deskjob Posted July 27, 2020 Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 Hello all! I'm finishing up a large L-Shaped desk and I'd like to add a chamfer to the front edge of my desk. It's a relatively large chamfer, 5/8" x 2", so using a hand router is not practical. I think a circular saw would work pretty well, the chamfer angle is 15 degrees, and I can set the circular saw to that angle. Where it gets tricky is the angled section of the front edge. I can't really get at that area with the circular saw. Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated! Here is a screenshot of my project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted July 27, 2020 Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 Ok the circ saw will work good for the straight parts the rest is hand work, I would draw the edges of the chamfer on the work piece, getting the majority of the material off staying away from the lines with a chisel I would fine tune the rest with a rasp and then finish up with a file and, sandpaper. Practice on some scrap to refine your technique good luck. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deskjob Posted July 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2020 Thanks for your reply Dave! That's what I was afraid of (I'm under a time constraint), but was hoping there'd be some trick with a powertool I didn't know/think about. Thankfully the section in question isn't terribly large, so it won't be that time consuming. If you think of anything else, I'm all ears! As it stands, I think the chisel route is going to turn out the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 I like the rasp idea for the bulk of the work and then switch to a spoke shave and hand chisel. Take your time and watch the grain direction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted July 28, 2020 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 You might do it with a router, using a long straigh bit, and an angled base. But you also could have cut the whole thing with hand tools in the time it took to collect these answers... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G Ragatz Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 I don't think I've ever seen a circular saw that could cut that bevel with the saw plate on the flat of the desk. I guess you could clamp some blocking to the underside of the top and cut with the plate on that blocking to get the angle you're after, but even then, it would only work well for one wing of the desk or the other, because the saw won't tilt the right way for the other wing. I think I'd go with a block plane for the bulk of the stock removal and finish with a rasp and/or chisel. @Ronn Wsuggests a spoke shave, which could be useful, too - I always seem to have a hard time getting a flat surface with one. Bottom line is, I'm with @wtnhighlander- it'll be a lot faster to do the whole job with hand tools. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deskjob Posted July 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 Thanks for all the responses! So general consensus - hand tools are the way to go! @G Ragatz, I hadn't considered the circ saw plate only being able to rotate in one direction (doh!), so it looks like I'll be doing more than just that middle angled section by hand. I've never done anything like this before, so I'm a little nervous - but I will certainly be practicing! Now if only I didn't have this dang day job and could just be in the shop... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 I assume this was not part of the plan or you would have done it vertically on the tablesaw prior to assembly; clean up with a hand plane. Post assembly? I would reconsider. There are some things where the balance of effort versus the result do not pan out well. Since this sounds like an add-on idea I would just give it an 1/8" round over and move on. If you absolutely have to have it . . . I use witness marks when rasping of planing profiles. You might consider stopped chamfers to save the fussiness of the paring work at the inside corners. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deskjob Posted July 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 10 minutes ago, gee-dub said: I assume this was not part of the plan or you would have done it vertically on the tablesaw prior to assembly; clean up with a hand plane. Post assembly? I would reconsider. There are some things where the balance of effort versus the result do not pan out well. Since this sounds like an add-on idea I would just give it an 1/8" round over and move on. If you absolutely have to have it . . . Sigh. It was part of the design, I just didn't plan it out well. First woodworking project I've taken on since woodshop days in high school. I've got some stuff to learn! In my head, a chamfer was a "finishing" feature, and I didn't consider the logistics of getting it done once the desk was assembled :/ So you are suggestion just a simple fillet to finish that edge out? I'll have to think on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 How about a raised panel bit in your router? 15 Degree Raised Panel Bit Then you would just need to sharpen the corners with a chisel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deskjob Posted July 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 51 minutes ago, Chet said: How about a raised panel bit in your router? 15 Degree Raised Panel Bit Then you would just need to sharpen the corners with a chisel. I almost grabbed that very bit! But, given the cost, and how likely I'd use it again... it just didn't make financial sense. Thanks though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted November 25, 2022 Report Share Posted November 25, 2022 On 11/24/2022 at 11:22 AM, chazystorm said: Thanks for your advice, Dave. Though it’s been more than 2 years since your reply, it’s still very helpful. Huge thanks. This is a wonderful part of the forums. The value of quality posts does not reduce over time. Glad you found some help here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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