# Cutting a really wide chamfer?



## jdmaher (May 4, 2011)

How to cut a really wide chamfer?

This is for the top of "sideboard" (that will actually be used to store AV electronics). The top is 50" long and 18" wide and 1-1/8" thick. I want to cut a wide chamfer of about 8.5 degrees on three edges. That will leave 3/4" cut edge thickness, and provide a chamfer about 2.5" wide.

For the long dimension, I'll put a nice high support on the fence, crank in the angle and run it along. Probably do it in at least two passes to "sneak up" on a nice finished cut.

Here's the problem: in my basement shop, I don't have the ceiling height to use the same technique for the width edges.

I'm sorta thinking circular saw. I guess I could clamp the board, upright, to the railing on the deck, along with a "box" to provide surface area for the base of the saw. Then do the same thing: set an angle and "sneak up" on the cut.

But that seems like a kludge.

Am I overlooking a nice, safe, easy answer?


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## Nick_R (Jul 7, 2012)

Sounds like a tough one.. This sounds stupid, but can you lay your router table on its side?


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## Murdock (Aug 7, 2011)

I had the same problem recently on a buffet table I was helping with. Sadly we ended up taking it to a cabinet shop to have it done. I think we paid them $20 or $30 to do it. We had to call 4 shops before we found one that would even entertain the idea.

Circular saw can work if you have a steady hand even if you are using a strait edge.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Nice, safe, easy.

Hand plane.

Piece of cake.


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

I use hand planes to do chamfers that size, safe, quiet, less dust.

Otherwise, if you have a router, see if you can find a bit that would work, though the smallest I've seen is 11.25 degree… or you could go with a really large bit (such as panel raiser) but those are expensive. And you'd need a variable speed router.

edit: Michael beat me to it on the hand plane


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## jdmaher (May 4, 2011)

Handplane, huh?

You know, I got me some of them, but I almost never use them. My hand skills - well, let's see, what's the word?, oh yeah! - SUCK!!!

Actually, my hand skills are pretty non-existent. It always seems easier to set up a machine, and there'e that illusion of precision. Plus, I fear making a mess of really nice figured cherry. Still, that's probably the right thing to do . . .

I did think about a panel-raising bit on the router table set up with an outrigger, but for two cuts, that seems excessive.

Maybe its time to try hand-planing . . .


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Handplane. Use a marking gauge to mark your lines on top and edge, and go to town. Easy, safe and deliberate…

EDIT: Oh, and precision? No equal to a smoothing plane that can take a thou here and there…


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Snap some chalk lines, hack off most of the material with a drawknife,
move to a hand plane or a shinto saw-rasp, then to finer files, then
sand with a block.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

You might be able to pull this off with a raised panel bit on a router table


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Quick and easy with a hand plane…hog off most of the material like Loren said, though I'd use the circ saw for that.


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## Gshepherd (May 16, 2012)

Do you have a sliding miter saw?Cut Flip to do the other side. Of course you will have to sneak up on the second cut but you can be surprised how close you will get it.


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## Wdwerker (Apr 14, 2012)

Make a jig and use a router. Rip some large angled wedges to put under a jig. A hinge mortise bit or something that will leave a flat bottom cut. Then sand untill it matches the front bevel.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Start out at the edge, where you want the champfer to go. Angle a handplane so that it cuts at a diagonal to the direction you will be going. Also lay the plane at the angle of the champfer. First pass will just take off a thin ribbon. Next pass, the ribbon gets a bit wider. And so on until the champfer is finished, in maybe 10 minute per.

Go to my project gallery. Look up a "TV Table' , made from red wood, cedar I think it was. All the edges were done this way. With a simple #3 smooth plane.

Note: when doing this, make sure the front"knob" is hanging over the edge. You want to go along at angle.


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## casual1carpenter (Aug 16, 2011)

mount the circular saw to a table / workbench set angle so as to rotate the circular saw not the table top. or mount the saw base 90 degrees to table dial in angle with saw tilt.


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## 1yeldud1 (Jan 26, 2010)

any chance you could just roll your table saw outside and find a way to support the work piece upright while making these 2 cuts ?


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

You could have it done in the time it takes to read all these responses. (with #6 or #7), plane that is.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Amen, cabmaker. There's definitely a reluctance to integrate (acknowledge!) hand tools out there…


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

what's the reluctance to a hand p[lane? Sometimes the simplest answer is the simplest answer. But be careful. Once you use one, you'll want to use it again…..and again…. and soon, your power bill will have been cut in half.


