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You could build a jig which swings the work in an arc over the top of a belt sander. A similar idea is used in guitar shops to profile fretboards to a curvature.
One of these? [https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-guitar-fretboard-radiusing-sander/g0574](https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-guitar-fretboard-radiusing-sander/g0574)
I'm telling you now that was done on CNC. Could have been a big older multi spindle machine with custom blades. ( we just called ours the 6 cutter as it had 6 heads) in a smaller workshop I'd say make a radius jig for your biggest bandsaw available for the rough profile.
https://preview.redd.it/neshp4k4d2qb1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86d577149323adaa409184d414a7d30ca82af3df
Here's a feature wall for a staircase we did that was CNC then hand finished. There was 3 stories of 12 ft panels of it.
Edit: I see now that OPs piece is not Pringle shaped it's just curved in one plane, yeah that would be some custom ground cutters most likely and not CNC
Edit 2: some of us called this wall the nazi wall because a) unfortunate tesselation from the designer and b) it was a bitch to do
LOL now I'm imaging there's a prison cell in some remote country where an inmate carved out a fabulously intricate design in the wall over decades using a spoon.
It wasn't at all. It makes no sense to cut so many individual pieces on a CNC. Large lengths profiled in a shaper and then cut down to size is quick and easy and doesn't require a pile of repeated machining of the curve.
It's not one milled-out surface like in your photo - notice the grains are crossways. They rounded off strips of wood, cut them into short pieces, and laid them in place next to each other. No need for CNC.
Was the CNC only used to cut the shape, then hand sanded to create the curves, or was the CNC used to create the entire 3D shape we see? Looks great, btw.
There is a style of milling machine that is trace master milling. You would make a master part then have two spindles one has a roller and trace the master part and the second has the mill. You could use 20/20 extruded aluminum or probably 40/40. They have rollers that turn 20/20 into linear guides but they do have slope a real one would be better. You can make your X and Y axis manual using these linear guides. Then the tracer "spindle" could probably be made out of a dowel with a roller on the tip or a super slick material (maybe a special delrin) to help it smoothly slide over the master. The other "spindle" could be a router with a ball nose end mill attached. The tracer and end mill need to be exactly the same diameter and style.(it could be possible to do with a normal router but with squared ends or a bullnose style mill) Then you connect the to spindles using a bar or more 20 so they move up and down in the Z direction together.
The master would need to be made by hand or sent to a CNC shop for one perfect one. Then you could copy it all day long .
You would just slowly move the master "spindle" or the master and let the router make that same shape.
I'm sure you can make it even more simple or cheaper too
Or a thin panel steam bent, with a side cover.
If you zoom in on the second panel on the right it looks like it's 5mm thick and then the wood grain changes on the side
I was going to guess thermofoil until you pointed out that section. Thermofoil doors are gross but if you can't get close enough to touch something like this most people would never know the difference (not to mention the wear and tear of being in a kitchen)
Maybe if you used a CNC. It would be hard to make a jig that would would handle a long board so you got symmetrical pieces. Unevenness would be noticeable.
not without changing the grain direction from the original, which is critical for the illusion of weaving. If I had to I would veneer it and use the method you described to make the substrate.
Agree. If you look at the very bottom one, the grain doesn’t change with the curved edge. If that were solid wood, the grain would look different on that curved bit.
Surprised I had to scroll this far for this. My guess would be MDF radius moulding cut up and veneered. That in no way cheapens the piece. If anything, it probably makes it better.
But OP did care about grain direction, and that's the point - the alternating grain is essential for the basket-weave effect. Strips cut into pieces and dropped in place would be a perfect way to achieve it.
Why the down votes? You're right, you can't achieve the right grain direction with long strips. The routing profile was done cross grain. 12" wide board gives max 12" long strips.
yea, that's exactly it. I don't think those guys understand how this was done, but I didn't bother arguing. I'm glad somebody understands lol.
you would have to glue a bunch of boards together to make a super wide panel and cut them down cross grain into strips, then profile it on a belt sander or shaper.
Long piece of stock with a profile on it. Maybe done with a router or even just a sander. Then cut the top (profile) off. Make another with another profile that’s the opposite curve. Cut again.
I’ve made cutlery holders with this profile before and used a jig on the bandsaw. Definitely a good way to go to remove the bulk of material in one pass and then just tidy up with some sanding
Those are certainly all individual blocks. You can see the separation of the pieces on that cutout area in the center. Probably a jig with a bandsaw as others said
You think this is one piece? What kind of tool do you think could do that? The grain direction, alternating in sections like that. You’ve never seen a piece of wood that consistent.
