Radiused Boxes

[Ruffnek]

I've seen some beautiful keepsake boxes where the sides are radiused...a continuous arc from top to bottom on the outside...the inside sides are straight.

I'm wondering what the method is to achieve that radius...planed and sanded/scraped, molding cutter, something else???

I'm thinking they are planed but the curves sure are consistent on the ones I've seen.

[TDHofstetter]

Kinda' like a bombe chest, or the Italian marquetry-topped boxes? Don't hold me TO this, but I THINK it's done with a swinging overarm router.

[sawduster]

Don't know how much of a "paunch" the radii have on the ones you're seeing, but some of the inlayed boxes I did years ago had some degree of rounding. I did those by using a slight tilt on the table saw blade to create something of a bevel, sometimes creating a couple different bevels along both the top and bottom, then faired the corners of the bevels by sanding. The amount of curve would only be limited by the thickness of the material you're starting with.

[Ruffnek]

You da man, Jerry!

That works like a champ, easy peasy japanesy.

[Stretch]

I've done something similar to what Jerry did except I used my old friend, the angle grinder with 36 grit flap disk. I will rough in with the grinder, then move to a block plane. I finish up with a foam backer pad on an orbital sander.