I I
t I I
t I
THEARTOFWOODWORKING
HOMEWORI$HOP
W O R K S H OGPU I D E SCRIBING F i t t i n gt h e e n do r e d g eo f a p i e c eo f m o l d i n go r t r i m s q u a r e layg a i n sat w a l lt h a t i s n o t p l u m bc a n b e d i f f i c u l t .T h es i m p l et r i c ks h o w na t r i g h tm a k e st h e t a s k s i m p l eB . u t tt h e b o a r da g a i n stth e w a l la n d h o l da p e n c iw l i t h i t s e d g ea g a i n stth e w a l la n d i t s p o i n t c o n t a c t i ntgh e f a c eo f t h e w o r k p i e c eS.t a r t i n g at the t o p o f t h e m o l d i n gs, l i d et h e p e n c i dl o w nt h e w a r r ; t h e m a r kt h a t i s s c r i b e do n t h e w o r k o i e c w e ill orov i d ey o uw i t ha c u t t i n gl i n et h a tw i l l e n a b l ey o ut o f i t the pieceperfectlyin place.Youcan alsousea logbuilder'sscribe(page42) for this task.Scribinghas n u m e r o uasp p l i c a t i o nisn,c l u d i n h gelping to fit baseb o a r dt o a n u n e v e nf l o o r .
7 / /1
CHECKING ANDTRUING A CARPENTER'S SOUARE T o c h e c kw h e t h ear c a r p e n t e rs' sq u a r ei s t r u e ,t a p ea s h e e to f p a p e rt o a p i e c eo f p l y w o o a d n d ,h o l d i n go n eo f t h e a r m so f t h e s q u a r ea g a i n sat n e d g eo f t h e p a n e l d, r a wa p e n c i a l l o n gt h e o t h e r a r m ,m a r k i n ga l i n ea c r o s tsh e p a p e rT. h e nt u r n t h e s q u a r eo v e r
!
anddrawanother line,asshown at right.Thetwomarked lines should beparallel, lf not,thearmsarenotperpendicular to eachother, Truethesquare asshown below.
Totruea carpenter's square, beginbymarking a straight line between theinside andoutside corners of thesquare. lf the angle formed bythesquare isgreater than90', youwillneed to movethetwoarmscloser together: Place thetip of a center punchonthelinenearthesquare's outside corner andtapit wrtha ball-peen hammer. lf theangle is lessthan90', spread thearmsapartbytapping onthelinenearthesquare's inside corner(right). Truinga square mayrequire several taps,but checkyourprogress aftereachattempt.
.l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
Cent.erpunch
I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I
t t I I I I
t I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I J I
t I I I
THEARTOFWOOD\,VORKING
FINISH CARPENTRY
THE ART OF WOODWORKING
FTNTSH CARPENTRY
TIME-LIFE BOOKS ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA ST.REMYPRESS MONTREAL. NEWYORK
r 3 I I THE ART OF WOODWORKING wasproduced by ST. REMY PRESS PUBLISHER KennethWinchester PRESIDENT PierreLdveill6 SeriesEditor SeriesArt Director SeniorEditor Editor Art Directors Designers PictureEditor Writers ResearchAssistant Contr ibuting I IIustrators
Administrator ProductionManager SystemCoordinator Photographer Administrative Assist ant Proofreader Indexer
PierreHome-Douglas FrancineLemieux Marc Cassini Jim McRae Normand Boudreault,Luc Germain, SolangeLaberge H6lEneDion, Michel Gigudre ChristopherJackson Andrew Jones,Rob Lutes,David Simon Bryan Quinn GillesBeauchemin,RolandBergerat, Michel Blais,)ean-GuyDoiron, RonaldDurepos,RobertPaquet, Maryo Proulx, JamesTh6rien NatalieWatanabe MichelleTurbide Jean-LucRoy RobertChartier Dominique Gagn6 GaretMarkvoort ChristineM. Iacobs
Time-Life Booksis a division of Time Life Inc., a wholly ownedsubsidiaryof THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY
TIME-LIFEINC. Presidentand CEO JohnM. Fahey Editor-in-chief lohn L. Papanek TIME-LIFEBOOKS President Vice-President, Directorof Marketing ExecutiveEditor ExecutiveArt Director
Iohn D. Hall Nanry K. fones RobertaConlan Ellen Robling
ConsubingEditor iohn R. Sullivan ProductionManager MarleneZack
THECONSUIIANTS Karl Marcuseis a self-employedcarpenterand contractor in Montreal.He hasworked as a home renovatorin many countriesand is now completingrestorationofhis centuryold home. Giles Miller-Mead taught advancedcabinetmakingat Montreal technicalschoolsfor more than ten years.A nativeof New Zealand,he hasworked asa restorerof antiquefurniture Scott Sdruttner is a carpenterand home builder in Fairbanks, Alaska.A frequentcontributor to FineHomebuiWizg,he has beenbuildingstaircases andteachingaspiringcarpenters for closeto 20years. fosephTruini is SeniorEditorof HomeMechankMagazine. A formerShopandToolsEditorof PopularMechanic$ he has worked asa cabinetmaker,home improvementcontractor and carpenter. Finish carpentry p. cm. - (The Art of woodworking) Includesindex. ISBN0-8094-9s20-l 1. FinishcarpentryI. Time-LifeBooks.II. Series. THs640.Fs631994 694'.6-dc20 94-13533 CIP For information about any Time-Life book, pleasecall l-800-62I-7026,or write: ReaderInformation Time-Life CustomerService P.O.Box C-32068 Richmond,Virginia 2326r-2068 @ 1994Time-LifeBooksInc. All rights reserved. No part ofthis book may be reproducedin any form or by any electronicor mechanicalmeans,including information storageand retrievaldevicesor systems,without prior written permissionfrom the publisher,exceptthat brief passages may be quoted for reviews. Firstprinting.Printedin U.S.A. Publishedsimultaneouslyin Canada. TIME-LIFE is a trademarkof Time WarnerInc. U.S.A. R 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 r
t I I I
t I I I I
r I I t I I I I I I t I I I I I t t t
I I I I I I I
t I I I I I
t I
t t I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I
CONTENTS 6 INTRODUCTION 12 FINISH CARPENTRYBASICS 14 Finishcarpentrytools 16 Basiccuts 20 22 23 30 33
MOLDING Molding styles Baseboard Chair and picture rails Crown molding
38 40 42 46 52
PANELING Panelingstyles Tongue-and-groovewainscoting Frame-and-panelwainscoting Paneledceilings
56 58 59 6I 69 75 81
WINDOWS Basicwindow trim styles Installingwindows Picture-framecasing Stool-and-aproncasing Making a window sash A glazingbar half-lapjoint
84 DOORS 86 Anatomv of a door 8 8 Toolsand door hardware 90 Frame-and-panel doors jambs 95 Door 100 Hanginga door r07 Locksets II4 116 118 I23 I28 I32 136
STAIRS Anatomyof a staircase The stringers Treadsand risers Newelposts Handrails Balusters
I4O GLOSSARY 142 INDEX 144 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
t t I I I I I I
t I I I I
t I I
n
INTRODUCTION
I
I
GrantTaylordescribes
t
HOWI BLIILD DOORS
I I I I
I I
_ I__::__".-_
hardwooddoorsfor a living,but no matterhowmany $ makecustom,high-quality A doorsI see.I alwaysmarvelat the craftmanshio involved:Thewaya door maker canbringout thewoodgrainby usingquarter;wn boards,for eximpie,or how joinerymakesa joint thatwon'topenup for 100yearsor themortise-and-tenon the craftmanship tirat alwavsstrikesme. more.But there'ssomethinselsebesides Englishcastleor a modIt doesn'tmatterwhetherit'ia thickoakdooron a medievai assembly with a delicatearchingsash.In someway,all doorsare ern stained-glass justbeyondtheturn magic,offeringusthepossibiltyof mysteryor theunexpected, oftheknob. I uselocalwood I buildmy doorsmuchasdoorbuildersof old worked,Forstarters, thathasbeencut andmilledbywoodmenI know Whenthefelledtreesarelyingin I climboverthelogsandselectprimepiecesfor milling.Thoserough freshstacks, boardsarelaterdroppedoff at my shop-a stonestructurethat I built myselfin mill themto revealtheiruniquegrainpatruralNewHampshire-whereI carefully terns.I selectthefinestsoecimens andthendrv themin a solarkiln that I alsoconthatgivesoptimumstabilityto structed.Afterproperaginganddrying-a process the wood-I finallybring into my shopa pieceof woodthat probablyhasbeen touchedby only a coupleofpeoplesinceit stoodasa treein theforest. Cherryandoakaremy favoritewoods,andtheygrowwonderfullystrongin the andno matterhow areawhereI live.Theirgrainpatternsareinvariablyspectacular, manytimesI assemble a door-typically I workfrom customdesignplans,soevery a thrillwhenI pullthernilledboardsout of theplanoneis unique-thereisalways er andmarvelat theDatternthat is revealed. my doors,I relyon powThoughI usemanytraditionalhandtoolsto assemble Tolerances of %' inchin door er toolsto gettheprecisionmy clientscometo expect: piecessuchasstiles,rails,andpanelsarecolnmonin my shop. I amproudof whatI produce,andit'sneverboring.Therangeof stylesthatpeoplelook for in customdoorsalwayskeepsme on my toes,alwaysdoingsomething interesting. WhetherI'm workingwith a localblacksmithto fabricatesomewroughtgeometryof cutiron hir-rges for a Tudor-style dooror figuringout thecomplicated ting centerovalsin a doorthat'stakenmea weekto complete,I neverhavea dull day. iswhentheprocess comesto an end.Thesedoors TheonlythingI find disagreeable overto make aresomethingI havepouredmy heartinto, somethingI've sweated beautiful.I justhateto seethemgo.