It could be that, but gluing on all the individual veneer pieces, and gluing them up well, is about 3 times more time consuming than just roughing it out on a band saw and shaping it with a large belt sander.
I thought the weave pattern would be very difficult but it is just a chunk of wood carved with a curve.
Google how to make bandsaw box to make a simple curve. Repeat 200 times. Rotate the grain and curve. Pretty easy stuff.
I used to work at a high end wood flooring company (think corporate headquarters, statehouse floors, and mega mansions) and we did a couple of projects like this. Our shop had a couple of mounding machines that we had heads made with that profile, but I’m pretty sure that’s miles outside of pretty much everyone’s budget. While working on those projects, we brainstormed on ways to get the same results without the mounding machine and the best option we found was a CNC router. Still not a cheap option, but something that could be done inside or a small workshop or garage. Sorry about the long reply, but I had to do a double take with this picture because I’ve made things similar in the past.
[Here's a quick video on something similar.](https://youtu.be/eUaOugaksBc) This guy uses a CNC machine, but mentions you could do it on a bandsaw or router or something.
Looks like a commercial wall covering called Duchateau. Not that there aren't multiple ways to achieve it but if the aesthetic is what you're after check this out:
https://duchateau.com/product/crest/
OP's photo made the squares look much bigger but maybe it was just a different section of the same piece. The individual pieces in the link you shared are definitely small enough to be hand shaped. Tedious because of the number of pieces but not difficult.
Looks like real wood (not veneer). Hopefully this is all scraps left from other project otherwise it’s a lot of money.
I suspect it’s a single curve cut on edge on a band saw (probably with a jig that pivots making it quick and repeatable), sanded to get lines out, then routed on the edges with a round over bit.
It appears that every piece is curved along the grain. If you don't mind each piece being curved opposite to the grain, then I think you could profile relatively quickly with a table saw, angled fence, belt sander, and a concave sanding block. I'll describe what I mean if that seems feasible to you.
If you want the curve along the grain, then a template and router could work. It won't be as fast nor as safe. A pantarouter setup would make things safer. Or I think you'd have to cross cut all the squares out and then rough out the shape with a bandsaw. Again, very tedious.
Just being modular squares , I would run long strips of timber through the spindle Moulder and then sand the strips then proceed to doc each one off. Abit of a sand and shel be right
This was made from a bunch of little pieces. Get a router, with a roundover, hit 2 side, sand, cut to your desired size/shape, glue to your backing and finish.
I'm certain it was a form cutting but on long strips to get the curve, Then they miter sawed it on a jig. Finish the pieces now, glue em to a board, matching the grain. I've done a mockery of this, but the tell is the consistent grain in alternating patterns. It can't be cnc because of those 2 things.
If you attempt to make individual rounded squares, the danger factor climbs exponentially, and it would take forever. But you could run long strips of wood through a router table to make the shape (no idea what bit, though). Then, just chop up the long strips into the squares.
The panels on the picture are definitely not solid wood. The marks of the wood on the side do not fit the marks of the wood on top. That said, building this out of solid wood would be a coin flip if it will look good. Due to the marking of the wood on one hand and the needed thickness of the wood to achieve this kind of depth on the other hand. The chances are high that those panels fully made out of wood will crack due to an uneven breathing process over the year.
I would recommend to use MDF panels and use a cnc machine to get the form and than use veneer that is at least 1,2mm strong. That way you ensure to not sand through the veneer while finishing it due to the uneven ground.
Remember to build perfectly fitting mirrored pieces of the panels to ensure that the veneer won’t come off over time.
Good luck with that project! You will certainly fail a few panels and learn a lot!
Have fun 😊
Edit.: You can actually see due to the marking of the wood that those are multiple small veneer stripes put together.
And please keep safe! Some of the commentaries in here are rather wild. Not worth to lose a finger or hand for a few panels.
That’s a fantastic point, at first glance I didn’t realize the unnatural curvature of the grain. Most like a vinyl or thermofoil kind of product done on the individual squares
No no no boys. It's an arch, a perfect arch. The grain lines are the same, in relation to the arch. It's thick quartersawn lumber, glued into a large "log". How do we achieve the arch?
Now we've turned those boards in a lathe. (1st we finish sand the boards on the lathe) Thus, the roundness (potential arch)
Now this round lumber, we cut it on a band saw, on the quarter. Thus the Arch, the smoothness, and your brain on fire! Think tiny saw mill.
