BAND SAW COMPOUND CURVES
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| To ensure an identical layout on the two sides, I use a hardboard template when marking the curves. | Make the first cut in one, even go. Getting close to your layout lines is ideal, but be sure to stay on the waste side. |
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| Tape your cutoff back on for support when making the second cut. A few pieces of double-sided tape secure the workpiece and cutoffs. | Finish out the shape of the curves at the spindle sander. Long, even motions will make for smooth, elegant curves. |
BAND SAWN CURVES
When I first watched someone pull this little trick, I was amazed that I hadn’t thought of it first. The photos above show how to cut compound curves — that is, curves across multiple faces. The leg above is one that I intended to carve, but I’m no Michelangelo, and I don’t want to spend my whole shop day chipping away at one chunk of wood. Instead, I let the band saw do the work so I could get to the fun parts.
LAYOUT.
When laying out a compound curve, I use a hard-board template. This ensures an identical shape on both faces. When marking the second face, be sure the flat side of the template is registering against the same corner as it did on the first cut. Otherwise, your leg won’t come out as planned.
CUTTING.
Make the first cut in one, even go. As you can see in Step 2, I started from the end to avoid any skipping across the side as the cut began. After finishing the first cut, tape the cutoff back on to use as a support for the second pass. A few strips of double-sided tape work well, as they’ll hold both the workpiece and cutoff piece together throughout the cut. After the second cut, remove the cutoff and tape so you can sand your roughed-out blank.
SPINDLE SANDING.
With a piece that’s curved on two adjacent faces, a flush-trim bit isn’t an option (not to mention the thickness of leg I had above). Instead, I use the spindle sander to clean up the blade marks and achieve the final shape (Step 4). Even strokes across the whole curve will yield the best results. After some sanding, you’ll be left with smooth, clean curves.
