Quote:
Originally Posted by Viking
I'd be interested in hearing other ways of doing this, as this seems a bit hazardous to my fingers.
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There are many ways to shape the arch into the braces.
One way is to make up a jig for use with either a disk or belt sander. Clamp the stack of braces to the jig, which has the desired curvature profile on the front of it, and present the curved profile to a long stop in front of the disk or belt. The braces overhand the stop to touch the sanding disk/belt. Then just sand until no more sands off and you have the perfect curvature. Works well, takes 2 minutes.
Another way is to create a jig to use with a router and template bit. Downside is that it can tear the wood, or go at it from the center outwards.
Another way is for those that use arched dishes, just run the brace back and forth on the sandpaper-covered surface of the dish.
Another way is to arch the braces one at a time, placing them in a vice and using a block plane to get the curvature close to a drawn line, then finish off on sandpaper.
Another way that I use these days is to make a fixture that clamps several braces at once. It is exactly sized to fit the width of my block plane. The edges of the bottom of the block plane, to the sides of the blade, ride on a curved surface that is the exact curvature I want. Run the block plane back and forth. When it stops cutting, the braces are ready to glue. Takes about 2 minutes, perfect every time.
One I haven't tried, but would probably work, is to setup a shooting board that has the desired curvature in it for the plane to follow. That would be quick and easy, once the setup is created.
Of course, these days, there is also the possibility of using a CNC machine. Unless I'm doing a lot of them, I can probably do it faster with my block plane fixture.
I'm sure there are other methods, limited only by one's ingenuity.