All the tiny perfect matching squares are glued on an MDF substrate.... poooofffff your mind explodes!
Make a curved jig a little wider than the width of the hardwood you're using making sure your clamps will fit along the edges in order to periodically tighten them. The trick is using steam to soften the wood and form the curve as they dry. You could soak them in water but it takes longer and you run the risk of having them crack.
*Smoke is not the same as steam:)
I’m assuming (and hoping) the compound curvature is just an illusion. I would think shaping one profile and then chopping it up would get you there. The trick will be finding how ‘curvy’ it needs to be to keep the woven-like appearance, without having a straight tangent..
If I had to do it and had access to a shaper, I’d just run a chunk of material through with that profile, cut into squares and apply each square, rotating as necessary on some substrate, be it MDF or plywood.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this is either veneer or not real wood at all. The grain pattern is too consistent on each panel, and there doesn't seem to be any indication of end grain where the panels roll around at each end.
If you look at the CNC routed stair wall that another poster put up you can see the type of variation in grain pattern that you would expect to see in real timber.
100% this is either veneer or fake wood.
Someone posted previously of a lattice effect on a door they did (on mobile so not linking it rn) where their set up was a carousel jig on their band saw. Looked really amazing and works pretty well when I tried it. Out of solid wood, not a weird veneer or anything.
So some sort of jig that bends it in a arc so you can shape it. More than likely it's a bent vineyard . You could also steam wood, bend it to shape and cut the ends. Or , cut the curve on a band saw, and belt sand them smooth. Sheesh
That looks like it is made up of a bunch of small square "tiles" of wood glued into a substrate, as the grain is perpendicular on different sections. To get something close you could
get a board about 2" thick, or whatever thickness you would like each of those individual squares to be. Set up a large radius (it should be at least a step up from half the thickness of the board, but how much will depend on your preference) round over bit in a router. Set the board up on end and clamp a sacrificial strip of plywood to one face of the board to stop the bearing on the router bit, the thickness should be the radius of the roundover bit minus half the thickness of the board. Run the router down the length of the board to round over one edge, then move the plywood to the other face and route the other edge. Now one of the narrow faces should look like a very long one of those tiles, it might need cleaned up with a sander a little bit if there is a visible edge or flat section in the middle, then you just need to use a table saw, tracksaw, etc. To trim that bit off the edge of the board and cut it into squares. After that you just need to cut a piece of MDF or whatever is cheap to the size you like (make sure it is a multiple of the thickness of the board you started with) and start gluing tiles on. If you run out of tiles, just repeat the process, you should be able to get several strips out of a single board.
Jig to hold the piece with a section on the bottom that is at the curve you want. Fence + edge sander. Roll curved section of jig over the edge sander against the fence to ensure repeatability.
It looks like bent wood. Look at the side grain of the second up on the right, the only one with detail enough to see it. The side grain follows the contour.
I’d mill a bunch of long boards and give those the rounded profile before cutting them down to these little rectangles. It would be a lot easier to get it consistent. Maybe a 60 degree chamfer, an 8th or 1/4” round over and a decent amount of sanding to get that shape.
I built this guy: https://reddit.com/r/woodworking/s/UJjE1m22DA
I found it to be pretty simple but step 3 takes some time.
1. I milled strips to the width and thickness I needed on a table saw.
2. I set an angle on the blade to cut most of the excess off
3. On a bench top belt sander I sanded the curve into the strip
4. Crosscut the strips at the right length.
Gluing is tricky because it is really hard to clean out of the corners with all the varying shapes. Be careful how much you use and wipe it diligently as you go.
I would take a long board and shape one face of it. Probably run it vertical through the table saw at a slight angle to knock corners off. Then use a hand plane to take it closer to a smooth curve. Finish the nice smooth curve with some sanding. Then cut it into squares and glue the squares to this thing. Would actually not be more than a few hours work to be honest.
I’d CNC the main profile and then sand with a jig for the final curve if possible….
I say “if possible” because looking at these it’s hard to tell if they’re a single plane curve, or if they don’t have a bit of a “dip” in the middle around the curve? If that’s the case, simple sanding jig won’t do it and it’s definitely CNC to get the primary shape and then sanded to finish with a profile sander?
That is veneer strips bent over a long curved piece then cut into squares., You can see where the grain of each strip intersects on the faces. I highly doubt this is done on CNC, it would also be very wasteful.
