Cutting & Shaping Legs - Part 2
The function of the tools I use and how they work are explained here. Specific tools used are noted in bold.
While the legs were trimmed to the template lines, this doesn’t ensure the curves are totally smooth. The legs’ lines must visually look and physically feel smooth and even - no bumps, dips or inconsistencies. The process for doing this final truing is called “fairing.” Pencil lines are drawn over the entire curve. A piece of sandpaper that is glued to a flexible wooden back is sanded over the curve until all the pencil lines have been removed. The first lines to be removed highlight the bumps, and the last lines the dips.
The end whiplashes are then cut out on the scroll saw. Convex curves are shaped with a mini belt sander and concave curves with the spindle sander as well as various hand tools. The width of the whiplashes vary. These are trimmed with chisels and sanded using a small orbital pneumatic sander.
The final step is to round over the edges. The round overs are first roughed out with a spokeshave, and smoothed and completed with sandpaper. Lots of shavings and sawdust.
