Edging Tools

Posted by Easy WoodCraft on

Oct 10, 2016

There are several specialized edging tools designed with one purpose: to create a rounded or chamfered edge on a work piece. Three of the more common are the Radi plane, the cornering tool, and the chamfer plane.

Radi plane

Radi planes are wood bodied planes that hold two concave cutters ground to plane a 1/8" radius. The cutters can be adjusted up or down independently as desired. The first cutter shears off the majority of the waste, and the second cutter makes a cleanup pass - this lets you make the completed profile in a single pass.

Cornering tool

A cornering tool is a piece of bent steel with notches cut into both ends. These notches are sharpened to create a fixed radius used to accurately roundover an edge. Common radii are 1/16", l/8", 3/16", and 1/4". You position the tool with the notch straddling the edge and then pivot it up until the cutting edge engages the wood. Pulling the tool creates a nice shaving. As always, several light cuts produce a smoother surface than a single deep cut.

Chamfer plane

If you regularly plane a lot of chamfers, you might want to consider a chamfer plane. Most of these planes can be adjusted to cut 30°, 45°, and 60° chamfers. They work great and will produce a clean, crisp edge without the howling and mess of a portable router.

NOTE : Even though the edging tools mentioned here work fine, I've always felt that a well-tuned block plane can get the job done almost as quickly. However, if you're fighting the clock or are involved with production runs, these specialized tools may be right for you.

Thanks for reading Edging Tools. Please share...!