How do I mill this

[twistsol]

SWMBO found this online on the This Old House website and wants me to recreate it for our house. I've spent some time trying to figure out how to mill this and I'm at a loss. I could sell my old planer in favor of the Grizzly 15" moulder planer G0477 and a set of custom knives. That would run a little over $1000.

Any ideas?

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/phot...116273,00.html

[pelligrini]

Do you have a shaper?

It could be done on the router table and tablesaw with some simple bits. Still going to be multiple passes though. How many feet are you needing?

Hmm, looking again, maybe not as simple as I thought. It might be easier to do a 3 piece moulding. Milling the 2 add on strips to add to a plain 45 should be doable.

[mnmphd]

To me it looks like a lot passes through the machines

2 passes on table saw to clip corners on back.
2 more passes to give you a 90 off the clipped backs

2 - 4 passes to hog out the central portion with a dado set

multiple passes with a rabbet bit in the router table to get the
top and bottom step profiles.

If you are going to paint it, You could make it up from 3 pieces.
a bit more assembly bit less time and waste than all that milling
You could also go this route if you don't paint but you will need to
carefully select and match the stock so the grain is consistent

[Bill in Buena Park]

If you are going to paint it, You could make it up from 3 pieces...You could also go this route if you don't paint but you will need to
carefully select and match the stock so the grain is consistent

That's what I'd try. You might even be able to create the egde mouldings by trimming from the edges of the same wide plank - that, with good joints, should provide reasonable continuity of the grain pattern, I believe.

My concern with the plank shown in the link is the growth ring orientation - looks like it would be subject to twisting or cupping.

[LCHIEN]

My suggestion

here's a way to make this of a single piece of wood so the grain will nearly match and a minimum of milling.

THe top picture shows the single piece of wood, cut a square rabbet at one end about 1/2 the thickness. THen make two 22.5 degree rip cuts.

Flip the ripped edges and glue back on.

saves a lot of wood and a lot of milling.
Sorry the pic is not quite to scale. and you'll have to figure out the dimensions.
if the grain is important you'll probably want to get quartersawn lumber.

[chopnhack]

Good job Loring, you got it down to two operations and a glue up! I think a gluing jig of some sort would be in order to ensure that the pieces stay straight and on the line otherwise you would introduce a wave into your molding before even installing it! Paint or stain? If paint grade then a jig to align and a few short brads to hold it while it dries.

[cabinetman]

I would machine the rabbet on one edge (either with a rabbeting bit, or on the table saw). Then cut the long edges @ 22½° to get the two mouldings (like Loring's suggestion to this point). Then use the one from one edge turned around to fit the other edge. IOW, if flipped and glued on the same edge it came off of, the back side of the wood becomes the front.

In swapping the two cuts from the edge they were cut, the face grain from the board remains the same.

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[chopnhack]

That's an excellent pickup C-man!

[LCHIEN]

I would machine the rabbet on one edge (either with a rabbeting bit, or on the table saw). Then cut the long edges @ 22½° to get the two mouldings (like Loring's suggestion to this point). Then use the one from one edge turned around to fit the other edge. IOW, if flipped and glued on the same edge it came off of, the back side of the wood becomes the front.

In swapping the two cuts from the edge they were cut, the face grain from the board remains the same.

.

good thought, but its not really possible. Here's the proof: If you think about it, there's a narrow face of the center piece and a narrow face of the outside pieces. In the end, the narrow faces must all be on the same side. But because of the bevel cuts, the narrow face of the center board must always be the opposite face of the narrow face of the outside pieces, when cut. No matter if you flip it side to side, it always has to be flipped top to bottom. Otherwise, the finished piece will be flat!

And yes C'n Hack, making a gluing jig would be a good idea if you need more than a couple of feet of this. An excercise for the OPer.

[twistsol]

Thanks everyone and especially Loring, I never would have come up with that. I need about 500' total unless I can get a reprieve on the bedrooms, bath, and laundry room.

I'll be milling this from the birch crown moulding that is in the house now. It's currently built up from four pieces, 1x6, two 1x4's and and a small piece of cove.

[chopnhack]

Oh... I do hope you get a reprieve from having to do that at all!!! You would have to remove all the existing molding, re-mill it and then reinstall.... not impossible, but darn well nearly! You almost always need some extra material for oops.... and other issues with crown. I guess this would be a good excuse to buy a lumber wizard I hope the misses reconsiders on this, the scope is fairly large and the amount of patching, etc. is more than one thinks until they get into it. Best of luck!

[cabinetman]

Oh... I do hope you get a reprieve from having to do that at all!!! You would have to remove all the existing molding, re-mill it and then reinstall.... not impossible, but darn well nearly! You almost always need some extra material for oops.... and other issues with crown. I guess this would be a good excuse to buy a lumber wizard I hope the misses reconsiders on this, the scope is fairly large and the amount of patching, etc. is more than one thinks until they get into it. Best of luck!

I agree wholeheartedly. Maybe she could get excited about a standard crown. Of course if the crown is something to be a shop project to be made instead of bought, you picked an interesting one, but rather plain IMO. In looking at the image the way the site had it oriented, it looks like the rabbeted detail was at the top (as installed).

I'm thinking that in most crowns, the decorative detail (like coves or beads) running the length is at the bottom (as installed). This particular crown appears it could be installed either way that you prefer. If you do decide on this style, do a section and position it in place both ways to see which way looks best.
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[greenacres2]

Using Loring's idea and then ripping another 22 1/2 degrees from the cutoff (effectively removing a V from the original stock)--the glue-up could then be done with no flipping of anything. It would let the pieces fold in on their natural positions. It would of course require an extra pair of passes for each piece.

I've tried to adapt my thinking to Loring's drawing--but the pdf is too big to load. And i'm late for a meeting!!

Earl

[BigguyZ]

Have you tried looking at Builder's Material Outlet, previously Cannon Recovery? They have a lot of mouldings that are different than what the box stores have, but it's already milled and actyally pretty cheap. If you're painting, you're set. If you're staining, sometimes you'll have to work to get all the same species (they make moldings out of scrap, so the same profile will have bundles in pine, oak, poplar, and even mahagony...)

[All Thumbs]

Maybe use a shaper or BIG router in a table, and a 45-degre vee bit. Cut almost all the way through the stock, then apply packing tape to the back of the cut (to reinforce), glue the groove, and fold up. Hold with packing tape or industrial wrap.

But that is a big job, no doubt.