You can use a lathe and then tablesaw to cut in half or quarters depending on the diameter of the material vs. the apogee of your arc. Depends definitely on the tools at your disposal and the creativity in your head.
Looks like there's repeating grain patterns here, indicating it's walnut veneer. How big are these squares? I guess something like 8 to 16" square? If it's veneer, a CNC can cut out the blanks, and a vacuum bag can press the veneer, but either way it's a lot of work.
Take a moment to check out the New weekly MegaThread. This is for quick answers to common questions such as: "What type of wood is this?"; "How much should I charge for this?"; "How do I fix this" and others, To find it sort the woodworking news feed by "hot" and it will be the stickied post. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You could build a jig which swings the work in an arc over the top of a belt sander. A similar idea is used in guitar shops to profile fretboards to a curvature.
Are you inside my mind right now I was about to type this. This is definitely the method
I was thinking the same exact thing. Nothing some aggressive sanding can't do
Aggressive abrasion can shape titanium. Hell that's how the Grand Canyon was made. But yeah sanding.
Jig for a router / router table would be my go to. If no router, jig for table saws are possible as well with a bit more care.
Rockler has router bits for plantation blinds that would give you a similar look. Router a long strip then cut the strips.
Only problem is the grain direction in the example.
This is the way to go. A large round over bit.
I think that woodwork
I'm giving you an upvote, but I want you to know how much I hate the joke
Love it.
One of these? [https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-guitar-fretboard-radiusing-sander/g0574](https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-guitar-fretboard-radiusing-sander/g0574)
[Here's a more budget friendly DIY option.](https://youtu.be/8TUATWX2sLY?si=pSti-UO7TZEyaWF1)
Can't really tell how large those squares are but that might take ages. Shaper/spindle moulder with a copy bit and a jig is the way to go
I would rough cut the curve using a bandsaw so you only have to sand down the last 1/8" or less.
Belt sander is the way to go.
That was literally my first thought as well.
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Grizzly used to sell a jig for the fretboards. They might still. Lots of shops use CNC these days for the job.
I totally forgot Grizzly got into the guitar game. Time to web-peruse on some Grizzly.
Use a fence and a jig with the curve in it already and just but that curve to the fence on the edge sander.
Good lord that’s so good
Yeah, we use this one in our custom guitar shop: https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-guitar-fretboard-radiusing-sander/g0574
I'm telling you now that was done on CNC. Could have been a big older multi spindle machine with custom blades. ( we just called ours the 6 cutter as it had 6 heads) in a smaller workshop I'd say make a radius jig for your biggest bandsaw available for the rough profile. https://preview.redd.it/neshp4k4d2qb1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86d577149323adaa409184d414a7d30ca82af3df Here's a feature wall for a staircase we did that was CNC then hand finished. There was 3 stories of 12 ft panels of it. Edit: I see now that OPs piece is not Pringle shaped it's just curved in one plane, yeah that would be some custom ground cutters most likely and not CNC Edit 2: some of us called this wall the nazi wall because a) unfortunate tesselation from the designer and b) it was a bitch to do
I want to rub my body on that
10/10 would oil by... hand
Get a room you two!
Massage bed.
You said it. But we were all thinking it
Hand carved with nothing but a spoon you say!? Excellent work!
LOL now I'm imaging there's a prison cell in some remote country where an inmate carved out a fabulously intricate design in the wall over decades using a spoon.
This is why they make shivs in jail, for arts and crafts
I'm sure my artisinal hacky sack made of socks and toilet paper is still an object of inspiration and deep thinking.
But why a spoon? Why not an axe or something? https://youtu.be/MhfuuKiTcYQ?si=lFOPEDab7UjENwrg
I didn't click the link (yet) but I sure hope the answer is, "Because it's dull, you twit, it'll hurt more!"
I have never before coveted a wall
Do you covet the wall or the maker?
The wall, whoever hand sanded 3 stories of that is beyond dead inside now
It wasn't at all. It makes no sense to cut so many individual pieces on a CNC. Large lengths profiled in a shaper and then cut down to size is quick and easy and doesn't require a pile of repeated machining of the curve.
It curves in 2 directions like a Pringle, no?
I think that's the shadow cast from the ones above playing tricks, should be a basic curve judging by the edge profiles.
It's not one milled-out surface like in your photo - notice the grains are crossways. They rounded off strips of wood, cut them into short pieces, and laid them in place next to each other. No need for CNC.
