# End-grain chamfer on Cherry Tabletop - Table Saw or Router Table ????????



## C_PLUS_Woodworker (Jun 10, 2010)

I am ready to put an edge on a 19" x 50" table top.

Top is very close to 1" thick.

I have nice, straight, smooth ends on the table top, so it is ready for the "edging process".

Would like to put a heavy chamfer on the BOTTOM of the table top…......probably go 75% of the thickness of the table with no chamfer on the top 25-30% of table top bottom.

Looking to "lighten" the look of the table.

I have enough good and sharp TS blades to cut nicely so getting a 45 degree chamfer would be easy…..... if I am careful with the depth of the cut

I also have a nice, new, high-end 4 blade 3/4"chamfer (with bearing) router bit I can use in my router table.

In fact, I bought that router bit for this cut, *but have been worried about tear-out since day one.*

I would certainly cut just a little off every pass if I used the router table…...... and would probably sneak up on the cut if I used the TS

I would really like a little guidance as to which way to go….....how to do it…. and why.

As always,...........thanks in advance

Bruce


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

If you can get a nice high fence on your table saw so you can slide the table top easily on edge across the blade, I'd go with it that way.

My table saw fence has the ability to use a t-slot attachment to a piece of plywood or mdf. I'd attach something like that and then slide the toy along it on edge.


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## C_PLUS_Woodworker (Jun 10, 2010)

Hey Karson, appreciate you always chiming in.

I was thinking I could just tilt the TS blade to 45 and run the board flat through the blade…......... NO????


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

On my Shaker table, I had a 1" top and I cut it so that the top had a 1/2" visible and 1/2' cut off. The cut was about 1 1/2 long. i think a 45 deg angle is too steep. You want the angle cut to be invisible to the eye when you are looking at the table.

Some magazine articles I just looked at recommend a 6 to 7 degree angle. Both of the articles recommend that just 1/2" be visible.


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## C_PLUS_Woodworker (Jun 10, 2010)

Wow, wonderful response. Looked (again) at your projects. Jeez, you make nice stuff.

This is my first shot at a table top chamfer and I obviously knew/know nothing about what I am doing, hence this forum topic.

I usually read up on stuff, but I just assumed the chamfer was 45.

What you said and quoted makes perfect sense, so thanks for the time you spent helping me.

So, if I understand you correctly I should only put a 6-7 degree chamfer on the bottom of the table top and (since it is REAL close to 1" thick) to chamfer about half leaving a 1/2" um-chamfered visible edge. Is that correct?

And, is there reasons why I cannot adjust my blade to 7 degrees (from 90 degrees) and run the board flat through the saw? I am VERY confused about this. I read all the time about running wide boards on edge through the TS with a high fence and never understood why. Even the plans for the table says this:

*Typically, I like to use a table
saw to cut a bevel on a workpiece.
But trying to bevel the
bottom side of the sofa table top
created a problem. It just wasn't
safe to stand this large panel on
end and use the table saw.*

So, can you help me with why I cannot just take 6-7 degrees off my vertical TS blade and run the board through the saw?


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## C_PLUS_Woodworker (Jun 10, 2010)

Duplicate Post


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

You can only set the blade to 45 degree you can't get it to 6-7 deg.

So what you do is put the board on edge and cut it at around 83 deg. Just a slight adjustment from the 90 degree it is normally set at.

Send me your email address in a message and I'll send you an article that shows it.


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

I'm not so sure I'd want to run a 50" tall tabletop on edge through the tablesaw.

What I would do is to make an external fence and sub-base for your router, with the subbase set at the desired 7-8 degree angle. Use your straight bit and go slow. If you use a tall fence underneath the base, you shouldn't have any problems with the router tipping.


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## C_PLUS_Woodworker (Jun 10, 2010)

Man, I am really hung up on this.

I just do not understand why I cannot just set my blade at 83 degrees and run the board through flat


> ?


??

Wouldn't that give me a 7 degree chamfer?

