Jointer for trimwork?

[mschrank]

I asked about the jointer because I see so much lumber at HD with bowed edges and I wondered how people used this for baseboards or door frames without the defect being visible. I figured they must be jointing it somehow, and, being new to woodworking, I have not learned how to straighten edges any other way.

One way is to temporarily attach the bowed piece face to face to a good straight board, letting one edge of the bowed board overhang a bit. You could then use a straight bit with a guide bearing (guided by the straight board) to straighten the overhanging edge. Then, take the 2 boards apart and use that newly created straight edge against your TS rip fence the straighten the other edge. Alternately, you can use the straight board as a "carriage" on the TS, using the straight edge on the right against the fence while trimming the overhanging bowed edge (similar to using these "Joint'r clamps")

Being a beginner, it seemed to me that routing your own edge profile for baseboards would be easier than building a profile by adding a small trim piece to the top of a 1x6 because you would have fewer cuts to make and fewer edges to fit.

Keep in mind that a thinner piece on top of the 1x baseboard has the advantage of following the inevitable dips and bows of the wall better than the tall 1x stock below it. This results in less visible gaps between the baseboard and wall (if stain grade), and less caulking (if paint grade).

[eezlock]

jointer for trim work?

Dave, I don't see the need for a jointer to do trim work, it's main purpose is to flatten board edges and faces more than anything else. If I were attempting the project you wrote about, I would buy the straightest,
knot free clear pine or poplar and make the moulding myself. You said that you had a good tablesaw, why not buy a good quality moulding head cutter blade for the saw and make it yourself? I have one that I bought from Sears,it has several sets of different profile cutters and it works great.

Check on e-bay, they are on there for reduced prices all the time.
Some people say that those things scare them to death when they use them...they are a little noisy, but I have never encountered a problem with mine. If you buy this set of cutters, remember one thing...don't raise the blade above the table no more than about 3/4" and make light cuts first, then gradually increase the height of the cutters to your desired height. Watch, where you are working with this cutter and keep your hands well clear of the blade at all times....you should not have any problems, and make yourself a good ZCI for the saw and these cutters will do a beautiful job!

I don't know your brand of saw...but I use mine on a BT3100, same as I do
for all other saw cuts, regular crosscuts , rips, bevels and dados, etc. Hope this helps......eezlock

[JR]

Ok, you're talking about two main issues:

1. Straight boards
2. Molding profiles

It is going to be difficult to stratighten boards 16' long. This is probable not a huge problem, though. Most boards can be shifted during installation to get straight. Just nail one end in place, then tweak as you go. It would help to select the straightest lumber you can find.

Molding profiles are another matter all together. If, as you say, you're going to be doing simple beads or roundovers, this can be done with just about any router. A table setup is always safer and probably will yield cleaner, more consistent results. As has been pointed out already, you'll need a lot of space for that.

If the profile is more complicated, you may want to look into a 3hp router (Hitachi and Triton get high marks) or a molder. The reason is that the bits may have 2"-3" of cutting surface contact with the wood. This sort of operation would be done in a table only. The molder is a sort of purpose built router table.

My suggestions: Buy baseboard, chair rail, crown moldings, pre-cut. You'll have your work cut out for you doing the installs anyway, don't complicate things by trying to create the profiles. This assumes you can find the profiles you like at HD or your local hardwood supplier.

For casings around doors and windows, you might well consider creating your own material. The shorter lengths make straightening and profiling more feasible.

JR

[ironhat]

Just a thought here, but have you tried calling a mill for your lumber as opposed to the Big Box Boys? You would be surprised how little it costs to have the edges jointed by them. The mill that I use has a jointing saw and it cuts both edges at once. While you are pricing the lumber asking for the cost on jointing the edges and then add in the cost of cutting the profile. Unless you are really commited to performing the process yourself, of course. Thirdly, while you're at it you could have the rough stock planed to 7/8" for a beefier look. It may be only 1/8" but it sure does look considerably thicker than 3/4". The larger cost is probably going to be in cutting the profile so you could save that for yourself. Sometimes in the pursuit of saving a couple of buck we chain ourselves to tasks which are keeping us from completing the job at hand. I generally find that I have such limted time that I need help in this aspect to get the larger projects done. That's just me and it may not be right for you. I just wanted to float you another course of action. Best of luck and remember to have fun!

[Anthony]

I asked about the jointer because I see so much lumber at HD with bowed edges and I wondered how people used this for baseboards or door frames without the defect being visible. I figured they must be jointing it somehow, and, being new to woodworking, I have not learned how to straighten edges any other way.

Concerning routing long pieces of trim: I look at the moulded trim at HD and it looks thin and cheap. I live in New Orleans, where we have homes everywhere with fabulous trimwork. You can tell the difference between moulding made from 1x stock from the HD stuff a mile away. Being a beginner, it seemed to me that routing your own edge profile for baseboards would be easier than building a profile by adding a small trim piece to the top of a 1x6 because you would have fewer cuts to make and fewer edges to fit.

I am no expert and have done only a little trim work, 5-6 windows, 3 doors, one hallways, BUT I think you are doing yourself a diservice by not exploring built up mo(u)ldings, casings, baseboards. Expense -wise, you can be using plywood often for the "field" or "fascia" aspect of what you are making. ESPECIALLY when you ruin a 1x6x16 foot piece of wood as you run it through the router the 4th time. Check out some of the Taunton books. One that shows a few simple do-able but impressive ways of casing a window is found in (i think) "Doors and Windows".; Also see "Finish Carpentry".
In any event browse any appropriate titles at Lowes and you will expand your thinking, I believe. There are many tricks, many things to consider.
It will also be easier to scribe said built up components to the site you are adorning, no small matter when dealing with installation(another moment to ruin that painstakingly routed 1x6x16)
AND using some stock components is also a possibilty, when used with some of your custom components.
Also please take this in the spirit in which it is offered, and consider the source.
Good luck, I for one would be interested in your experiences with this.

AND Ironhat makes a very good point. Creating many feet of trim is a lot of work, and THEN you get to install it.
Anthony
(ruiner of many painstakingly routed profiles at every step of the way)

[williamr]

Newbie here.

I woud like to know whether any of you use a jointer in doing trimwork.

I also would like to know if I need a router table to edge long pieces of trim (10 ft. or longer) or if I can free-hand it with my router.

I want to get rid of the thin, small, cheap baseboards and door casings in my home and add crown moulding, and trim doorless entries where the builders just trimmed with drywall. I plan to use 1x pine or poplar and use lengths up to 16 ft. to avoid joints in the middle of a wall.

I have a good tablesaw, 12" dual-bevel CMS, router and 13" planer. I am considering adding an 8" jointer. The question is: Where to put it. Most good locations in my garage would limit me to feeding it lumber not much longer than 6 feet. That will work for furniture and lots of projects but I won't be able to run my long pieces of trim over it.

Is this a problem? I would greatly appreciate any help you could give me because my thinker is becoming bruised on this matter.

Most of the time you depend on trim being flexible -- walls dip and bend etc. -- So being a consistent thickness is important for sure. Flatness doesn't seem that important to me. Even a vertical bowed piece can usually be installed correctly. Just make the piece of consistent thickness width and height and you should be OK! Obviously the shorter the piece the less you can tolerate vertical bowing...

$.02 worth