Got some gluedown flooring, and the customer wants a gentle curve, rather then a straight line. Whats the best way to do it? Saw, or template and router. I'm thinking I may be able to cut a gentle curve with my litttle Dewalt. Funny, I've never had to do this before....

Two ways to go. lay out curve first, then lay floor over curved line. Then use template and router. Tape template to floor and only rout about 1/8" per pass. 2cd way. Dry lay floor holding together with tape and label the boards (1,2,3,4,5,etc.). Of course, dry lay over your line. Then draw your curve on the boards. Simply disassemble and cut each board with your jig saw and reinstall. I've done it both ways. Template and router is faster.

I've done a few, but they were more like 12-20 feet. Used a piece of PVC(flexible) pipe to mark the cut(after floor is laid) then cut it(the balance) off with a skill saw.

Thanks for the help. I think the template is the way to go. Makes me a little queasy doing it for the first time though.

Is this a radius or an ellipse?

beauty@alltel.net

Getting over the "can I do this?" worries the first time is the hardest but after the second or third time it's "a piece of wood flooring"

I try to push the comfort zone every chance I get by suggesting new ideas to the customer.

I generally draw a line on the floor and cut each piece to custom fit as I'm installing. Being good at geometry is always a help. As for the hard edge I use an orbital sander to gently round it after it's all installed. A little urethane and the edge looks like the prefished flooring came that way.

I also do interior ovals and I use a template I made for that. I went to my shop and screwed a sheet of half inch plywood to the floor. I put in two lag bolts about a foot apart. I made a loop out of steel cable and fastened it to my router. Looping it atound the two lags I pulled the router as far as the cable woould let me and cut a perfect oval into the plywood. The one I use most often is 3 feet at the narrowest and 4 feet at the longest. What you do inside that oval is only limited by you imagination. I did a quilt pattern called the double wedding rings inside the first oval.

Once you have the template you simply place it where you want it on the floor, trace the line, install your straight flooring over the line, screw the template to the floor, call your customer to watch, and with a bushing on your router you cut a perfect oval into the floor as the customers stand there with their mouths open in amazement.