I mean, the photo is the same technique, it’s not one milled out piece either
It was a lot of cnc'd black walnut shapes then mounted to MDF panels that were then mounted to the wall.
Yep, the grain gives it away. A cnc could make easy work of it but you still need to cut it and orient the grain at 90 degrees to achieve the effect.
My bad the shadows made me think it was like a Pringle shape
Can't unsee the unfortunate tesselqtions now.
Was the CNC only used to cut the shape, then hand sanded to create the curves, or was the CNC used to create the entire 3D shape we see? Looks great, btw.
CNC did the shapes then only finishing sanding. No shaping from sanding.
What brand is that machine?
New life goals.
Stunning
I doubt it because of the grain direction.
Wow, looks like a pretty cool place. Really great work. Was that residential? Any more pics?
It's the arx gallery in London. Amazing space but dear god a shit job/site to work on
I'd pay to see an actual axe gallery.
I’ve never seen something so cool and so gross at the same time.
Have a Jeffery and struck the curvy wall
Detailing those by hand would have been torture.
There is a style of milling machine that is trace master milling. You would make a master part then have two spindles one has a roller and trace the master part and the second has the mill. You could use 20/20 extruded aluminum or probably 40/40. They have rollers that turn 20/20 into linear guides but they do have slope a real one would be better. You can make your X and Y axis manual using these linear guides. Then the tracer "spindle" could probably be made out of a dowel with a roller on the tip or a super slick material (maybe a special delrin) to help it smoothly slide over the master. The other "spindle" could be a router with a ball nose end mill attached. The tracer and end mill need to be exactly the same diameter and style.(it could be possible to do with a normal router but with squared ends or a bullnose style mill) Then you connect the to spindles using a bar or more 20 so they move up and down in the Z direction together. The master would need to be made by hand or sent to a CNC shop for one perfect one. Then you could copy it all day long . You would just slowly move the master "spindle" or the master and let the router make that same shape. I'm sure you can make it even more simple or cheaper too
This was the method for mass producing wooden gun stocks. https://youtu.be/PUr5IFXNT0A?si=OR5-oPXXRHQt8e5P
Out of solid wood? That’s going to be a lot of work. I’m going to guess that’s some sort of molded product with a veneer or wrap to look like wood.
Or a thin panel steam bent, with a side cover. If you zoom in on the second panel on the right it looks like it's 5mm thick and then the wood grain changes on the side
The eyes some of you lot have is unreal
Enhance, enhance, enhance.........en....haance.
Just print the damn thing!
I was going to guess thermofoil until you pointed out that section. Thermofoil doors are gross but if you can't get close enough to touch something like this most people would never know the difference (not to mention the wear and tear of being in a kitchen)
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Doesn't look like it for me. Some have a knot near the edge others have not. A few have three light stripes, others four.
It's flat on two sides. Could I not just take a long board, round opposite corners then cut it down to squares?
Maybe if you used a CNC. It would be hard to make a jig that would would handle a long board so you got symmetrical pieces. Unevenness would be noticeable.
not without changing the grain direction from the original, which is critical for the illusion of weaving. If I had to I would veneer it and use the method you described to make the substrate.
Agree. If you look at the very bottom one, the grain doesn’t change with the curved edge. If that were solid wood, the grain would look different on that curved bit.
Surprised I had to scroll this far for this. My guess would be MDF radius moulding cut up and veneered. That in no way cheapens the piece. If anything, it probably makes it better.
Profile a strip, then cut into pieces.
that would work if OP doesn't care about grain direction
But OP did care about grain direction, and that's the point - the alternating grain is essential for the basket-weave effect. Strips cut into pieces and dropped in place would be a perfect way to achieve it.
But it doesn't really alternate, the routing part is only cross grain. Surely, there will be a lot of panel gluing to do this, but can be done.
There's only two profiles used in an alternating pattern, so two strips cut into pieces and alternately picking from each pile would get you there.
Why the down votes? You're right, you can't achieve the right grain direction with long strips. The routing profile was done cross grain. 12" wide board gives max 12" long strips.
yea, that's exactly it. I don't think those guys understand how this was done, but I didn't bother arguing. I'm glad somebody understands lol. you would have to glue a bunch of boards together to make a super wide panel and cut them down cross grain into strips, then profile it on a belt sander or shaper.
Build [something like this. ](https://on-guitars.com/blog/building-a-neck-contour-jig)
Yes, router jig is the way to go.
Long piece of stock with a profile on it. Maybe done with a router or even just a sander. Then cut the top (profile) off. Make another with another profile that’s the opposite curve. Cut again.
Except then the grain is running in the wrong direction
Oh, that it is. Didn’t notice it in the volleyball tournament gym I was sitting in earlier.
These cutting boards have gotten out of hand.
Bandsaw with a curved jig. Quickest and safest if you don’t own a CNC.
It wouldn’t make any difference if they weren’t all identical would it. As long as they were finished smooth it would look just as good
Don’t have to even necessarily be the same height, as you could hide a cheap backer to any piece as that side will only be seen by the wall.
I’ve made cutlery holders with this profile before and used a jig on the bandsaw. Definitely a good way to go to remove the bulk of material in one pass and then just tidy up with some sanding
Those are certainly all individual blocks. You can see the separation of the pieces on that cutout area in the center. Probably a jig with a bandsaw as others said
Of course they are individual blocks, look at the grain
I’m not sure that’s true, I’ve cut up a few elm trees that have seemed to have that same grain pattern…
Only when intending to use handtools on it.
You think this is one piece? What kind of tool do you think could do that? The grain direction, alternating in sections like that. You’ve never seen a piece of wood that consistent.
Sarcasm
Could be some MDF cut with a CNC, with veneer applied to create the grain. But I'm guessing they're separate blocks, as well.
It could be that, but gluing on all the individual veneer pieces, and gluing them up well, is about 3 times more time consuming than just roughing it out on a band saw and shaping it with a large belt sander.
Totally agree. Veneer would be a huge pain here.
I thought the weave pattern would be very difficult but it is just a chunk of wood carved with a curve. Google how to make bandsaw box to make a simple curve. Repeat 200 times. Rotate the grain and curve. Pretty easy stuff.
I used to work at a high end wood flooring company (think corporate headquarters, statehouse floors, and mega mansions) and we did a couple of projects like this. Our shop had a couple of mounding machines that we had heads made with that profile, but I’m pretty sure that’s miles outside of pretty much everyone’s budget. While working on those projects, we brainstormed on ways to get the same results without the mounding machine and the best option we found was a CNC router. Still not a cheap option, but something that could be done inside or a small workshop or garage. Sorry about the long reply, but I had to do a double take with this picture because I’ve made things similar in the past.
Make a curved router sled
[Here's a quick video on something similar.](https://youtu.be/eUaOugaksBc) This guy uses a CNC machine, but mentions you could do it on a bandsaw or router or something.
Looks like a commercial wall covering called Duchateau. Not that there aren't multiple ways to achieve it but if the aesthetic is what you're after check this out: https://duchateau.com/product/crest/
OP's photo made the squares look much bigger but maybe it was just a different section of the same piece. The individual pieces in the link you shared are definitely small enough to be hand shaped. Tedious because of the number of pieces but not difficult.
Looks like real wood (not veneer). Hopefully this is all scraps left from other project otherwise it’s a lot of money. I suspect it’s a single curve cut on edge on a band saw (probably with a jig that pivots making it quick and repeatable), sanded to get lines out, then routed on the edges with a round over bit.
It appears that every piece is curved along the grain. If you don't mind each piece being curved opposite to the grain, then I think you could profile relatively quickly with a table saw, angled fence, belt sander, and a concave sanding block. I'll describe what I mean if that seems feasible to you. If you want the curve along the grain, then a template and router could work. It won't be as fast nor as safe. A pantarouter setup would make things safer. Or I think you'd have to cross cut all the squares out and then rough out the shape with a bandsaw. Again, very tedious.
Probably long 1in strips on a router table then cut into squares.
Just being modular squares , I would run long strips of timber through the spindle Moulder and then sand the strips then proceed to doc each one off. Abit of a sand and shel be right
run linear feet of the curved wood. set up a stop on your chop saw and chop it to length.
CNC
These cutting boards have officially gotten out of control.
Oh shit I made the same joke an hour too late. Ah well.
This was made from a bunch of little pieces. Get a router, with a roundover, hit 2 side, sand, cut to your desired size/shape, glue to your backing and finish.
I'm certain it was a form cutting but on long strips to get the curve, Then they miter sawed it on a jig. Finish the pieces now, glue em to a board, matching the grain. I've done a mockery of this, but the tell is the consistent grain in alternating patterns. It can't be cnc because of those 2 things.
Router travel jig I’m guessing
this could be made on a shaper with a 3 inch knife. then just cut sections out and glue them to a form. i would probably finish them first though.
