Feasable? Making molding from 2x6's.

[sparkeyjames]

Money being tight right now there is no cash for spending it on pre-formed molding. Has anyone made molding pieces from 2x6 construction lumber. My plan is to trim the outside edges on the table saw then split them with a band saw then run them through a planer and finally apply a routed accent edge to them. They will be painted before installation. My time is not a factor I have plenty of that. Can anyone poke holes in this plan?

[drumpriest]

Make sure that it is dry enough, below 10% moisture, and the only other problem that I see is that pine tends to have a lot of movement. You will need a jointer and planer, of course...

[LCHIEN]

probably has too many knots...

you'll end up with a lot of short pieces as a result.

[cabinetman]

You might look through some clear Fir. You should find some stock that has some nice long grain and is knot free.
.

[Slik Geek]

I made over 500 feet of molding for a faux "raised panel" wall treatment in our master bedroom using #2 SPF lumber. (It was a relatively simple profile made from 1x6 lumber that I ripped to width and machined on a router table).

As already indicated in a previous post, you will have more waste than you would have with hardwood (knots, pitch pockets, hidden stresses in the lumber), so be sure to get extra wood and machine the extra. You don't want to have to go back and set everything up later to get a few more feet of molding.

Take time to set up finger boards (or similar) to hold the stock firmly in position as you route. You'll be glad you took the time to set up properly.

As was already noted in a previous post, you want dry wood. Purchase the wood weeks in advance and sticker it (stack with frequent spacers) so that it will dry a bit more. Otherwise, you'll have unique, curvy molding and more waste than you can imagine.

Spend time picking out the wood. You won't be able to avoid knots in the lumber, but you can pick boards that have knots which you can work around.

While picking your wood, think about the grain pattern that you will get once you have ripped the boards to the to the desired width. (You want the wood to be stable when it is in the finished profile). Flatsawn boards (not known for their stability) may become rift sawn or quarter sawn stock after prep. Boards that I normally wouldn't want for construction purposes (because they contain the pith) become prized when I know that I will be ripping the pith away and end up with two quarter sawn boards.

You may be able to get better quality wood (or higher yield) by buying 2x8, 2x10 or even 2x12 boards instead. The initial cost may seem greater, but you may achieve a far higher yield and end up saving money. In addition, you may have more opportunity for selecting the grain pattern you'll get after machining by using the wider boards. (Have I emphasized that enough?)

Using the approach described above, I had surprisingly high yield and had very few moldings that went wacky after machining. I actually enjoyed the project. (Other than the fact that my hands, arms, lower back and feet were mighty sore after I finished machining all that wood).

You may get cleaner results by using high speed steel bits rather than carbide bits. Just be sure that they are sharp - and if you make a whole bunch of molding, you may have to stop and sharpen the bit. (I used HSS bits where possible and liked the results).

One final tip: I found that I tended to get careless when doing so much machining. Having finger boards above and beside the fence on my router table helped reduce the risk by restricting access to the cutter, but I found that I started getting my finger closer than I normally would. Keep that in mind when you get into a routine routing your molding.

[JimD]

I made base and crown moulding for our previous house out of cheap 1x lumber. If the knots are sound (don't have black around them), they will machine OK. They are harder than the wood but can be moulded. You need to either put some shellac on them or at least use Kilz as the primer to keep them from bleeding through.

While it can be done, poplar would be a lot easier. I pay less than $2/bd ft for poplar. It is cheaper than clear softwood at the home center - but not cheaper than the #2 stuff we are talking about. Another cheap material that will make decent moulding is MDF. I do not love cutting or painting it but it looks good when you are done. I pay about $20 for a 49x97 inch sheet of 3/4 - less than 60 cents a bd ft. You need to be careful about getting it wet but a lot of commercial pre-primed moulding is MDF.

Jim

[crokett]

I would use MDF before construction-grade lumber. A lot less machining and I think it would end up being cheaper. Plus no knots to work around and it is much more stable.

[lkazista]

If you are going to paint the trim, than I would HIGHLY recommend Finger Joined Pre Primed Pine. ZERO knots, COMPLETELY stable, and VERY affordable. My local price is $10.60 for a 1 x 4 board at 16 feet in length.

That is what I used recently for a plate rail in my dining room, stuff shapes wonderfully.

Good luck,

Lee