DIY Jigsaw Corner Rounding: Quick Method

See the trick I used to measure and round the corners on flat wood feet for table legs with my jigsaw.

Tools

Links Mentioned

Video Tutorial

Measure and Mark

I used my tape measure to find the center of my 1×4 boards. And since it’s dimensional lumber, they are actually 3-1/2” wide.

Then I used my speed square to draw that center line down the board.

I love this red marking pencil!! See my review of the NicPro kit I use.

Marking the Corners

I first tried my protractor as an easy way to mark off rounded corners.

It’s very easy to center align it too.

But, I found the curves much too shallow to get the look I wanted.

So, I grabbed a small tub of wood filler.

And I just eyeballed the center and marked it.

That gave me a much bigger curve and I liked it a lot better.

Cutting the Rounded Corners

I used my jigsaw to cut the corners.

I love this Ryobi jigsaw.

It has settings for variable speed via the trigger, and then orbital action, which is the dial here at the base for high speed circle cutting.

I also used a Fine Finish Wood blade as it give me a cleaner cut.

This was my first foot to do, and the cut was kind of rough. I did a lot better with the next three feet.

Only half of the saw foot was on the board, so I had to be mindful of tipping it at an angle while I cut too.

Sanding

I finished the rough cut by sanding with a heavy grit first, like 60 or 80.

That took quite a bit off at a time for me, especially at the center tip where it was the least rounded.

Looks Better

While eyeballing and cutting this way is not perfect, once painted I think they turned out great!!!

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