how do you do "fancy" risers?

[Johan van Niekerk]

I've seen a lot of photos here where guys have made riser with a crescent shaped piece of different wood set into the "main" wood.
Would anyone care to show how the get those pieces of wood to match so exactly? I have very little knowledge of woodworking in any form but I'm a fast learner. I would love to know how those are done...if anyone would be kind enough to share?  

[Bert Frelink]

Johan,
It looks more impressive than it really is, just cut both pieces at the same time(two birds with one stone) for one it gives you two risers of opposing composition, two they will fit perfectly into each other.
There is a jig or two around on here somewhere.
Hope this makes sense.
Let me know.
Regards.
Bert.  

[Bert Frelink]

Johan,
Check out the "How To Resources" Topic: Starting a footed riser.
Good luck.

[trclements]

I will give my take on it.  Jigs are by far the best way to do it but they have to be made perfect and that doesn't always happen and you have to have a sanding drum with a pattern template bearing on the bottom (robosander).  For me the easiest to learn is to do one piece at a time rather than 3 cuts and then try and glue them all up at once.  Make the first cut you want on one of your pieces with a band saw, then sand that piece smooth with a sanding drum that is chucked into a drillpress.  Once you are happy with that shape get your second piece of wood and lay the first on it.  Now if you are going to use some type of spacer such as linen phenolic in between you need to take that into account.  The one I am showing you has two 1/16" pieces.  So I needed to trace the piece onto the second piece of wood and leave a 1/8" gap.  He is the secret.... go find a metal washer that is 1/8" wide from the outside to the inside and use that in between your pencil tip and the first block of wood you are tracing.    Cut the second block out and with the sanding drum sand to the line.  YOU MUST CHECK IT HERE.  Clamp everything together without glue and hold it up to the light.  Don't use a lot of clamping force.  It should go together easily not forced.  If you see any gaps mark them and keep doing small sanding adjustments.  Glue it together.  Square up the block and then cut the next line and repeat.  Hope this makes sense... Probably clear as mud.




This riser took me about 5 hours to get just right.


Trevor

[T Folts]

[JamesV]

Very nice job Trevor, and thanks for the information............James

[Johan van Niekerk]

Thanks guys!

Trevor, your method sounds simple enough...Sadly simple and easy are not necessarily the same thing    Your riser is truly impressive though!

[Mike Most]

Nice work Trevor,

I asked the same question a couple of years ago, and the fellow I was talking to said he cut em out and then spot sanded them in, (simple idea)
I used a 9 inch place for radius cut it out sanding to the line, then cut the insert and spot sanded it in. Trevor your design is so intriguing I may have to give it a go (if you dont mind)

Regards

Mike

I think the trick was to add a linen phenolic spacer.