Removing sharp edges

[CrealBilly]

Curious how you guys go about the mundane task of removing sharp edges. I take a piece of sandpaper to em but I dislike sanding :eusa_booh so is there a better way? like a 1/32" roundover router bit or something.

Thanks

 

[rbdoby]

I use my small block plane. One of the handiest tool I own.

Rick Doby

 

[timf67]

I use a block plane as well, but it will leave a chamfer that I usually soften with sanding. you can also use one of these:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=45501&cat=1,41182

But you have to be careful of grain orientation or you get severe tear-out.

 

[Tom Dunn]

A router would have put perfect 45 degreee edges on a chest I was building, but I, like RD, chose to use a block plane. Result was FAR from perfect, but hey, it's "handcrafted" ya know? :wink_smil

 

[Ozzie-x]

Sharp accurate tools will certainly make some sharp corners and edges on your work. Typically, the first step in my finishing is to work Danish oil into the workpiece with 320 or 400 wet-or-dry. This is when I relieve the corners and edges. As others said, a sanding block or block plane would be fine too and I also use those for some applications. Particularly the block plane can provide minor or extreme easing.

 

[FredP]

sand paper or drag em across the floor.:rotflm:

 

[ashley_phil]

find a 4 yr old and give them a hammer!


no in all seriousness i used a block plane to smooth all the edges on the one piece of nice work i've ever done.

 

[Joe Scharle]

Did you loose your round-over bit?

 

[Bas]

You can get a 1/16" roundover bit, that's the smallest I've seen it. That's not much of a rounding though. The effort in chucking up the bit, messing with the power cord and tidying up far exceeds running a piece of 180 grit sandpaper along the edge.

 

[Gofor]

Sharp block plane set for a light cut most of the time, but also use wood block with 220 grit to get up next to corners. With a light cut set on the plane, you can get a nice "rounded" edge effect. I tried cabinet scraper, but it was too aggressive. Possibly one with a squared edge but without a burr would work but I have not tried it.

Go

 

[Trent Mason]

If I want a slight roundover, I use some 250 grit on the ROS and carefully form the roundover. If I want a bigger roundover, I use, well, a roundover bit. :gar-La;

 

[Robert Arrowood]

You can take a piece of PVC pipe cut it down the middle.Wrap your preferred grit of sand paper into the concave and go to town.

 

[Tarhead]

http://www.fastcap.com/fastbreak.aspx
Courtesy of the Woodcraft goody bag.

 

[PeteQuad]

I was going to post what Mark did, it's brand new though so I haven't actually tried it yet (OK once on a piece of scrap ). Usually I use a block plane or a roundover bit. Sometimes sandpaper. Depends on my mood

 

[CrealBilly]

Dang a lot of replies - from dragging boards across the floor, kids with hammers, old and new fanged gadgets. Never knew there was so many ways to remove sharp edges

 

[JackLeg]

Most of the time I just knock them off with whatever ROS is handy.

 

[Charles Lent]

I sometimes use the other methods provided here, when the edge of a special board has to be rounded just right, but for the most part I just grab this trusty tool. It's perfect for most of my edge rounding needs.

I use a 3X21" sander belt with a piece of 1/2" plywood (with rounded ends) sized to just fit inside the belt tightly enough so that it doesn't fall out when you set it down. It usually has a 100 grit belt on it, but I sometimes change it to other grits depending on the job. I use it much like a file, scraping it across the edge toward the end or side of the piece. A few quick rubs and the fuzzies are gone and the edge has been slightly rounded. I sometimes even slide it sideways or on a diagonal. It fits well in my hand and is comfortable enough for several hours of continuous use at a time.

This is not an original idea. I picked it up while working with some cabinetmakers many years ago.

Charley

 

[dkeller_nc]

If you hate sanding (so do I), and just want to break the edge a bit, I'd highly suggest getting an inside-curve cabinet scraper and learn to sharpen it and draw a hook. Properly sharpened, this method has a lot of advantages over a block plane or a ROS. ROS can be very agressive on corners, and it's easy to very quickly remove more than you wanted to. It's also not so easy to get a consistent roundover along a long edge.

A block plane is a good method, but the configuration of the boards in the project and/or how figured they are sensitively affects whether this is a good tool to use for the purpose or not. Occasionally (often) you find that the board's configuration in the project makes it impossible to plane with the grain, or the wood is figured enough that there isn't a "plane with the grain" direction. Under those circumstances, you can tear out an edge pretty easily. A scraper, by nature of its cutting angle, doesn't do this. And they're dirt cheap - about $8 at woodcraft.

 

[Jeff]

Dang a lot of replies - from dragging boards across the floor, kids with hammers, old and new fanged gadgets. Never knew there was so many ways to remove sharp edges

Hey Jeff, have you ever skinned a cat? :help:

 

[FredP]

if you go the drag it on the floor method you should know that concrete floors take off more material faster than wood floors.:rotflm: