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Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Personally I like the smell of fresh cut wood. Of course the smell would vary based on the type of wood that was cut, but I have yet to find a wood that stinks when cut.My office smells like a wood shop...
I actually have a biscuit cutter tool, but they are just butt jointed.
I would highly suggest a spiral flush trim bit, or even a compression spiral bit, ex. Whiteside RFT5125 or UDFT5152, the shortest you can find that will work with your material. They are easier for the router to spin, quieter, reduce sanding by giving a far smoother cut and less chance of burning.
As you are traveling around the template making the cut, at some point you'll be cutting into the grain, where the straight bit will almost always cause chipping and tear out.
Edit: Also research double or mirror cutting the seams between your three main pieces. It's a fairly easy method of getting an absolutely perfect match, though you may want to practice on some scrap. Afterwards a few "Tite Joint Fasteners" will keep the finished pieces clamped together nicely for use but still allow for easy disassembly.
This is very much appreciated, thank you. So, about the bits. I'm seriously considering a spiral trim bit after your comments (I had heard this before too), but my straight trim bit was $30, and these are 2x or 3x the cost for essentially a high tolerance drill bit. Though - I'd have it for future projects. They say the skill of a woodworker is not determined by the number of mistakes he makes, but by the way he fixes them. The less fixing I have to do the better though
As for tear out, I'm not as concerned about it with the trim bit as I am with the round bit I'll be using at the sitting edge, and the smaller one at the back / bottom edges. The latter are removing more material and will likely tear-out just as bad, but be closer to the final shape, so it will be a bigger deal. If these are going to just cut everything away that the trim bit tore out, then there's not much point in spending the extra money on the trim bit now. But I hate fixing things...
As for the joints between the 3 sections, I used a track saw to get them straight, then lined them up and sanded the edges to match the angles while they were all put together. If I'm using the template bit, around my template, I think it will be pretty close as is. I'll take a look at your double/mirror cut suggestion for my own education though. As for the tite joint fasteners, they look like a great idea if I wanted them all joined, but I actually want 3 standalone sections so I can make the center section height adjustable (sit/stand).
Ahh, I forgot you had already written about the center section being adjustable. I was thinking one big piece.
There are a couple of techniques that will help stop tear out with the round-over (you probably already know of these but just in case). Work towards your final profile in several lighter passes. If you get to a spot that wants to tear during one of the earlier passes you can machine that area with a "climb cut" which is simply carefully moving the router in the opposite direction from normal. Removing the very last tiny bit of material as a climb cut will also give a nice smooth result. Just be careful to take a small bite so the tool doesn't take off on you. You also might be able to shift your template over just a hair and make a final pass, in either direction, with the trim bit to remove any burns or chatter marks.
Good luck! I've enjoyed this thread.