,

I've made a very foolish mistake on a big set of bookcases I am building. The bookcases are a standard 'grid' affair, but chunky in style. Each of the vertical uprights is made from a sandwich - semi-torsion box of 18mm, 15mm and 18mm MDF. Each vertical therefore has a long strip of MDF affixed to the front acting as a faceframe of sorts.

My intent is for each front facing element of the bookcase (vertical uprights and shelf edges) to have a 2mm roundover applied to it. I've been doing this happily with a 2mm arris in my Makita 18v trim router and have applied said roundover to all of my shelf edges.

Today, I mistakenly affixed the vertical faceframe strips to the bookcase with glue and pins without routing the roundover. I've now got rounded shelves and unrounded verticals. I can't remove the faceframe, so need to find a way to add a roundover of sorts.

I was using a 2mm, bottom-bearing guided cutter. I can round-over a good portion of the verticals, but I can't reach the parts that intersect with the shelves as the offset is only 3mm, so there is no room for the bearing and bottom of the cutter to pass.

Other than helpful (and needed) suggestions to act with a little less haste when assembling my projects, is there anything you can suggest I do?

Is there such a thing as a 2mm roundover, that isn't more than 3mm deep? Could I use some sort of offset base/jig, perhaps with two bearings running above and below the shelf allowing me to route the area that intersects?

Should I use my current 2mm roundover, then hand sand the areas that bisect?

Are there any chamfer tools that will work given the 3mm tolerance.

Any advice gratefully received. I've attached some pictures illustrating the problem.

Thanks!


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Welcome to the forum, Jeff! Add your first name to your profile to clear the N/a in the side panel. Add your location to your profile, as well.

I merged your two threads since they were on the same topic and worded virtually identical.

I've done that, as well, and I did what I could with a trim router and did the rest by hand. It came out looking nice and nobody knew I didn't do it according to plan.

David


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## Jeffoo (May 20, 2020)

Difalkner: Thanks - added my details  This is actually a new problem in addition to the previous one; but yes the underlying issue is the same!

When you did your hand sanding, did you take any particular approach? Just loose sandpaper in your hand, starting at 120 to get the shape, then up the grades?

Thanks


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

profile what you can w/ your router and the 2MM RO...
finish w/ a *profile/contour sanding block* or *a cornering tool...*


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

difalkner said:


> Welcome to the forum, Jeff! Add your first name to your profile to clear the N/a in the side panel. Add your location to your profile, as well.
> 
> I merged your two threads since they were on the same topic and worded virtually identical.
> 
> ...


and you lost my answering post w/ links in the process...
is there any way to get them back???


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

never mind ...
guess it wasn't lost...
*WAIT!!!......*
one of the posts is missing...


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Jeffoo said:


> Difalkner: Thanks - added my details  This is actually a new problem in addition to the previous one; but yes the underlying issue is the same!
> 
> When you did your hand sanding, did you take any particular approach? Just loose sandpaper in your hand, starting at 120 to get the shape, then up the grades?
> 
> Thanks


No, just used a block with 120/220 wrapped around and eyeballed it.

David


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> never mind ...
> guess it wasn't lost...
> *WAIT!!!......*
> one of the posts is missing...


I just looked, Stick, and don't see a way to get it back. I've merged threads before and nothing was lost so not sure what happened here, that it would merge some and delete some. Sorry... :frown:

David


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