Furniture with a scalloped top adds interest to the piece. Making the molding is not as hard as one would think. All you need is a little imagination, some 1/8” plywood or some cardboard to make a pattern. If you can find a piece of cardboard (not corrugated) large enough, it works well because it cuts easily using a sharp knife. I save the cardboard from the back of legal pads.
Other things that you will need are a good table mounted router with a desired profile bit including a rub bearing, a jig saw or band saw, sandpaper or a spindle sander and a wood rasp.
Start by drawing the shape of ½ of the piece of molding on the plywood or cardboard. This is to be ½ of the width of the cabinet that you are going to build plus enough past the end to make a miter if needed.
Next select a piece of lumber that is wide enough and long enough to make the molding. This needs to be twice as long as the pattern from step one. Using a Combination square and a pencil draw a line across the center of the board. Set the pattern on the line and trace around the pattern. Turn the pattern over and place it on the other side if your center line. Now trace the other ½. This approach will help keep the molding symmetrical.
Next cut out the shape using a band saw or jig saw leaving the outside edge to be cut later. Sand the edge smooth and check that the contour doesn’t have any unwanted humps.
Select a router bit that has a bearing and is appropriate for the style of furniture that you are building and install it in the table mounted router. Be sure to use a starter pin installed in the base of the router to safely start the cut. Now route the edge that will become the lower profile of the piece. Be sure not to run around the end of the piece.
Using a marking gauge or a pencil and your finger as a gauge, mark the outside of cut on the piece. Cut the outside line with a band saw or a jig saw. Sand the outside edge and make sure that the piece is smooth and does not have any unwanted humps in it.
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