# Tablesaw as Router



## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

Hi Y'all!
I've been busy doing basic carpenter chores renovating my shop while the weather is nice, so I haven't built anything fit for show and tell lately. To tell the truth, I'm so humbled by Clay's fireplace mantle and Herb's wooden locks that I'm almost embarrassed to put my stuff out there. But I'm sort of proud of my mantle, even if it's a few years old. Maybe someone will find the idea of cutting coves on the table saw interesting. 

I built this mantle from red oak boards using only the tools in my shop. The "body" of the mantle is a 90 degree cove molding with 5 inch radius. To make this cove, I first glued a wide board to a plywood backer for stability. Then I stacked strips along the edges to create a stair-stepped version of the cove. 

I clamped a long straight board across the front of the table saw to act as a fence so the workpiece could go SIDEWAYS across the blade. I started with the blade lowered so that it just contacted the wood and raised it only about 1/16th for each pass. As more and more of the blade was contacting the wood, I had to reduce the cut to 1/32nd per pass. The saw blade was not designed to cut in this manner and chattered some, leaving a fairly rough surface. 

I cut a couple of simicircular "dams" out of plywood, lined the rough cove with wax paper, and poured a quarter-pipe of Plaster of Paris about 10 inches long. I wrapped the plaster in sandpaper to make a custom-molded quarter-pipe sanding block. Started with 60 grit and worked my way to 220 grit, with the sanding block. 

Mitering the ends was a special challenge, but that's a story for another day. I didn't take any pictures at the time, but here's a few pictures of the finished product and a diagram of the cove construction.


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Andy, nothing to be ashamed of with that mantle very nicely done The cove came out excellently (Great Job)


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

No reason to worry about posting your work! Great looking mantle, and a different style than I've seen before. Great idea on the custom sanding block.

Thanks for the great ideas!


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Andy...
quit trying to kid yourself...
that's work to be proud of...


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

kp91 said:


> Great looking mantle, and a different style than I've seen before.


The original mantel was a rough-cut oak cross-tie. My wife hated it from day one. I really wanted a traditional mantel with legs on either side of the fireplace. But the fireplace juts out into the room, and the brickwork on each side of the fireplace was too narrow. If I had built legs for a mantel, they would have been too close to the firebox opening; in severe violation of code.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

Excellent work! You have nothing to be ashamed of here and keep up the great work.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

How much and how long did the sanding take? Oak's not easy to sand. Sounds like you hand sanded it. 


Came out fantastic.

HJ

Doesn't have that kind of patience.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

honesttjohn said:


> How much and how long did the sanding take? Oak's not easy to sand. Sounds like you hand sanded it.
> 
> 
> Came out fantastic.
> ...


All sanding of the big cove was done by hand with the plaster sanding block, then a little more touching up with 220 grit by hand with no block. I was afraid using power sanders on the curved surface would mess up the profile. I'm guessing I really only took 4-6 hours sanding over the course of several evenings. The sanding was actually easier and faster than I expected. The part that was slow and tedious was dragging that long heavy member sideways across the saw blade so MANY times. It didn't really want to go, and required a good deal of effort. Toward the end, I was making several passes before raising the blade to try to even out the grooves from the blade chatter. If I had two identical blades, I would have stacked them like dados to stiffen the blade body. But it all worked out OK anyway.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Very nice...definitely something to be proud of...and the wife is happy...what more could you ask...


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## Roloff (Jan 30, 2009)

The proportions of the design are so good, it is amazing even without the excellent craftsmanship and what must have been hours of sanding. You are too modest, this is really a great looking mantle. Congratulations on an outstanding bit of work. Be proud!


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

Very nice mantle. You can certainly hold your head after that job. Looks great, like the finish.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

Shop guy said:


> like the finish.


The finish is several coats of pure tung oil cut 2:1 with mineral spirits. After all, how much abuse does a mantel get anyway?


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## ksidwy (Jul 13, 2013)

Instead of being humbled Andy, I'M quite sure you must be proud. Your job is very beautiful and classic. Congrats!
Sid..


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Excellent combination of design, production and finish. Very well done.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Excellent craftsmanship.


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## furboo (Oct 12, 2015)

Very nice, Andy. The mantle looks great with the brick, the mirror above, and the stuff you've put on it.


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## P.A. Gosselin (Aug 24, 2014)

You have nothing to be afraid of in terms of posting your work. This is amazing work; well thought out, creative and well executed. I'm sure your wife must be proud as you are of your work after all is said and done.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

P.A. Gosselin said:


> I'm sure your wife must be proud . . . .


OTHER men's wives are impressed; the ones with husbands who only make money. They think I'm some sort of Idiot Sawdust Savant. My wife; not so much. Her father was also handy around the house. She sort of figures that's what makes men worth keeping around. Yes, she's pleased and complimentary of the things I build. But after 29 years, she's getting harder and harder to impress. But it does help make up for the money I spend on my habit - and the sawdust I bring in the house.


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## Murtu01 (Mar 9, 2014)

Fantastic craftsmanship and a jog well done. Your wife must be very proud of you and happy with the finished mantelpiece.


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