I'm planning to build a bed-side table and wish to build it with gently curved legs. I'm planning to recycle wood some old hardwood doors by cutting the blocks out with a circular saw, then cutting the curve in with a jigsaw.
Now the questions:
Do I need a planer with a curved base to get a nice finish on the curve? Will a manual planer work best in this case? Power planers with a curved base seem pretty rare.
In order to keep the legs strong, do I need to ensure that the centre part of the leg runs from the top to the bottom of the leg without being cut?
BTW: my chippie skills are so-so. I've build simple furniture-like things before, but pretty simple ones.
Best Answer
User is right saying you should cut the rough shape with a band saw. If you don't have one, you can use a jig saw but use the most rigid blade that will follow the form. The next step will be to use a table mounted rotary sander/ drum sander to work the piece to the scribed line. It will be next to impossible to make a well shaped piece without this step. Check out a few episodes of "New Yankee Workshop" online (PBS) to see the techniques. Keeping a full length of grain top to bottom is extremely important,(as mentioned) otherwise the piece will split in time. Good luck with your project.