How to round wood edges without router?

The router is a very useful tool for woodworking people. This is the fastest way to round wood edges and no other alternative compares to this tool. However, if you are reading this article, then for some reason you need a way to round the edges without a router.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all the ways to round wood edges without a router, what we need for this and what are the pros and cons of each method. And, so how to round wood edges without router?

Why do you need to round wood edges

Someone prefers rounded edges, someone leaves everything as it is. Be that as it may, there are several reasons why rounding the edges can be a good idea.

Safety

Of course, there can be a lot of advantages of rounding wood edges, but first of all it is safety. Sharp edges carry significant risks for woodworkers and are more prone to breakage.

Appearance

Rounding the edges will give your work a finished look and a higher quality.

What do we need to round wood edges without a wood router?

So, if we want to round wood edges without a router, we need certain accessories. The good news is that you probably already have most of these tools in your workshop. Below we will look at each of these methods in more detail.

Hand Tools	Power Tools
– Round over the edge with sandpaper – Use a file or rasp – You can use a chisel – By using a hand plane – Use a surform	– With a power sander – Using a Dremel – With a jigsaw

Sandpaper

Few things beat sandpaper, it’s a fairly traditional method for rounding edges.

Start with fine grit and so on until fine.

Of course, it is quite difficult to get rid of a large amount of material with sandpaper.

Use sanding block for smooth finish.

Step by step instructions on how to round edges with sandpaper.

1. Mark with a pencil or chalk the areas to be treated
2. At a 45-degree angle, flatten the sharp corner with coarse-grit sandpaper.
3. Start working on the wood edges with a piece of sandpaper
4. For finer details, use finer grit paper.
5. Take long sets and try to avoid uneven processing

Rasp or wood files

This is a tool that will give you a great sense of control. The result, of course, will be not much different from sandpaper. In addition, this method is exactly the same long.

The rasp is slightly more aggressive than a wood file.

Step-by-step instruction

1. Hold the file or rasp by the handle with one hand and the top of the blade with the other.
2. And start working along straight edges at a 45 degree angle
3. Flatten the wooden edges and even out the curve
4. Move the file back and forth until you achieve the desired result.

Wood Chisel

Using a chisel requires more experience and skill. The chisel is more aggressive than previous methods. In the process, you may make mistakes that will be difficult to correct. Therefore, it is better to practice on a piece of wood first, if you are not an experienced woodworker.

You risk removing too much wood if you use too much force, hold the chisel the wrong way, or work at the wrong angle. Be careful and don’t rush. Make sure the chisel is sharp.

Step by step:

1. Hold the chisel at a half-right angle and gently tap the tip with a hammer
2. Remove the sharp edge on the corner first
3. Keep peeling until you get a semi-flat edge
4. Focus on the junction of the edges with the corner
5. Form an angle as you move along straight edges
6. When the required amount of wood is removed and you have round wooden edges, use sandpaper to polish the result.

Using a hand plane

There are several types of hand planes:

• Jack Plane – Perfect for short and long workpieces.
• Jointer Plane – Used for larger boards.
• Smoothing Plane – Can be used to smooth almost any type and size of surface.

How to use a hand plane:

1. For the entire length, sweep the hand plane along straight edges
2. Change the slope of the blade when you get to the angle to adjust the bend
3. Gradually work on the corner until it looks like a rounded edge
4. To achieve the desired result, finish the work with sandpaper

Surform

In fact, surform is a mixture of a hand slicer and a grater. There is a handle like a hand plane and a perforated blade that can grate the wood in the process.

It should used the same way as the hand plane, the handles should be grabbed at both ends and gently carried over the wood. This tool is pretty fast.

Follow the steps:

1. Place the surform on a sharp corner and work in a sweeping motion from right to left
2. Run the surform along straight edges, angling at the bend
3. Repeat the same with the opposite straight edge until you get a natural curve.

How to round wood edges with a power sander

This method is similar to sandpaper but much faster.

On the other hand, there is a minus in comparison with the usual sandpaper. Here you need to be very careful and attentive, because the power and speed are higher here, which means there are more chances to make a mistake.

1. Draw a template along the crosscut of the wood to round the edges
2. Turn on the sander and wait for the maximum speed
3. Back and forth round the sides of the wood
4. Work the corners until they reach the desired angle.

Dremel

If you have a Dremel it will help you easily make curved corners. Of course, rounding is quite difficult with this tool because it doesn’t give you much control over itself. Remember that you should not apply a lot of force, because then you may not get a uniform finish.

1. Draw a sample template with a pencil
2. Accelerate your dremel to maximum speed
3. Use sweeping motions to remove sharp corners
4. Follow the drawn lines and gradually correct the curve of the tree
5. Soften rough edges with sandpaper

How to round wood edges using a jigsaw

How do you round an edge?

If you are making a table, chair, or cabinet that has rectangular corners, you can round them off with a router. Rounded corners look more aesthetically pleasing than straight ones. This can also be helpful if you have small children and it is best to remove sharp edges from furniture for their safety.

How to make a rounded corner? First, you need to secure the cutter in the tool collet. Next, set the cutting depth. And finally, by running the milling cutter, round off the corner of the workpiece. Everything is very simple.

If you don’t have a router but you want to round wood edges, you can do so with a hand plane, sandpaper, using a chisel or any of the ways described above. Just follow some general rules:

Be careful with any of the tools, you may either hurt yourself or damage the wood.

When rounding the edges of the wood, make sure that the tools you use are of a good quality, sharp, firm.

Conclusion

We hope that we have carefully discussed how to round wood edges without a router. There are many ways to do this like hand plane, wood file or any other instrument that you have that is suitable for rounding the sides of wood items. But if you are going to regularly engage in wood, then you should buy a router.

Leave comments and feel free to share your experience and thoughts on this topic.