# Trimming with Bosch Colt vs Edge Sanding



## harpone (Feb 6, 2013)

I am making a large Noah's ark puzzle using old oak I have planed to slightly less than .75 inch. This involves 8 ellipses which I cut on a bandsaw leaving a 1/16"-1/8" border. On previous medium ark puzzles (cherry, poplar, pine) I sanded (Ridgid Oscilating Edge Belt/Spindle Sander) to the pattern line. Is this something I could do as effectively (and faster) with the little Bosch router?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

In my mind the ideal way to do that would be by using a template stacked on the the piece you want to cut and use a flush trim bit on a router table. I think that would be the fastest, easiest, and most accurate.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

harpone said:


> I am making a large Noah's ark puzzle using old oak I have planed to slightly less than .75 inch. This involves 8 ellipses which I cut on a bandsaw leaving a 1/16"-1/8" border. On previous medium ark puzzles (cherry, poplar, pine) I sanded (Ridgid Oscilating Edge Belt/Spindle Sander) to the pattern line. Is this something I could do as effectively (and faster) with the little Bosch router?


If you are talking about using a straight bit on the router to try to carve the pieces to a marked line, NO, don't try it. It's a guaranteed way to ruin a workpiece. You'll be routing along just fine, thinking how easy this is, and then the bit will grab an end grain and split off a chunk or dig into the wood way past the line. As Chuck said, you could use double-sided tape to attach a template and use a pattern bit to shape the edge, but even then, you'd need to already be within a 16th or so from the line to avoid grabbing problems with the small-diameter bit that the Colt will spin. I think your spindle sander is the way to go.


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## harpone (Feb 6, 2013)

DonkeyHody said:


> If you are talking about using a straight bit on the router to try to carve the pieces to a marked line, NO, don't try it. It's a guaranteed way to ruin a workpiece. You'll be routing along just fine, thinking how easy this is, and then the bit will grab an end grain and split off a chunk or dig into the wood way past the line. As Chuck said, you could use double-sided tape to attach a template and use a pattern bit to shape the edge, but even then, you'd need to already be within a 16th or so from the line to avoid grabbing problems with the small-diameter bit that the Colt will spin. I think your spindle sander is the way to go.


Thanks. I will continue to go the Ridgid sander route.


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## harpone (Feb 6, 2013)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> In my mind the ideal way to do that would be by using a template stacked on the the piece you want to cut and use a flush trim bit on a router table. I think that would be the fastest, easiest, and most accurate.


Thanks. Because I am only intending to make one of the large ark puzzles it is too late too consider a template. I will just go ahead an sand to the pattern line as Andy suggested.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Good choice.


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

You can stick a flush trim bit into a handheld router, and use it to follow a template to smooth out the bandsawn piece. You need a template of course. I like 1/4" hardboard. They make flush trim bits with the bearing on top (close to the router plate), and the little bosch should have no trouble trimming off 1/16" or so. Its small base plate makes it hard to keep square on an edge. Remedy that by making a temporary, larger base plate for it. With any wood you may have tearout when you get to grain running into the board. In those areas I'll flip the board over, swap the template to the other side, so all cuts have the grain coming OUT of the wood.


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## cynthiamyra (May 17, 2016)

Nice post, Thanks for sharing it with us.


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## tchouken (Jul 21, 2016)

I am curious to see how the finish Noah's ark puzzle look like.


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## harpone (Feb 6, 2013)

*Noah's Ark Puzzle*

I have everything cut out and fitted. I have yet to glue the cabin and poly/paint......got started on a couple other things and am waiting for cooler weather to do the finishing touches on the ark, noah and the animals. I will try to remember to post a picture of the finished product.

QUOTE=tchouken;1269274]I am curious to see how the finish Noah's ark puzzle look like.[/QUOTE]


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Please do David and any issues you had and anything you might try differently.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Don't forget that you can break the edge with a block plane.


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