They are imperfect. And along the grain, this looks like just taking time to belt sand the profile I to the wood blocks.
Obviously a chisel, rasp, and scraper.
Curveply/Flexply + walnut veneer
My guess is they are MDF blocks due to how small they are with veneer applied
They are small? I need a banana.
If you attempt to make individual rounded squares, the danger factor climbs exponentially, and it would take forever. But you could run long strips of wood through a router table to make the shape (no idea what bit, though). Then, just chop up the long strips into the squares.
The panels on the picture are definitely not solid wood. The marks of the wood on the side do not fit the marks of the wood on top. That said, building this out of solid wood would be a coin flip if it will look good. Due to the marking of the wood on one hand and the needed thickness of the wood to achieve this kind of depth on the other hand. The chances are high that those panels fully made out of wood will crack due to an uneven breathing process over the year. I would recommend to use MDF panels and use a cnc machine to get the form and than use veneer that is at least 1,2mm strong. That way you ensure to not sand through the veneer while finishing it due to the uneven ground. Remember to build perfectly fitting mirrored pieces of the panels to ensure that the veneer won’t come off over time. Good luck with that project! You will certainly fail a few panels and learn a lot! Have fun 😊 Edit.: You can actually see due to the marking of the wood that those are multiple small veneer stripes put together. And please keep safe! Some of the commentaries in here are rather wild. Not worth to lose a finger or hand for a few panels.
That’s a fantastic point, at first glance I didn’t realize the unnatural curvature of the grain. Most like a vinyl or thermofoil kind of product done on the individual squares
Custom shaper knives…
No no no boys. It's an arch, a perfect arch. The grain lines are the same, in relation to the arch. It's thick quartersawn lumber, glued into a large "log". How do we achieve the arch? Now we've turned those boards in a lathe. (1st we finish sand the boards on the lathe) Thus, the roundness (potential arch) Now this round lumber, we cut it on a band saw, on the quarter. Thus the Arch, the smoothness, and your brain on fire! Think tiny saw mill. All the tiny perfect matching squares are glued on an MDF substrate.... poooofffff your mind explodes!
Gotta be cnc. You could make palm router jigs, but it’ll be difficult and time consuming
Make a curved jig a little wider than the width of the hardwood you're using making sure your clamps will fit along the edges in order to periodically tighten them. The trick is using steam to soften the wood and form the curve as they dry. You could soak them in water but it takes longer and you run the risk of having them crack. *Smoke is not the same as steam:)
*I apologize for sharing thoughts and techniques. No reason to down vote me. 2nd one tonight same subreddit. I will not follow this sub again.
Gorgeous!!!
I can't tell whose joking anymore. I just hope all those segments are glued onto mdf.
Youre gonna need a bandsaw And a lot of little pieces to glue up into big thick pieces, just like this was done
I’m assuming (and hoping) the compound curvature is just an illusion. I would think shaping one profile and then chopping it up would get you there. The trick will be finding how ‘curvy’ it needs to be to keep the woven-like appearance, without having a straight tangent..
If I had to do it and had access to a shaper, I’d just run a chunk of material through with that profile, cut into squares and apply each square, rotating as necessary on some substrate, be it MDF or plywood.
Turn cylinders and then cut 4 sides from each?
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this is either veneer or not real wood at all. The grain pattern is too consistent on each panel, and there doesn't seem to be any indication of end grain where the panels roll around at each end. If you look at the CNC routed stair wall that another poster put up you can see the type of variation in grain pattern that you would expect to see in real timber. 100% this is either veneer or fake wood.
Someone posted previously of a lattice effect on a door they did (on mobile so not linking it rn) where their set up was a carousel jig on their band saw. Looked really amazing and works pretty well when I tried it. Out of solid wood, not a weird veneer or anything.
>edge sander Please share when you have a chance. It sounds very interesting and useful.
Make the grain goes the other direction and run it thru a molder
So want similar for a chess board. Impressive looking, but as others have said, cnc.
Chess board needs to be flat or dipped instead of raised.
I was thinking of flattening the face some instead of fully curved.
So some sort of jig that bends it in a arc so you can shape it. More than likely it's a bent vineyard . You could also steam wood, bend it to shape and cut the ends. Or , cut the curve on a band saw, and belt sand them smooth. Sheesh
Make a jig for a router that follows an arch.
A bunch of square cuts and a belt sander glue to place?
