How to cut a 90 degree notch in log trim to go on outside corner of furniture?
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Replies
I don't understand your question. By "log trim" do you mean a half-round piece cut from rough stock? Where, on this piece, do you want the "notch"? What sort of furniture are you putting this on?
Clarification
Imagine a chest of drawers. I want to cut a 3" or so diameter log so that it trims the corners vertically from top to bottom of the corner. The 90 degree notch will fit over the corner of the chest so that only the log shows. Thanks.
EZ Smart Circular Saw Guide
I would stabilize the workpiece, clamp it down well on the bench. Then, with clamps and wedges, I would work out a way to use my circular saw set to the correct depth of cut, in coombination with my EZ Smart saw guide.
This is one of my most-used tools !
http://www.core77.com/blog/featured_items/the_ez_smart_woodworking_system_10777.asp
Greg
Another option is to clamp it down, put a piece of plywood over it, and run a router across.
Make a 3-sided cradlle about
Using 3/4" plywood, make a 3-sided cradlle about a foot longer than the log.
Make it about a half inch wider than the log, and have the sides be just about 1/8" above the log's height as it lays in the cradle.
Wedge the log tight to one side of the cradle.
Clamp or double-stick tape a fence to the shoe of your circular saw, which will run against the side of the cradle. Position the fence so that the blade is where you want the cut.
Make the first cut.
Rotate the log 90 degrees, using the first cut as a reference line.
Repeat wedging, and possibly reposition fence, if needed.
Clean up, if needed, with a shoulder rabbet plane if you have one, or with chisel, sander, or teeth.
A saw or chisel works for me, - if really rustic, 2 strokes with a sharp hatchet will do the trick.
What you need to do is make the round irregular log into a square smooth one... easier than it sounds! All you need to do is cut a pair of square blocks out of plywood and attach them to each end of the log. These give you the edges you will be defining against. You need an infeed and outfeed table for this - probably a continous sacrificial feed table (1/4" plywood sheet across the saww blade butted to the fence, then raise the blade to cut through it)
So if you have a 3" diameter log, you attach a 4" square to both ends. Make sure you set both ends flat on a surface so they are aligned, then screw them to the log. Set the blade depth for 2" (plus 1/4") and the fence for 2". First pass makes the cut down the center of the log, then you sen it through again after rotating the piece 90 degrees to make the other cut. You now have a straight even cut through your log.
Yours is the same process that first came to my mind. Your explanation is far better than I could have come up with. Good.
But a word of caution to the OP: this process, although seemingly straightforward, is fraught with peril. You will be advancing a rather complicated assembly through your table saw. If anything can go wrong... it will. Be doubly or triply sure of your jig and keep your hands and body out of harms reach. If you have access to a sliding table saw then that will make things go smoother.
Be careful. If you have any unease, then don't do it.
Actually, you raise a great point. It would be far better to mount the log on a sled, then run the sled through the saw
Yeah, that's what I'd probably do, if the "log" was at all irregular -- find a narrow scrap of plywood or 1x that's as long as the "log" and fasten together somehow. Put the plywood/1x against the fence. In fact, I suppose you could use a piece of 2x and fasten the "log" to the side of it.
I'd still just whack it with an ax,
of course, that would take some basic level of skill?
Were you planning to use the pointy end?
Hmm, les see
one end it the handle, wont use tht.
other end has 2 of these about 3-4" wide blade type of thingys, one really sharp the other been in the dirt and not so sharp
should I use the sharp one?
Kidding aside, ya ever watch the old woodworkers program from williamsburg? Enough skill in some of the guy's hand to get as near of clean, accurate notch cut with a double bit afore ya could even go find the plywood for the 'sled' or plug in a big router.
Always could bolt it down to mah Tree 425 cnc mill too..... use a Tree to cut a tree, hah , hah.....
I don't think you'd use an axe, though -- you'd use some sort of adze.
I would add ...
I would add long strips of plywood the same width as your square piece on the ends of the log running from one square to the other. This basically turns your log into a square piece of wood. Then if your log is only three feet long or so you don't need an infeed or and outfeed table. Of course one needs to be careful where one places teh screws to attach the jig to the log so as to not run you rblade into them.
Adze would be best, but an axe or hatchet would work too. A chisel and maul would work OK. Heck it could be burnt out and scraped with a sharp rock also.
I'd go with the sled and tablesaw or circ saw if the blade were large enough to do the job.
Of course, the other option is to halve and then quarter the workpiece, then glue two of the pieces back together.
Yes, that's not a bad way to go, but I assume it would be harder to produce a rustic looking product that way. It would have a rather obvious or at least detectable glue line.
I rented a KOA cabin one time that had machine made log furniture in it. It still gave a rustic feel though.