CustontDoors,a GrontTayloris theownerof Lamson-Taylor Taylor two-person shopin SouthAcworth,NewHantpshire. NorthAmerica. hasbuih cltstomdoorsfor hotrses throughout
INTRODUCTION
Ion Eakeson
MAKINGTRIM ANDMOLDING J waked in and I knewwithin two minutesthat this wasa quality-builthouse.It I wasa modestsplit-level-no vaultedceilings,no spectacular centerpiece. In fact "outstanding." therewasnothing Eventhe trim wassimpleand unobtrusive,but a closelook aroundthe windowsshowedprecisemiteredanglesandno signof nails. It wasthe trim aroundthe bottom of the wall that saidthe most:tight cornersand carefullyconstructedreturns.Veryfewpeoplebotherto do that today. Tiim andmoldingswereoncethemostobviouspart of both furnitureandhouse interior finishing.Thereweresimplemechanicalreasonswhy mostof it hasdisappearedtoday.Thebeautyandcreativityof moldingdesignswasan outgrowthof the needto hide constructionjoints aswell asjunctionsbetweendifferentmaterials. Modern materialshavechangedall that.With drywallreturnson windowsand taperedcorners,manymodernhousesnow usetrim onlyto hidethedoorframesand the intersectionbetweenwallsand floors. Wecanbemoanthe sterilizedlook of particleboardfurnitureandbox-likehouses-or we canseethe absenceof joints asliberatingmolding from its mechanical needto hide something,allowingits shapeand placementto be determinedsolely by our estheticdesires. Makingyour own moldingsis oneof themostsatisfyingwaysof lettingyour creativity showin your woodworking.Althoughrouterscaneasilydecorateedgesand with a bit of work evenmakefull moldings,it is the tablesawoutfittedwith a threeblademoldingheadthat canreallyproduce.In my experience thekeysto success in makingmoldingor trim on a tablesawarevery simple: . Usevery sharpknives. . Usewood that is eitherflat or easilypressedflat on the table. . Usefirm hold-downsthat preventvibration. . Advancethe wood just fastenoughto preventburningbut just slowlyenough "waves" to avoid on the faceof thewood. Honing your molding knivesfor that very cleancut is easierthan it may seem. Nevertry sharpeningthe curvedend:Youwon't getall threeto match.Layeachknife flat on a very flat sharpeningstoneand grind the entiresideof the knife,the same lengthof time for eachone.Youwon't makeit much thinnerbut you will honethe cuttingedgeand keepall threebladesexactlythe sameshapeand lengh.
lon Eakeshas beena cabinetmakerand customrenovator in Montreal, Canadafor more than 20 years. He is known primarily for his teachingthrough books, videos,radio, and the TV showRenovationZone.
r ' - l
.{
I
t t I
t 'n\. t
I I I
t I I I I t I I I I I I I I I
INTRODUCTION
ScottSchuttneron the
CHALLE,NGE OF BI.]ILDING STAIRS
q1F ; s
t
& .s*r
I
.
m-, #
bdFGT;d
il*" I I I I
.. . -
''* ,.:,,.r'.-t
dr
, learnedstairbuilding thewirymostof us do-fron-rbooksancltrial anclerror. Honever, thebooksof 30yearsagousuallycoverecl suchsubjects eitherrvithrudil-nentary abruptness or arcaneterminologv. Neitherapproach nreanc'lI satisfied haveconreto understaud that thereis r.noreto considerthantheclbviolrs fr.rnction of delivering peoplefromoneelevation to another. A gracefirl isoneof themostprominentarchitecturirl staircase features in a home anda showcirse of a u,oodworker's talents. Thecareandpatience thatgointobuilding stairsmtrybeon displavfor 100yearsandnot easilyremodeled or repaired. A staircase mustbemaderocksolid,asit will serve asrrplilyground, slide,anciracervay for cl-rilclren. A stairbuilder mustbearvirre thirtusers become physically attunedto tl-restairs. Our legsquicklypick Lrpa rhythmfor trsetof stairs,rvhichafteroneor trvostepsallorvs r"rs to negotiate therestwithouta1l-absorbing attention. \\hen facedwiththeseconceurs, it is notsurprising thatnor,ice carpeuters shvalvay fl'ombr-rilding arstairway. A minormiscalculation canresultin onestepbeingout of synclvith the restandevenif not discernable visually,it mayresultin a stumble for theul-rwarv. But not to ivorry.AlthoughstairbLril<1ing requires thoroughplanninganclattention to detail,in mostcases thenath is straightfbrrvard andthecarpeutry, although clr.rllerrgirrg, rreed rrotbeintirnid.rtirrg. TohelpensLlre success I ahvays drirwii precisely dimensioned, side-r,iew sketchof thestairsandincludeall detaiissuchastreadthickness, floorcoverir.rgs, landings, androughframingwhilepayingcloseattention to thefirstandlaststepsincethisis wheremostmistakes arelikelyto occur.And initially,I planverticaldistances with refbrence to Jitishedfloor andtreadsurfaces andmakeadjustnrents fl'omthere. I alsokeepin mindbuildingcodesthatdictatelimitsfor theriseandmn, rvidthof stairs,sizesof handrails, andheadroomcleariurces to nalrea t-elv. Codesdo not necessarily prescribe greatstairsbut theyrvillkeep,vou fi'ombuildingdisastrous ones. As a stairbuilder in Alaska,I am askedto usea widevarietyof materiirls combinedintonranyeclectic stvles, rangingfrom rustictreadsirndcirrriases usingsplit sprucelogsto grandstirircirses lvith miterednosir.rgs, volutes, trndgoosenecks. \\4ri1e no tr'voeverlookthesame,theirconstruction fbllowsthestrmeprocesses. It'sirlnays a lot of fun andtheendresultturnsout to be usefirlfor somuchnrorethturmerelv enabling peopleto goupstairs or down.
:.;*lP
I
I t t I
ScottSclrtrtttrer is theatrtltoro.l'Bosic Stairltuildirrg trttrlotlrcrboLtks arrdorticles bS,71,, Thrrrttort Press.Hc livcsttrttloperotesItiscttttrparry,HenrtwLtodlluildersorttl \,Vootlworkitrg, itt r..airbortks, Alosko.
lt
I
FINISHCARPENTRY BASICS ()FA H()USEINTERIOR ANATOMY
r I
t I I
t Crown molding (paqe 33) Windowcasing (pa4e 61)
Picture rail (paqe 3O)
I I
t I I I
I I I
FINISH CARPENTRYBASICS
I I I
Rosette
(paag72)
I I I I Frame-andpanel door (paae 90)
Ealuster (pa4e 136)
Door trim (pa4e112)
I
I I I I
t I
Plinth (paqe 112)
I
FINISHCARPENTRYTOOLS
t I
I I I
FINISH CARPENTRYBASICS
r
Power miter aaw For croaecuttin4and miterinqmoldingand trim; can croagcut etock up to 5 % inchea wideand miter atock up to 3 % inchea wide. Model ahownfeaturea a 10-rnchbladeand a laeer beam for lininqup cuta
I I I I I I I I
5liding compound miter saw Makee miter, bevel,and compoundcuta rn moldinq and trim. Can croaacut and bevelatock up to 12 inchea wide,and makemiter and compoundcuta in etock up toB%incheawide. Featureaan B %-inch bladet.hat rune alonq a alide and an electric brake to 6top the bbAe epinningquicklywhen the triq7er ie releaeed
t I I I I I
Molderlplaner Flaneaand millabaaeboard,chair rail, crown moldinq,and other typea of trim in etock up to 10 inchea wide;worka like a thickneaa planer with profiled knivea
t I I I I I I I I I I I
Coping aaw 9mall frame aaw uaedto cut copediointe in crown moldinqand other trim with iurved profilea:modelahownfeaLureea 4%-inch throat
Although it is not as quick to useas a miter saw, the commercialmiter box shown at right is a good alternative. The jig comeswith its own handsaw and can be adjustedto make q cut at any angle between0o and 90o.For ease of use,the legscan be attachedto a plywood base,which is then clamped to a work surface.
15
BASICCUTS
t t I I I
r t I
t
A slidirrgcorrrpoturdsnwis set te to nliter a lerrgthof molding.It is a good iden yott to work at a lo ntoLutttlrc saworrn portnltleniter startd,whichenables hcigltt. Tlrc nrodelshowrtfeatu'essLtpportarrttsthnt carrbe adjustcortt.fbrtoblc ed to extctrd4 .lbelort encltsideof tlrc bladeto accorturrodate lortgworkpieces.
PREPARING ST()CK
I I I I I I t I t I I I I I I
t R i p p i nognt h et a b l es a w l f y o ua r eu s i n gr o u g hl u m b e fr o r y o u rf i n i s hc a r p e n t rpyr o l e c t s , s t a r tb y j o i n t i n go n ef a c eo f e a c hb o a r da, n dt h e na n e d g e .N e x t , r i p t h e b o a r dt o w r d t h m , a k i n gt h e s e c o n d e d g ep a r a l l e l ttoh e jointededge.Setthe stockfacedownon the sawtableandadlust t h e b l a d eh e i g h ta b o u tZ i n c ha b o v et h e w o r k p i e c eP. o s i t i o n t h e r i p f e n c ef o r t h e w i d t ho f t h e c u t ,t h e nf e e dt h e s t o c ki n t o
t h e b l a d e ,h o l d i n gi t f i r m l ya g a i n stth e f e n c e( a b o v e .S) t a n d s l i g h t l tyo t h e l e f to f t h e w o r k p i e caen ds t r a d d l teh e f e n c ew i t h y o u rr i g h th a n d ,m a k i n gc e r t a i nt h a tn e i t h ehr a n dr s i n l i n e w i t ht h e b l a d e O . n c ey o u rf i n g e r sa p p r o a cthh e b l a d eg u a r d , u s ea p u s hs t i c kt o c o m p l e t e t h e c u t . ( C a u t i o nB: l a d eg u a r d partiallyretracted for clarity.)
I I I I I I I
I
I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I f I t I
t I I I I I I I I
FINISH CARPENTRYBASICS
Crosscufting on thetablesaw T o c u t t h e b o a r dt o l e n g t h h , o l di t f l u s h a g a i n stth e m i t e rg a u g ea, n d a l i g ny o u r c u t t i n gm a r kw i t ht h e b l a d e .P o s i t i o tnh e r i p f e n c ew e l l a w a yf r o mt h e e n d o f t h e s t o c kt o p r e v e ntth e c u t - o f fp i e c ef r o m j a m m i n ga g a i n stth e b l a d ea n d k i c k i n g b a c k .H o o kt h e t h u m b so f b o t hh a n d s o v e rt h e m i t e rg a u g et o h o l dt h e s t o c k f i r m l ya g a i n stth e g a u g ea n df l a t a g a i n s t t h e t a b l e ,t h e nf e e dt h e b o a r di n t ot h e blade (right).(Caution:Bladeguardpartiallyretractedfor clarity.)
Makinga mitercut A d j u s t h e s a wt o t h e d e s i r e d m i t e ra n g l e . Onthe modelshownat left,turn the table l o c k i n gh a n d l ec o u n t e r c l o c k w idseep, r e s s t h e l o c k i n gl a t c h a , n ds w i n gt h e t a b l el e f t o r r i g h tu n t i lt h e p o i n t e irn d i c a t etsh e a p p r o p r i a at en g l eT. u r nt h e h a n d l ec l o c k w i s et o l o c kt h et a b l e .S e ty o u rw o r k p i e c e o n t h e t a b l ea n da l i g nt h e c u t t i n gm a r k with the tableslot.Themodelshownfeat u r e sa l a s e rb e a mt o h e l py o ul i n eu p t h e c u t t i n gm a r k .H o l d i n tgh ew o r k p i e cf e irmly a g a i n stth e t a b l ea n d f e n c e ,t u r n o n t h e s a wb y s q u e e z i ntgh e h a n d l et r i g g e a r nd b r i n gt h e s a wd o w ns l o w l y( / e f f ) .O n c e t h e c u t i s c o m p l e t e dr ,e l e a steh e t r i g g e r a n dl i f tt h e h a n d l eu n t i lt h e b l a d ec l e a r s t h ew o r k o i e c e .
t I
FINISH CARPENTRYBASICS
r M a k i n ga b e v ecl u to n a s l i d i n gc o m p o u nsda w Adjustthe sawto the desiredbevelangle. 0 n t h e m o d e ls h o w n l, o o s e nt h e b e v e l c l a m pl e v e rt,i l t t h e b l a d ea s s e m b tl yo the left,andsetthe bevelto the required a n g l eT . i g h t e nt h e c l a m pl e v e rS . e tt h e w o r k p i e caeg a i n st th ef e n c e a, l i g n i n tgh e c u t t i n gl i n ew i t ht h e b l a d ea, n ds e c u r e i t i n p l a c eu s i n gt h e v i s ek n o b .T o m a k e t h e c u t ,g r i pt h e h a n d l ea n ds l i d et h e b l a d ea s s e m b lfyo r w a r dS. q u e e zteh e t r i g g eirn t h e h a n d l eb, r i n gt h e h a n d l e downa , n ds l i d et h e s a wb l a d eb a c kt o cut the workpiece(/eff).
M a k i n ga c o m p o u ncdu to n a s l i d i n gc o m p o u nsda w A d j u s t h e s a wt o t h e d e s i r e db e v eal n d m i t e ra n g l e sO . n t h e m o d e sl h o w ns, t a r t by settingthe bevelangle(above).To set t h e m i t e ra n g l e l, o o s e n t h e t a b l el o c k i n g h a n d l ea n ds w i n gt h e t a b l et o t h e l e f to r r i g h tt o t h e d e s i r e d a n g l eS . e tt h e w o r k p i e c ea g a i n stth ef e n c ea, l i g n i nygo u rc u t t i n gl i n ej u s tt o t h ew a s t es i d eo f t h e b l a d e . C l a m pt h e w o r k p i e cien p l a c eu s i n gt h e viseknob.Makethe compoundcut (right) a s y o uw o u l da b e v e cl u t .
I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
FINISH CARPENTRYBASICS
F()RFINISHCARPENTRY WOOD SPECIES qUATITY FINISHING w00DsPEcrEs STRENGTH WORKABITITYGTUING Ash
Fair
Fai
Fair
Basswood Beech
Poor Fair
Good Fair
Good Fair
Birch
Good
Good
Fair
Cedar, Western red
Poor
Good
Good
Gherry
Fair
Good
Fair
Accepts stainswell;notsuitable for painting
Cypress
Good
Fair
Douglas-fir
Fair Fair
Elm
Good
Good Good
Good Fair
Oilstainrecommended Oilstainrecommended
Gum, sweetred
Fai
Good
Good
Hemlock Hickory
Fair
Fair
Good
0il stainrecommended
Good
Difficult
Fai
Accepts stainswell;notsuitable for painting
Mahogany
Fair
Good
Good
Accepts stainswell;notsuitable for painting
Maple, hard
Good
Difficult
Fair
Accepts stainswell;requires thinfiller for painting
Maple,soft
Fair
Fair
Fair
Accepts well;requires stains thinfiller for painting
t
Oak,red
Good
Good
Fair
Accepts stainswell;requires heavy fillerforpainting
I I I I I I
Oak,white
Good
Good
Fair
Accepts stainswell;requires heavy fillerforpainting
Pine, ponderosa yellow Pine,
Poor
Good
Good
Accepts finishes well
Poor
Fai
Fair
Redwood
Fair
Good
Good
Accepts finishes well 0il stainrecommended
Spruce
Poor Good
Good Difficult
Good Poor
Accepts finishes well
Teak Walnut
Good
Good
Good
Accepts stainswell;notsuitable forpainting
t I I I I
r9
Accepts stainswell;requires heavy filler forpainting Accepts stainswell Accepts stainswell;requires thin fillerforpainting Accepts stainswell;requires thinfiller for painting Oilstainrecommended
Accepts stainswell;requires heavy fillerforpainting Accepts stainswell;requires thinfiller for painting
0il stainrecommended; notsuitable forpainting
I ""1 I
G,T
-J*.49 fi "" .}-
S*'..,=,**
f\i 4t" *
I
t I
I I I I I
MOLDING
t I
t I I I I I I I I I I I
t t
nickingwallsand paneling, " the Greeksa.ndRoT and picture rails provide a I mans,proportlonwas handywayto hangart within the designof everything out marringwalls. theybuilt. Forvisualappeal, Theadventof themolding their structuresreliedon a machinein the 19thCentury logicalandharmoniouspromade it oossibleto massgressionof architectural eleproducethis functionaland ments,one atop the other, decorativematerial.Today, from plinth to cornice.Some you canbuy the mostpopuFor woodworkerswith a lot of molding to install, 2000 yearslater,furniture lar profilesof crownmolding thefinish nailer is a handy alternativeto a hammer. makersof theGeorgianperiandbaseboard at virtually any versions Here, the nailer securesa length of crown molding to the od usedsmall-scale hardwarestore.Soecialized air, the nailer drives home ceiling.Poweredby compressed to decof the sameelements millwork shoosstotk a wider small-gaugefinishing nails without splitting the wood. oratethe interiorsof their rangeof profrles,and some patrons'homes. all intewill custom-grindspecialknivesso that an antiquepattern Today,molding is a broadterm that encompasses But moldingis alsoeasyto makein the chair canbe reproduced. rior trim appliedto wallsandceilings,suchasbaseboard, shop(page24).All you needis a tablesawwith a tilting arbor rail,picturerail,andcrownmolding.An exampleof eachtipe Z-inchrouter-and is illustratedin a typicalhouseinterioron page12.Thischap- anda moldingheador a table-mounted a bit of imagination.If you plan to producea greatdealof instructionsfor makingand installingthesedifter presents like the one shownin molding,a shaperor a molder/planer ferentkindsof molding. Whetherit is the angulartrim of an Arts and Crafts-style thephotoat left maybea worthwhilepurchase. Installingmoldingcanbe a simpletaskonceyou havemashome or the formal corniceof a Victorianparlor,molding (page tereda fewbasicprinciples(page26).Uselongerpiecesfor the role.Baseboard serves a functionalaswellasa decorative main roomsso that therewill be fewerjointsin theseloca23),for example,is designedto covergapsbetweenthe wall andlessconsDicuand the floor, while crown molding servesthe samepurpose tions.Saveshorteroiecesfor insideclosets ousareasof thehome. alongtheceiling.Chairrails(pagej0) preventchairbacksfrom
I
t I I I I
r
planerand theshaper,a molder/planer Combiningfeaturesof thethickness milk a lengthof chairrail. Themachineworksmuchlikea planer,except proknivesthat mqtchthedesired that it canbefined with custom-ground power and capacity to turn out custom The model shown at left has the fiIe. chairrails,and crownmoldingquicklyand accurately. baseboards,
2l
MOLDING STYLES
Ranch-atyle baeeboard with 4uarter-round ahoe molding (page 24)
t Euilt-up baseboard (pase25) Colonialatyle baaeboard Custom oingle-pieae baeeboard (pase 27)
Formal corniae (pase 56)
Crown molding
(pase 33)
I I I I I I t I
Crown and flat molding
I I
t t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I
t I tl I I
r I I I t I I I I I I I I I I I
BASEBOARD mop,{ lsoknownasskirt,baseplate, .C-Lboard,or iustplainbase, baseboard is the mostcommonform of molded runningtrim usedin finishcarpentry. Baseboards servea dual purpose:they visuallyanchorthewallto thefloorand theyalsocoveranygapsbetweenthose two surfaces. Baseboard comesin two basictvoes: singlesingle-piece or built-up. Standard is usuallybetween3 piecebaseboard and 12incheswideandis soldin a variety of moldedprofiles;it canbe made easilywith a tablesaw,router,or shaper. While single-piece baseboard maybe easierto install,it is morelikelyto cup than built-up molding.The simplest isbase-andform ofbuilt-uobaseboard a moldshoe(page2a),whichfeatures edshoethatprovidesa visualtransition betweenthe wall andfloor.
is installedwith a hamBaseboard mer,a nail setand finishingnails,or finishnailer(page with an air-powered 2i). While the naileris a moreexpenit makesinstallation sivealternative, quickandclean.It is preferable to handnailingwhenworkingwith hardwood molding,whichis moreproneto splitmoldtine than softwood.Baseboard ing"istypicallynailedir.rplaceafterthe wallshavebeenoaintedand the finish Thenthe floor installedand sanded. shoemoldingis nailedin place.If the floor is to be installedafterthe baseboard,leavea spaceunderthebaseboard for the floor; usescrapsofthe flooring to helovou determinethe sizeof the can gap.Ai with all molding,baseboard be stainedor painted;thisis bestdone afterall themoldinghasbeencut to size, but beforeit is installed.
The last pieceof baseboardto be installedin a room often endsat a door casing.Here a U-shaped,shop-nnde jig calleda preacheris usedto nreasurethe piecebeforeit is nailed irt place.The jig and restsagninst slipsoverthe baseboard the casing,allowirtgyou to mark the buseboard to lertgthwitlr precision.
M()TDING J()INERY Door caeing Butt joint Uaedwheremoldinq meeto door caetnq: aloo oervesto jorn two len4theof flat baeeboardat an inaidecorner.The end of the moldtn7 eimplybutte aqatnet the matinq piece.
Coped joint (page 27) Joina cueLom baeeboard, ptcture and chatr raile, and cornice moldtn4'at. tnaide corner6; leea likely to open wtth aeasonal wood move' ment than miter joint, Aleo a cleanerjoinL than the miter for cornera that are noL 90'.