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## jdmaher (May 4, 2011)

1yeldud1,

No, the Unisaw ain't moving from the basement. My son-in-law (a VERY big steelworker) moved it down there, but they'll have to figure out how to get it out when I'm gone.

All y'all with the handplave advice are right. I just lack experience and confidence.

I'll sharpen up the some irons and have a go at some scrap. I'm sure once I get the hang of it . . .


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

Jim, on a large chamfer I would agree with Smitty and cabmaker, use a large plane # 6 or #7. I would even go a bit further and use a jointer gauge. You can attach a beveled piece of stock to the gauge to help guide it.
kevin


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I may be missing the boat here but why can't you use a sled or miter extension to cut the end bevels on the Unisaw? Tilt the blade to the appropriate angle, clamp the long piece securely to the sled or miter extension, and crosscut your bevel?


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## davidroberts (Nov 8, 2008)

Dang gfadvm, I almost copied you word for word, and actually thought I was reading my own post for misspelling when I saw your "I'll try to be nicer…". I had one of those moments. It was even down to the "OK, I'm missing something here."

So to start over, I'm missing something here. Is there a space problem with hanging a 4' long board 2 feet or so off the side of your tablesaw? Like an immovable object on both sides? Like gfa said, clamp a straight edge at 90 degrees to the length of the board, and slide it along the edge of your tablesaw. Just keep the board pressed down while making he cut. Ditto for the other side. I'm pretty sure the edge of your table saw is pretty much parallel (within a degree) to your saw blade A 2×4 works well. At that length it doesn't really need to be jointed. Slap on some paste wax and buff, do this on the straight edge and edge of table saw. I used this method twice before I built my sled. You can clamp a support on a set of saw horses, if you have the room and feel uncomfortable holding the board down under pressure and moving it forward at the same time through the cut. But really the center of gravity, the tipping point, is not that bad. Cut slow and steady. You'll be amazed at how nice it will come out. You can always use a cheap piece of pine or ply to practice on first.


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## jdmaher (May 4, 2011)

gfadnm & david,

Since I'm "geometrically challenged", I'm sure I'm the one who's missing something. Here's a picture.

Right-tilt limit is 45 degrees. I'd have to take it down to 8.5 degrees, or stand th board up. No?


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## Wdwerker (Apr 14, 2012)

Cut some angle wedges for your cross cut sled to tip the panel up to 8.5 degrees when your blade is tipped to 45


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I am thinking that "standing the board up" is the most sane and safe procedure. Granted personally, my only chamfer experience is with 45-degree chamfer bit cuts on a router table.

Jim I do have to say that it appears to me, that your illustration in post #23, would likely result in serious kickback due to the "pinch" factor of the cut being "under" the blade by 82 degrees. Correct me if I am wrong here, but…


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## jdmaher (May 4, 2011)

Although I haven't done it yet, my intention is to cut the end chamfers using a #7 Stanley, by hand. I have practiced, and its not hard and the results look good. So that's what I'm gonna do.

But I WOULD like to understand if there is a good, safe, easy way to do this on the tablesaw, 'cause - really - I AM geometrically challenged and I often can't envison what's obvious to others.

Mike,

I agree. Standing it up is best, IF I had the headroom. That IS what I'll do on the length.

However, I think you make a good point about pinch. The board in the diagram should have been shown flipped over and to the left of the blade, which I believe would minimize that problem.

Wdwerker,

Maybe that's the point I was missing. Make a sled that holds the board at an angle LESS than 90 degrees, and use the blade tilt to make up the difference. I'll try to think that through so I understand it, but I guess that's what would work.

However, in the real world, I'm just gonna plane the end chamfers. That's something I can DEFINITELY do safely, and in less time than I could build a sled.

Thanks to everyone for all the input. My brain just don't wrap itself around some of the geometry, so I proceed from the concept that the only stupid question is the one I DON'T ask.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Jim,
I take back a little in that I have made raised panels on the TS. While I "got away with it" using only my stock height fence, making a higher fence for such angled cuts would be much better and less stressful IMO. Just an idea…


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## ChrisK (Dec 18, 2009)

Jim,

Just looking at the piece you described in CAD. I think the hand plane is the way to go, ans I am not a big hand plane guy either. But the sled and table saw will take a fair amount of time to build and make safe. Boat builders use hand planes to scarf plywood all the time. You might want to look at some the guide they use to cut an even chamfer across a wide piece of ply. They go for 8 to 12 times the thickness. I would try to use this as an opportunity to buy a power plane.

