Shopsmith Forums

Go for it Al. The moulding will actually be no problem. I have done it several times in the past. It is a series of router jigs and templates which are not that difficult to build. When you break it down to its components the moulding is a matter of the right router, bits and an assortment of French curves to make the templates. Invest in a sheet of 3/4 particle board, 1/2" plywood and a bunch of 1 1/4 dry wall screws. Each aspect of the moulding will take multiple passes with the router using the different profiles to create the moulding. It's actually simpler than it sounds. Turning and carving the spindles on the top will probably be the biggest challenge and not the moulding. I will be glad to walk you through it step by step.
Paul

masonsailor2 wrote:Go for it Al. The moulding will actually be no problem. I have done it several times in the past. It is a series of router jigs and templates which are not that difficult to build. When you break it down to its components the moulding is a matter of the right router, bits and an assortment of French curves to make the templates. Invest in a sheet of 3/4 particle board, 1/2" plywood and a bunch of 1 1/4 dry wall screws. Each aspect of the moulding will take multiple passes with the router using the different profiles to create the moulding. It's actually simpler than it sounds. Turning and carving the spindles on the top will probably be the biggest challenge and not the moulding. I will be glad to walk you through it step by step.
Paul

Be careful, I may take you up on that!

As for finials, I may cheat! Although the photo shows wooden finials, by the time I was born my Grandfather replaced his with brass ones! So I may do the same.

With your SS and a router combined you can make some really cool finials. It's a combo of both tools using an indexing wheel for the SS which is easyl to make and you can turn out really detailed finials.
Paul

I expect
To use a jig like that to cut the flutes in the columns.

Yes it's the same basic concept. Just smaller bits.
Paul

While researching the building of the swan's neck/goose neck molding (moulding), I came across a reference to a jig shown in an old Shopsmith Hands On magazine. Here's what was described:

I checked the Hands On magazines that are on line on the Shopsmith site and, unfortunately, the article isn't in there (there is a grandfather clock build article but the approach for the swan's neck molding is different than the quote, above).

If anybody has a set of the old Hands On mags and wants a research project, I would be very interested in seeing the jig and description of its use.

beeg wrote:Where there any footnote/credit as to which issue it was in?

No, unfortunately it is an old thread and the person who posted about it didn't say the issue/year.

Al, I just reviewed Chapter 6 in How to Master the Radial Saw, and it does appear that Wally's technique can be adapted to a Shopsmith. The really nice thing is that the curved molding is completely machined to final shape. No hand-smoothing of straight-bit steps required.

Wally mounts a molder head to the RAS arbor, and points the arbor straight down, just like a SS in drill-press mode. Then he basically turns the machine into a large-scale overarm pin router, by mounting a "rub collar" to the table, on axis with the arbor. But the "rub collar" actually functions as the pin in an OPR setup ... it rubs against a template fastened to the underside of the workpiece. You choose the collar diameter based on the cutting diameter of the molder knife being used, and on the desired profile depth of that cut. As usual, you can use several molder knives in combination to machine complex molding profiles.

Now, I'm not sure that I'd be comfortable running a molder head in drill-press mode, although I can't see why it would be any better or worse than doing it on a RAS. On a Shopsmith, of course, you also have the option of using shaper bits. The same technique could be used with those, but I think that the arbor nut could interfere with the workpiece if the molding profile has a deep step.

This will probably make a lot more sense when you get your copy of the book.

BuckeyeDennis wrote:Al, I just reviewed Chapter 6 in How to Master the Radial Saw, and it does appear that Wally's technique can be adapted to a Shopsmith. The really nice thing is that the curved molding is completely machined to final shape. No hand-smoothing of straight-bit steps required.

Wally mounts a molder head to the RAS arbor, and points the arbor straight down, just like a SS in drill-press mode. Then he basically turns the machine into a large-scale overarm pin router, by mounting a "rub collar" to the table, on axis with the arbor. But the "rub collar" actually functions as the pin in an OPR setup ... it rubs against a template fastened to the underside of the workpiece. You choose the collar diameter based on the cutting diameter of the molder knife being used, and on the desired profile depth of that cut. As usual, you can use several molder knives in combination to machine complex molding profiles.

Now, I'm not sure that I'd be comfortable running a molder head in drill-press mode, although I can't see why it would be any better or worse than doing it on a RAS. On a Shopsmith, of course, you also have the option of using shaper bits. The same technique could be used with those, but I think that the arbor nut could interfere with the workpiece if the molding profile has a deep step.

This will probably make a lot more sense when you get your copy of the book.

I'm looking forward to reading about it.