1carf joint )pltcea lenqtheof baeeboardand cornicemoldin4 toqether alo.n4a lonq watl
t I I I I I I I I I
Miter joint (page 2A) Forjoinin4 moldin7at outetde cornerg:can aleojorn eome Lypeeof moldingat inoidecornera.Thejoinery hideoend qrain.
ZJ
MOLDING
t t
r I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t
MAKING BASE-AND-SHOE BASEBOARD 'l
Milling theshoeona router table portion I Maketheshoemolding of the baseboard from%-inchlhick stock.lnstall anedge-forming bit inyourrouter andmount thetoolin a table; a round-over bitisshown at right,butanyothershape canbeused. Tosupport theworkpiece, usethreefeatherboards: Clamotwoto thefence-oneon eachsideof thebit-anda thirdto thetable in linewiththecutter. Shape bothedges of eachworkpiece, feeding thestockwith bothhands andf inishing thepasswitha pushstick.Forsafety, it is bestto shape longboards thatareat least4 inches wide, andthenriptheshaped edges offonthe tablesaw.
t
thebase0nthetablesaw ! Relieving 4- fo prepare thebaseportion of thebaseboard, shape oneedge adjusting itswidthto about2 inches, andsetthecutting height of a 1-by-4 or 1-by-6 asin step1. Thenplanethestockto the at % inch.Position theripfencesothecutwillbecentered in desired thickness. Toprevent themolding fromcupping andcom- themrddle of theworkpiece. Usetwofeatherboards to support pensate foranyirregularities in thewall,makea reliefcutalong t h es t o c ka n db o t hh a n d tso f e e di t f a c eu p ,w h i l eb u t t i n gi t thebackfaceof thestock.Install a dadoheadonvourtablesaw. against thefence(above). Finish thepasswitha pushstick.
1,1
I I I I I I I
t
I I I
t I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I
MOLDING
MAKING BUILT.UP BASEBOARD Milling a basecap Tomakethetoppiece-thebasecap-of illustrated on page thebuilt-upbaseboard 22, installa decorative edging bit onyour (A job shaper. routercandothe too,but youto employ enables larger theshaper therefore thickerstock.lt cutters-and is alsoa morestabletoolto use.)Keep against thefenceand thestockpressed thetableusingthehold-downs supplied Feedthestockonedge, withthemachine. usingbothhands(right).To f inishthe pass,moveto theoutfeed sideof thetable andpullthestockpastthecutter.Thebotbaseboard is installed tomoieceof built-uo ce olding t h es a m ew a ya ss i n g l e - p i em (page26I Thebasecapisthennailed to piece. boththewallandthebottom
Beforethe routerand shaper,the combination plane was the tool of choicefor shapingmolding. This versatilehand toolfeaturesa rangeof interchangeable cuttersthat canform tongues,grooves, dadoes,flutes, reeds,ovolos,and beadings.An adjustableedgeguide ensures straight cuts while a depth stop allows the plane to trim to precisedepths.The modelshownat left, the Stanely45 Multiplane, is a venerabledesignthat insDiredmany imitators.
t I I I I
t I I I
25
t I
MOLDING
t INSTALLING BASEB()ARD
Mi1;er or.coped .lotnt
P l a n n i ntgh ei n s t a l l a t i o n The idealsequence for installing baseboard d e p e n dos n t h e r o o ml a y o u tY. o u rg o a li s t o m a k et h e l o i n e r yi n c o n s p i c u ow u sh e n e n t e r i n pt h e r o o m a s s h o w na t l e f t . A t ; t outside d o o rc a s i n g su, s eb u t t j o i n t s a c o r n e r su,s em i t e r sA . t i n s i d ec o r n e r su, s e m i t e r sf o r f l a t m o l d i n g( b e l o wo) r c o p e d j o i n t sf o r c o n t o u r e m d o l d i n g( p a g e2 7 ) . S t a r ta t a l o n gw a l l( A )o p p o s i t e thedoor. W i t hc o p e dj o i n t s .c u t t h e p i e c et o b u t t a g a i n swt a l l sD a n d E s ot h e e n dg r a i no f t h em o l d i n g a l o n gt h e s ew a l l sw i l l b e i n v i s i b l ef r o mt h e d o o r .I n s t a l l t h e molding a l o n gw a l lB n e x t ,t h e nw a l l sC a n d D . l f a w a l l i s l o n g e trh a ny o u rs t o c k ,a s i n E , c o n n e cttw o p i e c e su s i n ga s c a r fj o i n t . Locate t h e j o i n ta t a w a l ls t u d .F i n i s ht h e i n s t a l l a t i oant t h ed o o r( w a l l sF a n dG ) .C u t a l l t h e m o l d i n g/ - i n c h l o n g etrh a nn e e d "snap" e d ;t h i sw i l la l l o wi t t o i n t op l a c e .
Butt joint
v i r ! v i , r i b
MI T E R I N I NGS I DC()R E NERS N a i l i n tgh em o l d i n ign p l a c e T o i n s t a lb l a s e - a n d - s hm o eo l d i n ga t a n i n s i d ec o r n e rc, u t t h e t w o p i e c e st o l e n g t h , miteringoneend of eachboard(page17). M a k et h e c u t ss o t h e b a c kf a c eo f e a c h m o l d i n gr e a c h etsh e c o r n e rt,h e n i n s t a l l o n eo f t h e p i e c e sU. s i n ga h a m m ear n d2 i n c h( 6 d ) f i n i s h i nnga i l so r a f i n i s hn a i l e r l o a d e dw i t ht h e t y p eo f n a i l ss p e c i fe db y t h e m a n u f a c t u r ef ar ,s t e nt h e m o l d i n g to t h e w a l l .D r i v et w o n a i l sa t e v e r yw a l ls t u d , l o c a t i n tgh e n a i l s% i n c hf r o mt h e t o p a n d bottomof the molding. Theuppernailshould r e a c ht h e s t u d ,w h i l et h e l o w e or n es h o u l d enterthe soleplateattachedto the subfloor directlybelowthe studs.To locatethestuds, usea stud finder(page32). lf youareusing a h a m m e rs, e tt h e n a i lh e a d sF. i tt h e s e c ond pieceof moldingin place(right)and nailit to thewallthe sameway.Thensecure t h e s h o em o l d i n gt o t h e b a s e b o a r(dr n s e t ) , d r i v i n ga n a i le v e r y1 6 i n c h e s ,
I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t
26
I I I I
t I I I I
t I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
MOLDING
CO P I NI N GSI DCEOR N E R S themolding 1 Coping molding at an I To installcontoured insidecorner, crosscut bothendsof one piecesothat it f its snuglybetween the a d j o i n i nwga l l sT. h em a t i n p g i e c ew i l l buttagainst itsfacewitha copedjoint. joint this is a two-step operation. Cutting a 45' bevelcut onone Startbymaking e n do f t h em o l d i n gt h; i sw i l lr e v e at hl e contour lineontheface.Thenclampthe promolding faceupona worksurface, pad. tectingthestockwitha wood Usea copingsawfittedwitha narrow bladeto line.Holdthesaw cutalongthecontour perfectly upright(right),bitingintothe woodontheupstroke. Fora tightf it, hold the thesawslightly over90', undercutting jointslightly, sothatonlythefrontof the boardcontacts thefaceof the mating piece.lf thebladebindsin thekerf,make occasional release cutsintothewasteto letsmallpieces fallaway.
t I I I I I
Installing themolding Nailthef irstpieceof molding to the (page wallasyouwouldflatbaseboard 26). Thenposition thecoped endagainst the firstpieceto testthefit (left).Smoothoul witha round anyirregularities f ileorfine sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. Once thefit is perfect, nailthecoped molding in olace.
t I I
27
I I
MOLDING
t INSTATTING BASEBOARD ATAN()UTSIDE CORNER themiterangle 1 Determining I Tofit baseboard at anoutside corner, f irstdetermine themiterangleyouwill needto cut.Thisstepis essential if the wallsdo notmeetat 90'; asa result, the mitercutswillnotbe45'. (Thisisoften thecasein olderhomes.) Holda scrap board thesamethickness asthemolding against onewallanduseitsoutside face to marka reference lineonthef loor.Then holdtheboard against theadjoining wall andmaketwomarkson it: Oneon itstop edgein linewiththecorner andanother on itsfrontfaceperpendicular to thereference markonthef loor(/eft).
r) Transferring theangle (- Usea trv square to extendthe mark on thefaceof tf,. ,.rup boardto thetop edge.Thenadjusta slidingbevelto the angleformedbytheendof thislineand thecornermarkon thetopedgeof the board(right). Thisis yourmiterangle.Use theslidingbevelto adjustthesawyou w i l lb eu s i n tgo c u tt h em o l d i n g .
28
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I I I Il I I I
MOLDING
t I I
t I I
t I
t I I
t t I I I I I
t I I I T I I
Installing themolding
di l* iiil iliiff it
t$ rhiili ru,ll * il{rut illi$
5HO7Tt? Store-bought cornerpieceo CuINinq a miLerjoinl ie noLNheonlyway t o inetall baseboard a No u t s i d e c o r n e r o . Many Nypesof com' m e r c i a lb a e e b o a r d come with ready-made ,.-.--\.'\ \ c o r n e r V i e c e sf e a t u r i n q lhe same profileas otraiqht s e c t i o n s .J o i n e dt o o t r a i q h L l e n q t h ow i L hb u I I j o i n t s , l h e s e
cornerooVeedup insLallaLion. ThesquaretyVe ehownhereis madeelightly"proud"of Lheolraiqht eecNions for vieualeffect,
M a k et h e m i t e rc u t so n t h e p i e c e so f m o l d i na g n dc h e c kt h e f i t o f t h ej o r n t . M a k ea n ys l i g h ta d j u s t m e nw t si t ha c h i s e l o r s a n d p a p eTr .h e ni n s t a ltlh e p i e c e s w i t ha h a m m eor r f i n i s hn a t l e r( a b o v ea)s youwouldat an insidecorner(page26). R e p e atth e p r o c e stso i n s t a lsl h o em o l d I n go r a b a s ec a p .
t
CHAIRAND PICTURERAILS wereusedsimhairrailsoriginally f \, ply to preventchair backsfrom marringwallsor paneling,but theyhave recentlyassumed a morepurelydecorativerole.Today,they often serveasa dividerbetweendecorative elementson a wall,with panelingor wallpaperusuallyinstalledbetweenthechairrail and the floor. Chairrailsaremuchlikebaseboard, and areinstalledexactlythe sameway, exceptthat theyarelocatedaboutone-
Customchairrailsandcrownmolding areavailablewith elaborate carvedpatternsand scrollwork,in a widerangeof modernandantiauestvles.
