Cutting Semi-Circular Grooves

[Andy Kev.]

I've recently bought the Veritas bar gauge set and thought it would be a good exercise to try to make a tailor made box to house it. The set consists of 8 mm diameter bars and other bits of various shapes and sizes. My initial thought is to use a router plane to cut 9 or 10 mm grooves. Given that the bars are circular in cross section, I thought that the next step would be to take a gouge to the grooves to give them a semi- circular cross section.

If a gouge is indeed the right thing to use, can anybody recommend a make, model and size? I appreciate that somebody might have a much better method of doing this than what I've just written and suggestions will be gladly accepted. I want to avoid using electric tools.

Thanks in advance.

 

[marcros]

core box router bit?

 

[Trafalgar]

I've recently bought the Veritas bar gauge set and thought it would be a good exercise to try to make a tailor made box to house it. The set consists of 8 mm diameter bars and other bits of various shapes and sizes. My initial thought is to use a router plane to cut 9 or 10 mm grooves. Given that the bars are circular in cross section, I thought that the next step would be to take a gouge to the grooves to give them a semi- circular cross section.

If a gouge is indeed the right thing to use, can anybody recommend a make, model and size? I appreciate that somebody might have a much better method of doing this than what I've just written and suggestions will be gladly accepted. I want to avoid using electric tools.

Thanks in advance.

If you want to do this with hand tools then use a Stanley 66 or a shop-made scratch.

 

[AndyT]

Do the grooves really need to be semicircular? An ordinary plough plane would give you a suitable square bottomed groove which would hold your bars snugly.

You could use a fluting blade in a combi plane if you really wanted, or else just carve them with a gouge if you like. Roy Underhill does some freehand fluting on a pine cupboard using a flexible paring gouge but I can't find the link just now.

 

[undergroundhunter]

Why not just grind a plough blade to the radius of the bars if you are really set on having a semicircular grove, but as stated above a flat bottomed grove would be fine.

Matt

 

[xy mosian]

I agree with Andy, except I would go for 'V' grooves. I have a problem with accessory, and tool cases, close fitting recesses always seem to get full of bits etc..
xy

 

[Cheshirechappie]

....or make a shallow 'conventional' box and glue stripwood dividers in place as required.

 

[charvercarver]

If you want to do this with hand tools then use a Stanley 66 or a shop-made scratch.

I second the scratch stock idea, cheapest easiest way.

 

[Peter Sefton]

If you want to do this with hand tools then use a Stanley 66 or a shop-made scratch.

I second the scratch stock idea, cheapest easiest way.

+1 Keep it simple
Peter

 

[Andy Kev.]

Thanks for the replies and ideas. I think I'll get a bit of scrap and cut some rectangular and some V grooves to see how they are and I'll play about with a scratch stock a bit.

Undergroundhunter: that's a clever idea about grinding a plough blade but I haven't got a grinder and as I'm a relative beginner I'll stick with the simpler suggestions for the moment.

 

[undergroundhunter]

Undergroundhunter: that's a clever idea about grinding a plough blade but I haven't got a grinder and as I'm a relative beginner I'll stick with the simpler suggestions for the moment.

Fair comment, thinking about it I would only do that if I had a lot of groves to make probably not just for one job, for this I would use the scratch stock.

Matt