The piece will look nice with the shallow angle and deep cut.


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## Wdwerker (Apr 14, 2012)

If you are going to plane the chamfers use a couple of scraps cut to the proper angle above and below to make a guide ramp type jig . It could keep you from getting crooked or cutting too deep. I would make the blank for the top an inch or so longer and wider than needed. If you mess up on the first beveled end you have some room to trim and try again. Then trim the length, plane the other end and rip any tearout off before ripping the front bevel last
. You could also plane a longer end bevel and trim to establish the exact width and cross-section needed.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I'd mark the lines and use a hand plane. This is one case where using hand tools would be faster than a machine set up. Of course you have to have a tuned up plane w/ sharp iron.


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## OggieOglethorpe (Aug 15, 2012)

I'd hand plane it, but since that may be off the table… Try this:

Whip up a router sled that allows a hand held router to run back and forth on MDF rails, with a straight bit.

Think "Large board flattening with a router", but make your sled to hold the router uneven.

This could be as simple as two 3/4" MDF strips and carpet tape, one strip gets taped to the work, the other taped to the bench. Set your bit height to blend off on the top of the chanfer, and you're good to go. Taking light cuts, work back and forth, lowering the bit until you get to where you want. Use a plunge router with a turret for repeatability at both ends.

Depending on the width of the chamfer and your router base, you may need to tape an MDF subbase to the router, in order to bridge the gap. between the rails.

Be wary of bit rotation at the edges, and clean up with a sanding block.

All in all, you can set this up in 30 minutes, or so…


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## jdmaher (May 4, 2011)

Wdwerker,

Yea, I was wonderin' about that. The first practice piece I did was kinda all over the place. Second was better. Third was pretty good.

I thought about gettin' a #386 plane gauge, but the last couple sold on eBay went for about $100. Practice is cheaper. But I could make a guide board, clamp it on the top side and clamp an outrigger to the #7. Hmmm. . .

The top is glued up already, with the best boards I had. Its only about an inch longer and only 3/4 inch wider than finish size, and that's probably just enough fudge if the case turns out a smidge large. Those were the boards I had. That's why I'm thinkin' carefully and practicing (I really don't want to ruin these biards!).

Bondo,

I've got a good plane. And I'm gettin' better at sharpening with each practice piece. By the end of this, I ought to be semi-competent with that hand plane.

Thanks!


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Sorry Jim, I didn't realize the angle of cut you needed. In view of this I would use a sled and wedge the piece to the desired angle, clamp, and tablesaw it. But then I'm not a hand tool guy.


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

You can always remove a lot of the wood with the tablesaw first. Get a scrap piece the same width as your top and draw the exact same angle/chamfer on it and move the fence right next to the blade and set the blade high enough that it almost touches your final angle, the the scrap to make sure you're close but not dead on or over. After each cut move the fence away and drop the blade always using the scrap piece to make sure it is enough. When you're done you should have your angle visible as a series of small steps. Then just clean it up with the plane following the chamfer you created; even though a plane can make a nice one on its own two of them that are 2.5" wide and 18" long seems like a little much to tackle with just a plane and only a little experience.


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## davidroberts (Nov 8, 2008)

Sorry about that jd. My mind only saw 8.5 degrees off vertical, not horizontal. Not trusting my handplane skills, I would try Wdwerkers idea and build a wedge the width of the board, and put the wedge on a flat board with a hook, like a bench hook, to run along the edge of the TS. You could then clamp the board to the wedge for a strong hold. A standard sled will not work with the angle you need to cut. Flip the board over and stay on the obtuse side of the blade.


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

On second thought, tilt the blade to the angle you want and set it up with a dado blade, just attach a sacrifice fence to your regular fence and throw a featherboard on it for good measure. Set the blade so the tip of the top tooth is at 3/8" high and just peeking out of the sacrifice fence, set the featherboard to keep your top down. Run the two ends through, then drop the blade down a little and move the fence. Use lots of marked scrap pieces and sneak up on each cut. The plus is that you could do all the sides like this at the same time rather then standing the board on end so that if you didn't get it exactly the angle you wanted all 4 sides would be the exact same meaning no discernible error. Could probably just clean up with sandpaper and not even need the plane.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

I would *NOT* consider a raised panel bit! These things are large and should not be used them in a handheld router.


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