third of thewaybetweenfloor andceiling, typically3 feetoff the floor. Like baseboard, chairrailsarecommercially availablein a number of orofilesand in the sizes, but theycanbeeasilymade shoofrom 1-bv-4stock. ficture rail is a tvpeof chairrail with a roundedlip usedto hang picture frames.It is installed6 to 8 feetoff the floor.Sincepicturerailsoftensupport weight,theyarescrewed considerable ratherthan nailedin place.The screw holesarethenconcealed by woodplugs. Dependingon the estheticeffectyou want to achieve, you canusechairrails, picturerails,or both in conjunction with baseboard(page23) and crown molding(page33).
r I I I I I
t I I
t I I
t
MAKING RAILS CHAIR
I
thereeds 1 Milling I tvtat
t t I I I I
r t
30
I I I I I I I I I
I I
t lt I I I
t I I I
t
MOLDING
r) Shaping theedges L Onceyouhavemilledthereedsin your chairrailstock, shape theedges ona router table.Install an edge-forming bit in your router;an ogeebit is shownat right.Then mountthetoolin a table.Tosuooort the workpiece forthiscut,usethreefeatherboards: Clamotwofeatherboards to the fence, oneoneachsideof thebit,anduse thethirdopposite thebitto press thestock against thefence.Seta shallow depthof cutforthefirstpass.Toshapeeachedge, slowly feedtheworkpiece intothecutter (right); finishthecut witha pushstick. passes Makea series of deeper untilyou profile, attainthedesired increasing the cuttind g e p t h%i n c ha t a t i m e .
I
t I I I I I I
INSTALLING A CHAIRRAII
t t I I I I I I I
t I I
theheight ofthechairrail 1 Determining I U s ea c h a l kl i n et o m a r ka h e i g hlti n eo nt h ew a l lf o rt h e molding. Make a markat eachendof onewall,typically 36 inchesoffthefloor.Aftermeasuring theheight of onemark,usea level anda long,straight boardto makethesecond markat the
samelevel, asthefloormaynotbetrue.Drive a finishing nailinto thewallat oneof themarks andhookthechalklineonthenail head.Aligntheotherendwiththesecond heightmarkandsnap thechalkline(above). Repeat fortheotherwallsin theroom.
31
t MOLDING
r) Finding thewallstuds L neally, molding should benailed to the Todetermine theirlocation, use wallstuds. a studfinderandmarkeachpointwitha pencil(left).Studsaretypically 16 inches lf youdo nothave apart,center to center. t h ew a l l a s t u df i n d e ry,o uc a nt a pa l o n g froma hollow witha hammer; a change sound to a solidsoundindicates a stud.
I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I
t
in place themolding Q Nailing r-J Cutthechairrailto len$handfasten i t t o t h ew a l l su s i n ga h a m m eorr a n a i r powered withthe nailer. Alignthemolding i n c h a l kl i n ea n dd r i v et w on a i l s t oe a c h stud(right),lf youareusinga hammer, setthe nailheads.
JZ
I I I I I I I I I I
I I I I I I I
t I I I I
t I I
t I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I
t I
CROVTNMOLDING Greekarchitecf) ootedin classical I\ [ure,crownmoldingroseto prominenceduring lBth-CenturyEngland, first appearingon furniture of the Georgianperiod.Soonafter,the flowing patternsof thismoldingalsobegan to adorntheceilingsof drawingrooms. Today,single-piece crownmoldingcan be installedalongthe wallsand ceilings of houseinteriors,or it canbecombined with other elementsto makebuiltup ceilingmoldings,suchas crownand-flat (page22), or a formal cornice (page36).Whenchoosingcrownmolding, makesureit is properlyproportionedfor theroom;moldingthat is too wide will givethe effectof loweringthe ceiling.Molding3 or 4 inchesin width is about right for an average-sized B-foot-highceiling. Installingcrownmoldingis not much differentfrom nailing on baseboardor chair rails;outsidecornersaremitered andinsidecornersaremiteredor coped. Simpleone-piececrown molding is nailedthroughthe flatsof the molding into thewall studs,ceilingjoists,andtop plate,which restson top of the wall studs.Complexbuilt-up crownmolding, suchasa formalcornice,needsto
befastened to furringstrips. Wherethe joistsrunparallelto ceiling thewall,gluingthemoldingto theceiling will often
suffice.A pair of nailsdrivenat oppositeanglesinto the wall will hold the moldingin placeuntil theadhesive cures.
Becausecrown molding ispositionedon both the wall and ceiling,cornersmust "upside be miteredat compoundangles,and piecesmust be held down and backward" when they are cut. The jig shown in thephoto above,however, allows the molding to be held on the chopsaw exactlyas it will appear on the wall and ceiling,requiringno repositioningbefore the cut.
INSTALTING ONE.PIECE CROWN M()LDING molding corner ataninside 1 Coping place I Before installing crownmolding, nn , ds n a pa c h a l kl i n eo n it in positioa thewallto markthe bottomedgeof the m o l d i n gC.o p et h ee n do f o n ep i e c et o piece f it against thefaceof anadjoining (page27). SIarI asyouwouldbaseboard bymitering theend,thenmakethecoped cutusinga coping saw.Inthiscase,secure theworkpiece in a visein thesamepositionit willbewhenit is installed. Holdthe coping sawperpendicular to themolding throughout thecut (/efi).
t
r
MOLDING
Installing thecoped molding T e s t - f i t h e c o p e de n d a g a i n s t h e
piece adjoining of molding, whichshould already benailedin place(/eff).Fine-tune thefit, if necessary, byfilingorsanding the coped end.Nailthecoped molding to the wallandceiling asyouwouldbase-and(page shoemolding 27).
I I I I I I I I I I I
r I I I
t t t I I I
t
themiterangle Q Determining J atanoutside corner A sw i t hb a s e b o a rtdh,ef i r s ts t e pi n installing crownmolding at anoutside corneristo findthecorrect miterangle. Start bydrawing tworeference linesontheceiling.Holding a pieceof molding in place onewallandtheceiling, markone against of thelinesalongitstopedge,extending pastthecorner. Repeat fortheadjacent wallto markthesecondline(right).
r
34
I I I I I I I
I I I
lr I I I I
t
MOLDING
Transferring themiterangle to a sliding bevel Drawa linefromthecorner to thepoint wherethetworeference linesyoumarked in step3 intersect. Thenadjusta sliding bevelsothatitshandlebuttsagainst one of thewallsandtheblade withthe aligns lineyoujustmarked ontheceiling(rghf). Usetheslidingbevelto setupyoursawto cutthemiters.
I
t I I I I I I I
t I I I I I I I
themolding f, lnstalling r - , 1I n s t a ltlh ec r o w nm o l d i n a g sy o u w o u l db a s e b o am r do l d i n ag t a n o u t s i d e corner(page28). Usinga f inishnaileror h a m m en r ,a i lo n ep i e c ei n p l a c eT. h e n position theother(left).lt thefit is not perfect, backcutthemitersslightly with a utilityknife.Onceyouaresatisf iedwith thef it, applysomeglueto themitered pieceof molding endsandnailthesecond in place.To prevent themiterfromopening,nailthrough themiterfrombothsides.
t I I
t t I
35
MOLDING
I I I
t
INSTALTING A FORMAL CORNICE
I
t I I I
t I I I I I
t
nailing strips 1 Installing I A formal cornice isanantique-style crownmolding consisting of a box-like (installed support assembly in steps1 and2) andthreepiecesof molding (installed in step3).Cutthefourpieces of the supportassembly from%-inch stock.Thesepieces areinstalled thesame (page26),withmiters wayasbaseboard at bothinsideandoutside corners. Start nailerintothe byscrewing theceiling joistswiththepieceflushagainst ceiling thewall.Thenscrewthewallnailerto thewallsluds(above), leaving a %-inch gapbetween itstopedgeandtheceiling nailerto allowforwoodmovement.
r') lnstalling thesoffitandfascia L Aipthefasciaandsoffitpiecessothat whentheyareattached to theceiling and willforma wallnailers, thefourpieces box.Routa decorative lip alongthebottom jointhefascia edgeof thefasciapiece, and soffitboards withplatejoints,thenscrew thefasciato theceilingnailerandattach the soffitto thewall nailer(right).