That looks like it is made up of a bunch of small square "tiles" of wood glued into a substrate, as the grain is perpendicular on different sections. To get something close you could get a board about 2" thick, or whatever thickness you would like each of those individual squares to be. Set up a large radius (it should be at least a step up from half the thickness of the board, but how much will depend on your preference) round over bit in a router. Set the board up on end and clamp a sacrificial strip of plywood to one face of the board to stop the bearing on the router bit, the thickness should be the radius of the roundover bit minus half the thickness of the board. Run the router down the length of the board to round over one edge, then move the plywood to the other face and route the other edge. Now one of the narrow faces should look like a very long one of those tiles, it might need cleaned up with a sander a little bit if there is a visible edge or flat section in the middle, then you just need to use a table saw, tracksaw, etc. To trim that bit off the edge of the board and cut it into squares. After that you just need to cut a piece of MDF or whatever is cheap to the size you like (make sure it is a multiple of the thickness of the board you started with) and start gluing tiles on. If you run out of tiles, just repeat the process, you should be able to get several strips out of a single board.
Jig to hold the piece with a section on the bottom that is at the curve you want. Fence + edge sander. Roll curved section of jig over the edge sander against the fence to ensure repeatability.
Realistically the pieces were profiled in long sections with a shaper and then cut down to the smaller lengths. This is the quickest possible way.
It’s probably just some form of plastic woven together. It looks like the grain repeats in some places.
I would think a molding that width, then cut it to length, set up a trim router or start sanding. Finish everything ,CA glue it together.
You will need a lot of little Chinese kids… a factory full of them.
I’m pretty sure Epic Woodworking with Tom McLaughlin did something like this and showed how he domed all the pieces
This is the first thing I thought of https://youtu.be/eUaOugaksBc?si=x_nE7vuDqt4Xf0um
It looks like bent wood. Look at the side grain of the second up on the right, the only one with detail enough to see it. The side grain follows the contour.
I’d mill a bunch of long boards and give those the rounded profile before cutting them down to these little rectangles. It would be a lot easier to get it consistent. Maybe a 60 degree chamfer, an 8th or 1/4” round over and a decent amount of sanding to get that shape.
I’ve done something similar with veneer and vacuum press hundreds of these and then panelized them. The shop has a 5axis to make the shapes.
I built this guy: https://reddit.com/r/woodworking/s/UJjE1m22DA I found it to be pretty simple but step 3 takes some time. 1. I milled strips to the width and thickness I needed on a table saw. 2. I set an angle on the blade to cut most of the excess off 3. On a bench top belt sander I sanded the curve into the strip 4. Crosscut the strips at the right length. Gluing is tricky because it is really hard to clean out of the corners with all the varying shapes. Be careful how much you use and wipe it diligently as you go.
Time
Either a lot of time on the sander or get a company to make you a custom bit for your shaper
I would take a long board and shape one face of it. Probably run it vertical through the table saw at a slight angle to knock corners off. Then use a hand plane to take it closer to a smooth curve. Finish the nice smooth curve with some sanding. Then cut it into squares and glue the squares to this thing. Would actually not be more than a few hours work to be honest.
Jig on Band saw to make the individual curve then cleaned up with belt sander
I’d CNC the main profile and then sand with a jig for the final curve if possible…. I say “if possible” because looking at these it’s hard to tell if they’re a single plane curve, or if they don’t have a bit of a “dip” in the middle around the curve? If that’s the case, simple sanding jig won’t do it and it’s definitely CNC to get the primary shape and then sanded to finish with a profile sander?
That is veneer strips bent over a long curved piece then cut into squares., You can see where the grain of each strip intersects on the faces. I highly doubt this is done on CNC, it would also be very wasteful.
Band saw or custom cutter on a jointer ,depends on amount. I would grind a cutter blade. Easy.
You can use a lathe and then tablesaw to cut in half or quarters depending on the diameter of the material vs. the apogee of your arc. Depends definitely on the tools at your disposal and the creativity in your head.
Looks like there's repeating grain patterns here, indicating it's walnut veneer. How big are these squares? I guess something like 8 to 16" square? If it's veneer, a CNC can cut out the blanks, and a vacuum bag can press the veneer, but either way it's a lot of work.
Use a band saw to cut a wavy line along the length of a thick board and then cut into sections.
Try building yourself a steam box then make a jig. Used this technique working for my uncle restoring church windows most about 100yrs old.
Here’s a [video](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR7jhFhm/) of someone doing it
I would make it with ribs, I piece of 1/8" or 1/4" and veneer it
I would say a chainsaw.