Try something new: Using a straight edge, your milled panels, chalk and pencil, draw the outlines of the curves and edges you want to see. Don’t use templates, but aim for a pleasing angle on the sides you want beveled, and draw nice curves using chalk. And be prepared to surprise yourself.
That is exactly what I did yesterday as I prepared to cut glued-up panels to final size prior to cutting dovetail joinery. Step-wise (follow along with the photos, which are already in sequence):
- Mark the layout for the handles
- Not happy with the handle position? No problem! Erase the chalk marks, and mark the handles again
- Mark the 5° side bevels on the headboard
- Extend the side bevels on the head board all the way to the top edge
- Draw a pleasing curve on the headboard
- Mark the 5° bevels on the foot board, and extend the bevels to the top edge
- In my case, and due to OCD, I still check for board flatness after every operation. Chalk will not change flatness.
Next step: Cut the dovetail joinery.
I would love to hear from you:
- How do you approach making curves on your projects?
- Do you prepare templates for each and every curve? (Hint: I do, for many projects for clients)
- What other steps do you take to ensure pleasing results?
I look forward to your comments! Click on my signature below, to send me a comment via e-mail.
— Al Navas
About Al Navas
Oh cool, you’re building the cradle!! The one thing I did differently was to position the handle after the initial dry fit. I did that solely to have the handles at the dead center of gravity. I can’t wait to see how your cradle turns out. I’m almost done blogging my build.
You caught me, Vic!
Our daughter wants the more traditional, on-the-floor model, and that is what she will get. I don’t have the slider on the table saw, so I used the band saw to cut the bevels on the head and foot pieces. I will document what I did after cutting the bevels. Hint: rasps and floats.
On the handles: I plan to do the same identical thing. Once the joinery is done, I will be able to lift the whole thing, to get the center of gravity. It works every time!
To all my readers: If you have not seen it, visit Vic’s blog and enjoy the build of a fantastic cradle.
I look forward to seeing your approach on this. Thank you for the mention!
You won’t get off easy, Vic; it is worth every minute spent reading about the wonderful cradle you built!