36
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I I
MOLDING
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I T I I
Installing themolding T o m a k et h e w a l l m o l d i n gr,o u ta d e c o r a t i veed g ei n % i n c hs t o c k t, h e ns c r e wt h e p i e c ei n p l a c ew i t h i t s f l a t e d g e a g a i n stth e s o f f i t .D r i v et h e s c r e w si n t ot h e w a l ls t u d sn e a r will be concealed top edge,wherethe fasteners the molding's e d g eN . e x t ,i n s t a l l m o l d i n g n ; a i l a l o n g t h e b o t t o m b yt h e b e d ( p a g e3 3 ) , y o u m o l d i n g m o l d i n g a s w o u l d c r o w n thebed F t n a l l yc ,u t a n d w a l l m o l d i n a g n d t h e s o f f i t . nailing it tothe m o l d i n g b e t w e e t n h e f a s c i a a n d t h ec e i l i n g i n s t a ltlh e c r o w n ( p a g e s N a i l t h e m o l d i n gt h r o u g h a r o u n dt h e r o o m 33-35). f a s t e n e r i s n t o t h e c e i l i n gj o i s t s i t s f l a t s e c t i o n sd,r i v i n gt h e (above). and the fascta
t I
t I I
t I
t t I I
37
'
"#fu {
\,'
t I I
I I I I I I I I
PANE,LNG
t I I I I I I I I I I
t t I I I I I I I
i n g . I n 1 6 t h - C e n t u r y E u r o p e , c a l l e d s t i l e s o r m u l l i o n s , a n d horizontal ones,called rails. Interiorwallshavebeengracedbyframe-and-panel at the end of the Gothic fur"waynscottes" Theflexibility offrame-andGroovesaremilled aroundthe wainscotingforcenturies. niture period, insideedges of theframe,allowpanelconstruction allowsfor a widerangeof design consistedof seasonedplanks ing the panelsto float freely, possibilities, ornamentalpanels of Balticoak coveringinterior from theelaborate andcontracting with expanding oflacobean-style walls. In Colonial America, furniture to moremoderndesigns, "wainscot" changesin humidity. seasonal referred to pine suchasthefull-wall panelingshownin thephoto This customwainscotingcan above,madebyPatellaIndustriesof Montreal. boards that stretched from transforma plain room into a floor to ceiling,addinga rusmore formal space,replacingflat, monotonouswalls with a wide tic warmth to parlors.Today,wainscotingencompasses
althoughthetermmostfrequently rangeof wall coverings, panelsinstalled onthelowerhalfof awall. describes wainscoting: tongueTherearetwobasictypesof paneled Tongue-and-groove wainand-groove andframe-and-panel. scoting(pagea2) is availableat hardwarestoresand paneling. Made interlocking lumberyards asready-to-install softwood, tonguefromstain-grade hardwood or paint-grade panelingcomesin avarietyof profiles.Butyou and-groove
exquisitelymoldedpanels. to creto ceilings Paneling techniques canalsobeadapted lookfor a denor study(page52).Ina panatea sumptuous aframework of 2-by-4sis sheathed coffered---
A moldedcaprail is installedasthecrowningtouchtoframe-and-panel role,thecaprailhidesthegap wainscoting. In additionto itsdecorative rangefrom the thewainscoting and thewall. Caprail designs betyveen rail shownat left to moreelaboratemoldedchairrails. simplechamfered
39
PANELINGSTYLES
t I I
t T()NGUE-AND-GR(1OVE WAINSCOTING (PAGE 42) Capratl
I I I I I I I I I I
Daeeboard
I I I I I
FRAME-AND-PANEt WAINSC()TING (PAGE 46)
t I 9ttle
I I I I I
Kateed floaLtn4 panel
thoe moldinq
Dotl,om rail
I I I
t I I
PANELING
Crownmoldinq
End attle
Median ratl
DotLom ratl
Daaeboard
thoe moldin4
TONGUE-AND.GROOVEWAINSCOTING *}-
wainscoting orrgue-and-groove conI sists of a series of interlockins boards or panelswith an optionaldeiorative profile.It is themostbasicandpopular type of interiorpaneling.Traditionally madefrom softwoodand givena clear finish,tongue-and-groove panelingcan be installedfrom floor to ceilingto create a rustic look. It imnartsa more whenusedas sophisticated appearance wainscoting andstained. While you can buy tongue-andgroovewainscoting ready-made, youcan alsomill yourownfiom 1-by-4or 1-by6 stockusinga tablesaw.Usea dado headto cut tonguesin oneedgeofthe in the otheredge. boardsandgrooves Switchto a moldingheadto milla decorativebeadin the front faceof the boardsla selection of wainscoting profilesis displayed at right. Tongue-and-groove wainscoting is typicallyinstalledfrom the floor to a heightof 36 inches.Compensate for unevenfloorsby cuttingthe boardsa littleshort.Thatway,thetopendsof the boardscanall be installedat thesame level;anygapsbetween thebottomends andthefloorwill beconcealed by baseboard (page22). If there are nailers behindthewall-typically 2-by-4blocking betweenthe wall studs-and you know wheretheyare,fastenthe wainscotingto them,Otherwise, anchorfi.rrring stripsto thestuds(page49)andnail thewainscoting to thefurringstrips.
A SETECTION OFPANEL STYLES Daotct onqueand-groove
thiplap
Channel
FrofiledLonqueand-groove
Deadedtonqueand-qroove Chamferedtonqueand-groove Koundedtonqueand-qroove
TroftledLonqueand-4roove
I I I I I I t I
t I I I I
t I I I
t I I I I I I
t
Btttting the edgeof a boardor panel squarelyagainstan out-of-phmtbwall, brickwork,or a wlll with contoured ntoldingcar be a challenge.The logbuilder'sscribeshown irt the photo at right rnakesafiting the edgeeasy.It urved steelpirr feoturesan ad.iustnble and two levelvialsfor ncuu"atelytracing the wall profile onto thepaneling.
I I I I 42
I I I
I
t
PANELING
I
t I I I I I I I I I
t I I
MAKING TONGUE.AND-GR()()VE WAINSC()TING Cutting thegrooves 1 en the leading I O u t l i n et h e g r o o v o end of one board;makethe groovewidthonet h i r dt h e s t o c kt h i c k n e s as n d i t s d e o t h a b o u l / , i n c h .I n s t a lal d a d oh e a do n y o u r t a b l es a w ,a d j u s t i n igt s w i d t ht o t h a to f t h e grooveand the cuttingheightto the groove d e p t h .I n s t a lal n a u x i l i a rw y o o df e n c ea n d c u t a r e l i e fn o t c hi n i t t o h o u s ep a r to f t h e d a d oh e a dw h e ny o um i l lt h e t o n g u e isn s t e n2 A t. ,h e c r r t t i n m s a r k sw i t ht h e ' " 'lbi" p n d a d oh e a da n d b u t tt h e f e n c ea g a i n stth e stock.To preventthe workpiece fromtipp i n gd u r i n gt h e c u t , c l a m pa s h i m m e d f e a t h e r b o atrodt h e s a wt a b l ei n l i n ew i t h t h e d a d oh e a d .S e c u r ea s u o o o r bt o a r d againstthe featherboard for extrapressure. P r e s tsh e w o r k p i e caeg a i n stth e f e n c ea n d the tableas youfeed it edgedownintothe dadohead(right).Completethe passwith a pushstick.Usethe samesetupto cut the grooves in all the boards.
Auxiliaryfence
t I I
t Y---Tonque
I I I I I I I I I I I I
r) Cutting thetongues L Outline thetongue ontheleading endof oneboaro, usrng youcut in step1 asa guide.Lower a groove thedadohead sltghtly sothetongue willnotbottom outin thegroove. Then a l i g no n eo f t h ec u t t i n gm a r k w s i t ht h ec u t t e rasn db u t tt h e fenceagainst thestock;alsoreposition thefeatherboard. Feed theboardasyoudidforcuttingthegroove, using a pushstick tofinishthepass. Turntheworkpiece around andrepeat thecutto (above). complete thetongue
43
Milling thebeads I n s t a lal m o l d i n gh e a df i t t e dw i t h b e a d i n gk n i v e so n y o u r t a b l es a w .A l i g nt h e b o a r df a c ed o w no v e ro n eo f t h e k n i v e s o t h e b e a dw i l l b e m i l l e da l o n g s i dt e h et o n g u eB. u t tt h e f e n c e againstthe board,reposition the featherboard, andclampa seco n df e a t h e r b o a trod t h e f e n c ed i r e c t l yo v e rt h e k n i v e sM . ake a s e r i e so f t e s tc u t s i n a s c r a pb o a r dt o d e t e r m i n teh e p r o p e r d e p t h ,t h e n m i l l t h e b e a d s( a b o v e )Y. o uc a n a l s oc u t a s l r g h t c h a m f eirn t h eo p p o s i teed g ew i t ha h a n dp l a n e .
PANELING
WAINSC()TING INSTALLING T()NGUE-AND.GRO()VE
-\n. \\_F \
Nailer location linea
l t
/ / q
/d$
Installing the boards 1 I at an outsidecorner Snapa chalklinearoundthe room(page 3I ) to markthe heightof the wainscoting. M a k es u r et h e l i n ei s l e v e l - t h ef l o o rm a y n o t b e . l f y o uk n o ww h e r et h e n a i l e r sb e h i n dt h e w a l la r el o c a t e da,l s os n a pl i n e s f o r t h e m . l f y o u d o n o t k n o ww h e r et h e n a i l e r sa r e l o c a t e di,n s t a l fl u r r i n gs t r i p s ( p a g e4 9 ) . S t a r ti n s t a l l i n gt h e b o a r d sa t a n o u t s i d ec o r n e r D . e t e r m i nteh e b e v e l a n g l ey o uw i l l n e e da s y o uw o u l df o r b a s e board(page28),Ihen makethe cut along To install the grooved edgesof two boards. eachboard,alignthe cut edgewiththe corneranddrivea nailthroughthe tongueinto the wallat eachnailerlocationline (left). N a i lt h e c o r n e b r oarda s l o n gt h e m i t e r e d furringstrips, edgesaswell.lf you installed nailthe wainscoting to the strips.
I I I I I t
t I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I I I I
r) Installing the boardsalonga wall L Oncethe two boardsareinstalledat the outsrdecorner,slipthe grooveof a new . a i lt h e b o a r dt o t h e w a l l b o a r di n p l a c e N through i t st o n g u em , a k i n gs u r ea l l t h e t o p sa r el e v e lC . o n t i n u ae l o n gt h e w a l lt h e s a m ew a y ,f i t t i n gg r o o v e so v e rt o n g u e s (right)andnailingthe boardsin place.
I I
t 44
I I
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t I
PANELING
C h e c k i nfgo r p l u m b Q r . , f H a l f w a ya l o n gt h e w a l l , h o l d a c a r p e n t e r ' sl e v e la g a i n stth e t o n g u eo f t h e l a s tb o a r dy o u i n s t a l l etdo c h e c kf o r p l u m b (right).lf the boardis not perfectlyvertic a l , t a p e rt h e g r o o v e de d g eo f t h e n e x t b o a r dw i t h a h a n dp l a n es o t h a t i t w i l l b e o l u m bw h e ni t i s i n s t a l l e dC. o n t i n uteo t h e e n d o f t h e w a l l .T o f i t t h e l a s tb o a r d u , se a l o g - b u i l d e rs' sc r i b et o t r a n s f etrh e p r o f i l e a n da n g l eo f t h e a d j o i n i nw g a l lt o t h e face of the board (page42).
P a n e l i nagn a d j o i n i nw ga l l T o i n s t a lw l a i n s c o t i nagt a n i n s i d e corner,butt the groovededgeof a board a g a i n stth e l a s tb o a r dy o ui n s t a l l eodn t h e a d j o i n i nw g a l l ,t h e nn a i li t i n p l a c e( l e f t ) . Nailalongthe grooved edgesof the boards a s w e l l .W o r ky o u rw a ya r o u n dt h e r o o m u n t i l a l l t hw e a i n s c o t i insgi n s t a l l e F d i. n i s h (page22) the job by installingbaseboard and addinga cap rail (page38).
