How to Make Dining Table Edging

Most dining room tables have smooth finished edges. There are many styles of edgings selected for dining rooms. Traditional styles include a simple rounded edge or an ogee contour. These edgings are created using a router table and the correct router bit for the contour or shape that you want. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Install a contour edge router bit in the router table that matches the thickness and shape of your tabletop wood. Follow the tool manufacturer's directions for installing router bits with your table type. Install your bit upside down if you intend to cut your tabletop edges after the top is built.

2

Adjust the fence on the router table so that the blade will cut the entire shape. With some woods that are harder or more dense, you may need to make several passes to trim the wood away slowly enough to prevent the bit from burning the wood. Test your exact wood type on the router table before cutting your dining room table wood.

3

Place your dining room table on the router table with the face side down. Turn the router on. Move the table smoothly along the fence, passing through the router action. Continue routing past the end of the wood for a smooth corner finish. Turn the wood and repeat for each side.

4

Make several passes for harder wood types, adjusting the fence to allow the bit to remove more wood on each pass until the final contour is cut. For a hand-held router, hold the router and move it evenly along the upright tabletop. Move toward and past each corner. This will require you to start a few inches from each corner.