The bearing on a profile bit, such as Amana Tool reverse curve bit no.49555, serves two purposes: if you're shaping a tabletop with straight sides, the guide bearing is used to easily position the fence on the router table. Depending upon the horsepower of the router and the hardness of the stock I'll often shape the profile in several passes. For the final pass, I use a  straightedge and position the fence tangent to the guide bearing.

If you're shaping a tabletop (or window sill) with a curved edge the guide bearing is used to follow a template which guides the cut. First a template is made of plywood. The template may be an arc, ellipse, or a freeform curve. The curve of the template is then traced onto the workpiece and the work is band sawn to the layout line. Afterward sawing the curve, the template is fastened to the work with screws or double-stick tape. During shaping, the guide bearing follows the template and the cutting portion of the bit shapes the profile along the curved edge of the work.

Although the problem of tearout can sometimes be reduced with a slower speed, there are other factors, such as cutting depth, grain direction, and the cutting angle of the tool, that play a larger role.

When using any cutting tool you'll experience less tearout by taking two or more smaller cuts rather than one heavy cut. This is also true when using a shaper or router. When using a template and guide bearing to shape a profile on curved stock you can lighten the cut by using a larger guide bearing for the initial pass. Then switch to a smaller guide bearing to complete the cut. If you are simply flush trimming curved stock you can lighten the cut (and minimize tearout and cutting resistance) by first bandsawing very close to the layout line. This reduces the amount of stock to be removed by the router or shaper to a minimum.

However, depending on the grain and the type of wood you may still have small amounts of tearout that are not acceptable in fine work. Amana has developed several tools that address the problem of tearout when flush-trimming curved stock. Let's take a closer look.

When flush trimming curved stock you'll get the smoothest cut with a spiral cutter such as the Amana Spiral Shaper Cutter no.61292. This shaper cutter uses carbide knives which are mounted to the cutter in a spiral pattern. The carbide is long-wearing and the spiral pattern provides a phenomenal, glass-smooth surface. I've used this cutter a number of times for template shaping and I've been very pleased with the results, to say the least.

However, this cutter has a 1-1/4" bore that I bush down to fit the 1" spindle on my shaper. And I don't recommend that you bush it down to fit a 1/2" spindle shaper; that is just to much load on such a small machine.

As I'm sure that you know, you'll get better results when jointing or planing stock if you cut in the direction of the grain. This also holds true when using a router or shaper to flush-trim a curved surface.

You can use this technique with the Amana Down-shear Multi Trimmer no.47097. This unique flush-trimming router bit has guide bearings at both ends. You can cut from either direction using only one template and without moving the template to the other side of the workpiece.

Another option is to use the Amana Ultratrim Spiral Trim bit. This tool also produces glass-smooth cuts and the extra long two-inch cutting length is enough to cut the thick stock that you're working. Spiral router bits are available in "up-cut" or "down-cut" configurations. Because I prefer to use a router table when flush trimming, I use the "up-cut" bit no.46304. The cutting action of this bit is safest when using a router table because it pulls the stock downward toward the table.

Finally, whatever tools that you choose to use for flush-trimming curved stock, remember to keep safety at the forefront. Use a guard to provide a barrier between your hands and the cutter. And position your hands a safe distance from the cutting actions.

Making a gooseneck molding for one highboy with a shaper cutter is very expensive. The gooseneck molding shaper cutters that I use are custom made and the cost is prohibitive for one just piece of furniture. In fact, this is true with any large furniture molding, straight or curved. A much more economical method for shaping large furniture moldings is to make a series of small cuts with individual router bits.

All complex moldings, such as a furniture crown molding, are simple profiles that are combined to make a large, dramatic profile. For example, the typical gooseneck molding is comprised of a large cove which is flanked by smaller profiles such as the ogee, roundover, etc.

I begin by making a full-scale drawing of the molding. I've found that this is the best way to ensure that the molding is proportional to the casework. As I draw the molding, I use the router bit profiles to guide me. For example, Amana makes a complete assortment of core box bits for shaping the cove. For shaping a gooseneck molding you'll find the large bits such as Amana Tool Core Box Router Bits no.45946, 45948, and 45949 to be most useful. After shaping the cove, I shape  the smaller profiles such as Amana Tool Ogee Router Bits no.54126 or 54124. To use these bits for a gooseneck you'll first need to remove the guide bearing. A roundover can be shaped with Amana Tool Round Under Router Bits no.57138, 57140 or 57145. Although these unusual "roundunder" bits are designed to shape solid surface countertops, you can see from the drawing that they are just what is needed for shaping a gooseneck molding.

Once I've made the drawing I bandsaw the gooseneck curve from a wide, thick plank. At this time I saw only the inside of the curve. This method provides plenty of extra stock behind the profile for attaching the workpiece to a template jig. The jig is made of 3/4" plywood which on which the ogee curve is sawn. You'll need to construct two jigs, a right and a left. As you can see from the photo, the jig is equipped with handles to ensure a solid grip as you feed the stock. I fasten the workpiece to the jig with screws that are positioned in the waste area, out of the path of the spinning bits.

An important part of the set-up is the over-arm guide which is fastened to the edge of the router table. The end of the arm has a guide bearing which follows the curve of the jig and guides the cut. The arm is adjustable on the base which provides a way to control the cutting depth.

With the set-up complete I begin by flush trimming the bandsawn curve of the workpiece to the curve of the jig with Amana Tool
Extra Long Flush Trim no. 47126-2. Then I shape the large cove with a series of small cuts. Afterwards, I shape the smaller profiles which flank the cove. The last step is to bandsaw the outside edge of the ogee curve.

View illustration of Gooseneck Molding

When making a corner cabinet I fit the interior with triangular shaped shelves. To insure that all of the shelves are identical and that they fit the cabinet precisely I use a technique called template routing.

To make the template I draw the shape of the triangular shelf full-size on 1/2" plywood. Next, I cut out the template on the bandsaw and follow the line carefully. Afterwards, I smooth the edges of the template by flush trimming with Amana Tool no.47101. I position a length of 1"x3" along the layout line and clamp it in place as a guide for the flush-trim bit.

To use the template I fasten it to the underside of the shelf stock with small brads. Be sure to locate the brads a few inches away from the edge of the stock. Although the small brad holes will not show on the finished
product you may prefer to use double-stick tape. I use cloth woodturner's tape because it has much greater holding power than ordinary carpet tape.

Before routing I trace the template onto the stock and bandsaw within 1/16" of the layout line. To shape the shelf I follow the edges of the template with the flush trim bit.