I I I
FRAME-AND . PANEL WAINSCOTING wainscoting conI rame-and-panel l.' sistsof a frameof horizontalrails andverticalstilesandmullionsenclosing raisedpanels.The framemembers can be joined in a number of ways, includingdowel,biscuit,mortise-andjoints.This tenon,or cope-and-stick sectionshowsyou how to cut thecopeand-stickon the shaper(page47).The panelscanbe raisedon atablesaw(page routerbits (pagea8) 49),burtspecialized (page 109)do a faster andshapercutters and cleanerjob, and canshapecurved profilesaswell. Thistypeof panelingcanbeinstalled over the lower portion of a wall, like wainscoting,or it tongue-and-groove can coveran entirewall from floor to youneed celing(page4l). In eithercase, of thepanto determinethedimensions The elingand its variouscomponents. framepiecesand panelsmustbe sized andproperlyproto fit eachwallexactly, portionedsotheylookrightin theroom. Besureto considerobstructionssuchas andceildoorsandwindows,fireplaces ing beams.Beforecuttinganywood, makea scaledrawingof the room and with differentdesigns. experiment When installingframe-and-panel wainscoting,it is bestto work on one wall at a time,preparingand installing the framepiecesand panelstogether. Thewainscotcanthenbe gluedup and installedasa unit,or built up on thewall pieceby piece.Ifyou follow the latter method,youwill be ableto compensate for anymistakesasyou go along.
I I I I I
The cope-andstickjoint shownin thephoto at right is an easy-to-cutalternativeto the mortise- an d - tenon tra diti on al-
in
lyusedframe-and fi,)ili'*r," % "%;lT,^ scoting.It alsoaddsa decorativetouch: -""'i: The router bit that cutsthe groovesfor the panel and tonguesin the stilesand rails also carves a molding along the inside edgesof theframe.
I
t
()FRAISED PR()FILES PANEL A GALTERY
Kaiaedpanel with ovolo frame
Covedpanel
Oqeebeveled panel
Develed panelraioed from frame
Kabbeted frame with moldinq
46
I I I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I
I I I
t I I I I I I I I l
I I I I I I I t I I I I I I I I
t I
t
PANELING
MAKING A COPE-AND.STICK FRAME
\
Miter gauqe extenaion
\
)
)
'l Cutting tongues in therails I andmullions S a wt h er a i l sm , u l l i o n as n , ds t i l e tso l e n g t hT. oj o i nt h ep i e c eos f t h ef r a m e joints,startbycutting withcope-and-stick tongues at theendsof therailsandmullions,asshown at left.Install a piloted coping bit in yourshaper andadjustthe cuttingdepthbybutting theendof a rail against thecutterandsetting thetopof theuppermost cutterslightly above the workpiece. Position thefenceparallel to themitergauge slotandin linewiththe edgeof thebit pilot.Foraddedstability, screwa boardto the mitergaugeasan extension. Feedthestockfacedownwith thegauge, holding theedgeof theworkpieceagainst theextension andtheend against thefence(/eff).(Although a shaper is usedhere,a table-mounted routercan joints.) alsobeusedto cutcope-and-stick Adjusting thesticking bit Replace t h e c o p i n gb i t w i t h a
prloted sticking bit.Toadjust thecuttingdepth,buttthetongue at theend of a railor muntinagainst thebitand setoneof thegroove-cutting teethlevel withthetongue(below). Alignthe fencewiththeedgeof thebit pilot.
PANELING
thegrooves Cutting profile anddecorative to securethe stock Usetwo featherboards C l a m pa s t a n d a rfde a t h t h e c u t s . during table oppositethe to the shaper erboard board at a 90" angle a support bit; secure shaperfeathClamp a featherboard. to the f e n c e . M a k e t h i sf e a t h e r t o t h e erboard the botby curving on the band saw board series cutting a a 2-by-4 and tom edgeof C u t the i n t o t h e e d g e . o f a n g l e ds l o t s g r o o v ea s n d d e c o r a t i vper o f i l ea l o n gt h e i n s i d ee d g e so f t h e s t i l e sa n d r a i l s ,a n d . ake a l o n gb o t he d g e so f a l l t h e m u l l i o n sM p a s s o u t s i d e f ace with the stock each pressing the workpiece against the down, fence(lefil.Usea pushstickto complete tne Dass.
I I I I I I t I
t I I I I I I I I
THEPANELS RAISING
I
table Raising a panelontherouter C u te a c hp a n etlo f i t w i t h i ni t sf r a m e , %rnchon all sidesforthegrooves. adding panel-raising bit in your a piloted Install andmountthetoolin a table.Set router thedepthof cutat %inchandclamptwo to thefence,oneon each featherboards feedthe thepanel, sideof thebit.Toraise down, thetableoutside-face boardacross flushagainst the keeprng theworkpiece fenceandyourhandsclearof thecutter (right). cut intothe tearout, To minimize e n dg r a i no f t h ep a n eflt r s ts, h a p i ntgh e t w oe n d so f t h ep a n ebl e f o rteh es i d e s . and Testfit thepanelin theframegrooves asyouneed,increasmakeasmanypasses depthnomorethan%inch ingthecutting a ta t i m e .
I I I I I I I I
Fanel-raieinqbit
48
I I I I I
t
I I I
t I I I I I
t I I I
PANELING
Raising a panelonthetablesaw Tosettheproper blade angle forraising a p a n eol nt h et a b l es a w m , a r ka c u t t i n g lineonthepanel:DrawaYo-inch square at thebottom corner, thenmarka linefrom t h ef r o n tf a c eo f t h e p a n etlh r o u g thh e inside corner of thesquare to a pointon thebottom edgeX inchfromthebackface (insef). Installanauxiliary woodfence,set thepanel against it, andadjust theangle of thebladeuntilit aligns withthecutting line.Raise thebladeuntilonetoothjust protrudes beyond thefrontfaceof thepanel.Makea cut in oneendof theoanel and test-fitthecut in a groove. lf thepanelsits lessthan%inchdeep,move thefencea littlecloser to theblade andmakeanother pass. Tominimize tearout, bevel theends of thepanelf irst,thenthesides(rrghf).
t I I I I I I I I I t I I I I I I I I
INSTATTING FRAME-AND-PANEL WAINSCOTING Installing furringstrips 1 I L i k et o n g u e - a n d - g r o opvaen e l i n g , f r a m e - a n d - p a nweal i n s c o t i ncga n b e f a s tenedto nailersbehindthe wall (page44). l f y o ud o n o tk n o ww h e r et h e n a i l e r a s re l o c a t e do r w h e t h e trh e ye x i s t ,y o u w i l l h a v et o a n c h o tr h e p a n e l i n g to furring s t r i p sS . n a pt w oc h a l kl i n e so n t h e w a l lt o h e l py o ui n s t a ltlh e s t r i p s F . o rf r a m e - a n d p a n ew l a i n s c o t i nogn, es t r i ps h o u l db e l e v ew l i t ht h e t o p r a i l ,t y p i c a l l3y 6 i n c h e s o f f t h e f l o o r .L o c a t et h e s e c o n dc h a l kl i n e a few inchesabovethe floor.Sawthe furringstripsfrom 1-by-3stock;cut onefor t h e t o p r a i la n dt w o f o r t h e b o t t o mr a i l . Determine the locationof the studs(page 3 2 ) a n dn a i le a c hf u r r i n gs t r i pi n p l a c e (left),driuingtwo nailsat eachstud.
49
PANELING
r") Installing thestilesandrails I f est-fitthe partsof thewainscoting alignment marks forthemulandscribe lionsalong rails.Bevel thetopandbottom oneedgeof theoutside corner stileasyou (page paneling wouldfortongue-and-groove 44).Posilion thestileat thecornerand s l i d ea s h i mu n d e r n e ai tt;ht h eg a pw i l l allowforwoodmovement. Tack-nail the stileto thefurring strips, making surethat stile theboardis plumb.Holdthemating i n p l a c et o m a k es u r et h a tt h em i t e r e d edges of thetwoareperfectly aligned. Then applysomeglueto theendsof thebottom railandjoinit to thestile,alsosetting it onshims. Jointheinside corner stileto thebottom railandtack-nail it to thefurringstrips, it if necessary. Lastly, adjusting screw or nailtheassembly to thefurring strips(/eff).
I I I I I I
r I I I I
t t I t I I I I I I I I
t t thefirstpanelin place Q Setting r-J Oncethreesidesof theframehave beeninstalled, setthefirstpanelin place at the outsidecorner(right),makingsure it fitssnugly in thegrooves cut in therail andstrle.Donotapplyglueto thepanel grooves; thepanelmustbefreeto move in theframe.
I I I
r I 50
t t
I I T
PANELING
t
Installing thefirstmullion A p p l yg l u et o t h e b o t t o me n do f t h e m u l l i o na n dt h e g r o o v ei n t h e b o t t o mr a i l , and setthe mullionin place(left).Make
I I t I I I I I I I
s r r r e f h c n a n p l s i i s i n t h p o r n n v p s/ - r r t i n
t h e m u l l i o n ' es d g e C . o n t i n u ien s t a l l i n g p a n e l sa n d m u l l i o n su n t i ly o ur e a c ht h e s t i l ea t t h e i n s i d ec o r n e rS. l i pt h e l a s t p a n ebl e t w e etnh e m u l l i o na n dt h es t i l e .
r I I I I I I t I I I I I I I I I I
I n s t a l l i ntgh et o pr a i l f, r , , A p p l yg l u et o t h e t o p e n d so f a l l t h e m u l l i o n as n df i t t h e t o p r a i l i n p o s i t i o n (right),makingsurethe top endsof the p a n e l sm, u l l i o n sa,n ds t i l e sa l l f i t s n u g l y i n t h e g r o o v er n t h e t o p r a i l .A n e x t r as e t o f h a n d sw i l l m a k et h e j o b e a s i e rO . nce t h e t o p r a i l i s i n p l a c e y, o uc a n i n s t a l l b a s e b o a rm d o l d i n g( p a g e2 4 ) a n d a c a p ( n a s e . 3 8 )P r o c e e tdo t h e n e x tw a l l rail a n dw o r ky o u rw a ya r o u n dt h e r o o m ,u s i n g b u t tj o i n t sa t i n s i d ec o r n e ras n dm i t e r i n g o u t s i d ec o r n e r s .
