I have completed the fan, however, I have messed up the recess in the table top by routing / hand-working a little too large in 2 areas (about 1/64 to 1/32).
Any suggestions? I considered adding an additional piece of banding and re-cutting the recess.

BladeRuiner,
From what I've seen when looking over other peoples work in situations such as yours, a patch job (sawdust + glue) is pretty visible.. This seems to have presented you a great design opportunity and another piece of banding just might be the best solution. You could always use a band of cherry if you want to keep the band low key and minimize contrast.

This often occurs more then people know. What I usually recommend to individuals is to add another piece of string of the same species or contrasting species. If it is already glued in then make a template of the same size and rout it out with a dremel and spiral bit.

Fred

Thanks for the suggestions..
I think the banding is the way I'll go.... I'll re-post the recovery (or scrap)!

Here are some pictures of the recovery... thanks for your help

I realized how white a few of the fan blades looked under the light so here are are a few pics. I still considering a larger fan... and routing out what I have in place... stay tuned

Blade,

I'd recommend going with the larger fan. The one side being a little off of round really distracts from what would otherwise be a nice embellishment to your table top.

Bruce

That is what I will do.... the more I look at it the more determined I am to get it perfect.

thats the spirit!!! ...i know you can hit this one out of the park...take your time...no problem..

Hey beside the shape error... Im also a bit concerned about the grain in the fan blades... should I try to use a less pronounced veneer? This was maple (woodcraft). I can search for holly or others... I was just being lazy and using what I had.

Blade

Go with holly or ripple sycamore, it'll make a big difference.

Dick

27-NOV-09... I just finished my new fan. This Time I used holly and it really makes a difference. Next I need to route out the old fan... cross my fingers.

wow...very nice job...i like how you stuck with it ...congrats on a job well done

keep the next step simple..DONT GO PAST THE LINE

Great job on the new fan. I think you definitely made the right decision in rebuilding. Your oval appears to be spot on now. Also, your showing what both materials look like as fans was very helpful. The difference in grains between the Holly and the maple is extremely pronounced and was very useful to me for future material selection. My only question is, did you make the new fan slightly oversized to ensure you clean out the entire old fan? Or is it the same size so you just eat it away on the edges? Not that there is a real difference since you need to go to a specific line no matter where that line is. Thanks for your posts and keep up the good work. I love the reminders that quality does not always happen the first time, but if we stick with it, we can do anything. Remember, at least you didn't need a hammer to correct it!

Hey Tommy... thanks for the kind words.
I routed out the old fan and approached the line using my full size router and a 1/4" bit. I used the full size because I wanted the larger base. I stayed about 1/16 away from the line, then I worked closer with my small trim router and a 1/16" bit. I'm pretty close now... but this where the rubber meets the road.
I have actually used the gouge to work closer... but now because I have the hand tool skills of a Hominid.. I needed to take a break .... should I sandpaper my way to the fit or work it with a chisel?

TPOD&Sky,
My old fan was 6" x 4" the new fan is 9" x 6" so it is a bit larger.
Just a note when I used the maple the grain was not too pronounced ... but once the oil hit it ...BANG!

Another thing that may have been apparent to others (but not to me)...
and I may be wrong on this.... (so Tommy & Eli correct me)

The dimensions and the number of fan blades you will have in your fan are dependent upon the size of the gouge/sweep you will use. I used a #5-25mm, because 25mm is almost 1 " (25 millimeter = 0.984 251 968 5 inch). What this means is that your outer most arch of each fan blade must be 25mm.

We'll see what everyone else thinks but I would not recommend the sandpaper. I would just go with a gouge that matches the curve. I think the sandpaper just rounds over everything which is not what you want.

Steven Naslund
Chicago IL

Well here is the new fan... glued in place and not too bad

Great recovery BR.... I'm glad to see that you took the time to make the improvement. Speaks well for your desire to produce high quality work.

Rat.

Hey ...thanks I'm trying ...thanks to all the help I'm getting from everyone here.

As the old guetto self would of said, "man that is sick." Now the current Freddy would say very well escuted Sand Shaded Fan.

AWESOME!!!!!

FRED