I must be slow slow slow

I am going out into the shop right now and run a scrap piece through at 83 degrees.

Thanks guys


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## GregInMaryland (Mar 11, 2010)

Perhaps hand planes and a marking gauge are the solution?

Greg


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

I second Greg's idea. Get a plane with a fence and add

an angled block to it and bevel away.

Mine's a block plane with a fence and a piece of maple.


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

> Man, I am really hung up on this.
> 
> I just do not understand why I cannot just set my blade at 83 degrees and run the board through flat
> 
> ...


We are talking about different 7 degrees. What you are referencing the 7 degrees is off the vertical (end grain) face. What Karson is talking about is referencing it off of the bottom face. So, it is a very long taper that reaches under the table.


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## retfr8flyr (Oct 30, 2013)

Maybe this will help. http://www.woodsmithtips.com/2014/09/11/bevel-cutting-router-jig/?autostart=true&utm_source=WoodsmithTips&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8585


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

Thank you, Earl. That was what I was trying to describe in my first post.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

yes the angle is anywhere fron 6 to 15 deg depending how far you want the bevel to go under the edge.

I'm not sure what the angle is here because this is a deep 1" top. the visible edge is 1/2" and it goes back about 1 13/8"


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Nothing real fancy to this one









Just mark how much of a bevel you want









Hand plane at a diagonal to the end grain until the bevel is done on the end grain, rotate









and do the long grain sides. Table top bottom edges…or raised panels, all the same. I used a Stanley 5-1/4 Junior Jack plane. Clean up with a low angle block plane.


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## C_PLUS_Woodworker (Jun 10, 2010)

Back from the shop

*I am now a true believer in the tall fence*

Intuition is a confusing thing to move off of sometimes, and that is what was screwing me up.

*Karson*, thanks for your patience and input

*jmartel *and *retfr8flyr*......... you will find it interesting that this EXACT tilted router jig is part of the instructions in the Table Plans. I just thought I knew better. makes sense since I used their plans.

Oh Well.

Also, thank you *Bandit*

*Karson*, is making such a small camfer on a large piece utilizing a TS tall fence at 83 degrees going to be an easy set-up or lots of trial and error and sneaking up on the cut? I did not try doing that in my shop just now cuz I have used my sacrificial fence so much that when I just dropped it (clumsy) it broke.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

You set your fence where you have maybe 3/4" gap between your fence and the blade.

Note: you want the blade to be tipped away from the fence. If your blade is right tipped and the fence is normally on the right, you will want to move the fence to the left of the blade. You don't want the piece that you are cutting off to be trapped between the blade and the fence.

You need to make the two marks on your board at the 1/2" and also where you want the bevel to end. you set the blade at maybe a 25 angle or 65 if you are using a Wixey gauge. do a trial cut. It would be nice if you have a piece of scrap the same thickness as your top.

What you want to do is make trial cuts to get to the correct thickness and the correct angle before you do it on the real table top.

Make your adjustments to get to the final thickness and also make small changes to your blade angle to get the cutting up toward your final cut line. The angle might be between 6 and 15 degrees. so don't worry about the exact angle. What you want to do is work your way up to the marks that you want on thickness of the finished top and where the taper should end.

Once you've hit those marks then start on the table top. Hold it steady while cutting on the short side so it stays straight up and down.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

With a 50" tabletop, it is easier to bring the tool to the workpiece. I would use a handheld router and cut counterclockwise, end grain first. You can cut a 45 degree chamfer, or choose a bit with a shallow angle. The bit needs a bearing to follow the edge of the table. For absolute control, use an oversized base on your router.









While a router won't cut the steep angles shown in the pictures above, it achieves a similar effect. I guess it depends on the look you are after.


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

> While a router won t cut the steep angles shown in the pictures above, it achieves a similar effect. I guess it depends on the look you are after.
> 
> - pintodeluxe


Sure it will, if you make a jig like what was shown earlier in this thread.


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