Radius Nosing For Balcony

timber

So I've got to cut and install a radius nosing for a balcony. about a 200" radius to be done in 3 pieces. Carpet on the inside (with a flat radius !) nosed on out. 3/4" white oak.

Anyone been here before ? Any input would be great

troubleseeker

The only job site or simple shop method I know of is to lay out an area of plywood on the floor big enough to work on, do a full scale layout to determine the locations and fits of your splices, and then make the cuts with a large plunge router set up on a trammel. I don't know where you live, but if you happen to be in a coastal area where there are local boat building yards, many of them now have in house cnc router setups that they use to shape hull frame members, and can easily shape these pieces for you, if they would do it for a reasonable price.

Tom R

200" is a pretty gentle radius, - - you're not saying what the length or width of the nosing is, - - irregardless, - - I'd cut that radius onto a piece (or pieces) of MDF first and then use it as a template to cut my oak with a bearing-bit on the router (MDF makes for a better guide than plywood because it's smoother and it doesn't have the voids).

You can use something as crude as a taut string fixed 16'8" away tied to your router handle at the other end to get your radius. First you would rough-cut that radius 1/8" or so over-sized with a jig-saw, - - then you have a minimum of removal to do with your router. For your template you would just use a straight bit on your router.

If you don't have access to a nosing bit with a bearing for your actual flooring cut, - - or if you don't have guide bushings for your router, - - you can make your template radius less than your flooring radius and use it as a router-base edge-guide. The difference is radius would be determined by the measurement from the outside of your router-base to the near side (but the inner concave edge) of your nosing bit.

timber

Thanks boys.
I don't have access to a CNC but have got to the point of getting set to shape the radius. The difficult part is that the customer wants a radius on both edges so I have to cut two but only nose one. They are pitting carpet down on this floor.
I do have the bit required to clean up the edge. MDF is definitely better template stock for sure.

Thanks again !