I
PANELEDCEILINGS T) aneledceilinqs,alsoknown ascof.[- feredceilingslarean adaptationof normally frame-and-panel techniques walls.In conjunction usedto decorate with fiame-and-panel wainscoting(page 46),apaneledceilingcanadddepthand warmth to a den or study. The illustrationbelowshowshow a paneledceilingis installed.Startwith a structuralframeworkof 2-by-4sanchoredto the ceilingjoists.Coverthe frameworkwith I -by-ahardwoodstock, suchasoakor birch,thenmakebox-like
facingsto fit insidetheframework,creating a grid of boxes.Finally,set a veneered plyruoodpanelinto eachbox and installa frameof moldingto hold thepanelin place. Aswith full-wallpaneling(page41), thesizeof thepanelsshouldbeproportionaltothedimensions of theroom.A ceilingof smallpanelsin a largeroom can lookscluttered, whiletheopposite Determinethe panel appeartoo heaqu. sizeby makinga scaledrawingof the with differceilingand experimenting
()FA PANELED ANANATOMY CEILING
entdimensions. A oanelsizebetween20 and]6 inchesis typicalfor mediumslzeorooms. Youcantry variationson this basic maybeIeftwhite design. Thepanelboxes for contrastor crownmoldingcanbe usedin placeof quarter-roundmolding-although this would involvecutIfyou tingcopedjointsat insidecorners. decideto usestain,it is a goodideato applythefinishbeforeinstallingtheceiling, for workingoverheadon a ceiling full of crevices canprovetiring.
t I I I I I I I I I I t I I
t I I I
t I I I
t I I I I
a I I I
I I t t I I
PANELING
A PANELED CEILING INSTALLING V Dtrectionof ceilinqjoiete
t t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
Lonq2x4
ftamework the2-by-4 1 Installing I S n a pa g r i do f c h a l kl i n e so nt h e onthesizeof yourpanels. ceilingbased Startfromthe centerof twoooposite w a l l s ot h a ta n ys m a lpl a n e lws i l lb e theedgeof theceiling. located around forthewidthof Remember to account the2-by-4s asyoulayoutthechalk of the lines.Determine thedirection joistswitha studf inder, then ceiling install theframework. Uselong2-by-4s perpendicular to the to spantheceiling joists;alignthepieces withthechalk themto thejoistswith linesandfasten 2-by-4s to floorrng screws. Useshorter andtoe-nail fit between thelongboards themin place(above).
r) Installing grid thehardwood is installL Oncethe2-bv-4framework ed,usea finishnaiter to mountthe 1-bygrid(left).Foraddedrigidity, 4 hardwood perpendicular to install thelong1-by-4s can Although thenailing thelong2-by-4s. makes the a finishnailer bedonebyhand, workgo muchfaster.
t I I I I
53
PANELING
thefacing Q Installing r-,f Wrthrn eachframe, install fourfacing p i e c e so f 1 - b y - 3h a r d w o o sdt o c kt h a t m a t c h e tsh e w o o dy o uu s e df o r t h e g r i d . Fora moredecorative effect,rip the pieces s o t h e ye x t e n db e l o wt h e g r i db y % r n c h . F i t t h e n i e r ^ e: st t h e c o r n e r w s r t h4 5 " (right), bevelcuts Ihen naii them to the 2-by-4framework,
Gluing thepanels in place O n c ea l l t h e f a c i n gi s i n s t a l l e dc,u t p a n e l sf r o mv e n e e r e dt h ec e i l i n (ga b o v eT)h. ea d h e s i vwei l lh o l dt h ep a n eul n t i y l ou
(step5).Themolding p l y w o ot o d f i t w i t h i nt h ef r a m e sA. p p l yc o n s t r u c t iaodnh e s i v einstall prestheshoemolding willsupply fora firmsluebond. t o t h eu n d e r s i do ef e a c hp a n eal n dp r e s ist i n p l a c ea g a i n s t sureneeded
I I I I
t I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I T I I
r I I I
t I I I I I I I I
PANELING
molding Installing thequarter-round fi r-,1 Securethe panelswith quarter-round molding i n s t a l l eadr o u n d t h e i n s i d eo f e a c h facingbox.Cutthe molding to len$h,joining t h e p i e c e sa t t h e c o r n e rw s i t h4 5 ' m i t e r s . N a i lt h e m o l d i n gt o t h e f a c i n gw i t ha f i n ish nailer (lefil.
t I I
t I I I I
t t I I I I I I I I I I I I I
crownmolding A Installing install \J Tof inishtheceiling, crown m o l d i nagr o u nidt sp e r i m e t eNra. i li t andwallasyouwould to theframework on a plainceiling(page26), using jointsat inside corners andmiters coped at outside corners.
fu,'
/>,-
_+is
I I I I
t
r:"r_. # i
I
t I I I
I I I I I I I I
\AIINDOWS
t I I I I
t I I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I
Picture-frame casing(pnge61) I goodwindowletsallthelight consists of four piecesof molding: 1\ andbeautvof theoutdoorsin a headcasing, and twosidecasings, while keepingthe elementsout. a sill casing,alljoinedat thecorners Althoughtheydo thisin manyways, with 45" miters.Stool-and-aoron winreflecting a widerangeof styles, two casing(page69)alsofeatures parts: of two basic the dowsconsist sidecasings, andmayincludedecframeand the sash.The formeris orativecornerblocks,known as much like a doorjamb,and serves (page73). rosettes purpose: It is fixed to the the same In the exampleshownin this when window is installed. studs the the headcasingis butted chapter, holds the pane of Thesashactually but these againstthe sidecasings, glass.The windowscoveredin this joints mitered. Themost can also be popular doublechapterfeaturethe "return" glued the apron recosnizable element of stool-andpage A mitered is onto hungsash.As shownon 59, however, is thestool, aproncasing, both of belowa window sill, or stool, to hide the end they containtwo sashes, which grain is a or sill, installed at the bottom, of the apron. Stool-and-apron whichcanslideup anddown. juts (page out from the window. traditional method of casing a window, often Oncea windowis installed Whilemanyhomebuilders,parmade to match the room'sinterior trim. thefiame 59),gapsremainbehveen gaps ticularly thosein colderclimates, The molded casinghides the between and the surroundingframingof jambs for precision andinsulation window and the wall. opt the the studsand headers.Justas sills, factory-made windows, elegant, of stools,aprons,and casingsare made in the with specialhigh-quality windows can be shop theexteinstalledon theoutsideof a windowto complement "casedj' (page windows require fiamed ized sash cutters 75). Since these thickor rior trim of a house,thewindowneedsto be is methods than most cabinet work, a shaper the stationary usetwobasic er stock on theinsideaswell.Finishcarpenters oowertoolof choicefor makinethem. for thistask:picture-frame andstool-and-apron.
I
glass-stop Thefinal stepin makinga custom-fit windowis installingthe in place. molding,thin stripsof shaped woodthatholdthepanesof glass Shaped on a routertableandrippedto widthon thetablesaw,themolding with mitersand nailedto thewindowsash. striDsareioinedat thecorners
57
BASICWINDOW TRIM STYLES
t
ST(IOT-AND.APR(lN CASING (PAGE 69)
PICTURE-FRAME CASING (PAGE 61)
9ide caeinq
CORNER TREATMENTS
APR(INTREATMENTS
Roeett'eg
i
!
Qase73)
Uaed for deco-
rative effect in atool-andaPronca,tnq; eliminateathe needfor miterin4 headcaeinq
I I I I
Butted sill aaeing (page 65) A variaf,ronof pictureframe caein4in whichthe aill caoinqio buLted up a4ainet the oidecaainqe and extende beyondthem; eliminateathe needfor miterin7oide caeinqe
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I t I I I
I
t I I I I I I I I
a I
INSTALLINGWINDOWS I lthoughfitting a windowin place Arnuy ulpp.urto"bea dauntingtask, it canin factbe a straightforwardoperation.With thepre-hungwindow shown below which alreadyincludesthe windowjambsattached to thesashes, allyou needis a hammeror a screwdriver anda level.Whetheryour windowsarefactory- or shop-made, theywill be installed in thesamefashion.Thejambsarenailed into theroughopeningin thewall,then insulatedanddressed with interiortrim. Sometimes, ajambextension(page61)is
installedon theinsideto bring thewindow flushwith the interiorwall. A window shouldbe about %-inch smalleron all sidesthanits roughopening. Sincerough openingsareseldom square,level,or plumb, this will make thewindoweasierto fit andshim,while leavingsomespacearoundthewindow for insulation.Remembernot to drive the shimsin too far or you mav risk bowingthewindow Testthewindbwto makesurethat it slidessmoothlybefore nailingit in place.
INSTALLING A D(|UBTE.HUNG SASH WINDOW
r
A double-hungwindow ispositioned in itsroughopeningfromtheoutside. Tohelphold thewindowin placeuntil it canbeadjustedand secured from the inside,it will benailedor wedgedtemporarily to theframeoffurring strips aroundtheopening.
t I I
t I I
andcentering thewindow 1 leveling I Position thewindow in itsroughopening(photo, above)and temporarily tack orwedge it in place. Tohelpcheckthe window for levelasyougo,clampa carpenter's levelto theunderside of thehead jamb.Insert shimsbetween thesidejambs andstudsat thetop of the roughopening.(Shims arewooden wedges usually soldin bundles at hardware stores and lumberyards.) Then,holding up onecornerof thewindow, slipa shimbetween thewindowhornandthe roughsill (left). Repeat ontheothersideof thewindow. Addshimsbetween thesidejambsand thestudsat themiddleandbottom of thewindow. Useasmanyshimsasyou needto centerthewindowin itsopening (Toinstall whilekeeping thewindow level. morethanonewindow at thesameheight in a room,makea markonthestudat a setdistance fromtheheader andshimall thewindows to themark.r
t t I I I I I I
t
r I I I
59
WINDOWS
I I
t I I I
t I
t I I
t I I I I I
Nailing thewindow in place is level, fastenit Oncethewindow nail Drive a finishing to thewallframing. through thesidejambsandshimsintothe studsat eachshimlocation hbove).Cul theshimsf lushwiththewindow iambs usinga utilityknife.
t I I I I I I I
thewindow Q lnsulating r-,1Oncea window is nailed in itsrough installing thecasing, opening andbefore spaces it is a goodideato f ill thehollow jambsandthewall between thewindow if you studswithinsulation-particularly livein a coldclimate. Youcanusefiberglassinsulation foam or a low-expanding workswellfor asshownhere.Fiberglass gaps,suchasthespace between the large headjambandtheheader orthespace is between thetwosills.Foaminsulation spaces, butuseit sparidealforthinner thejambs ingly;toomuchof it maycause to bowinward.
t
60
I I I I I I
I I I T
t I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I
PICTURE-FRAME CASING .|)
four icture-frame casing comprises L pieces of moldingmiteredat45othat frame a window in much the same wayasa pictureis framed.Commercial in a picture-frame casingis available numberof profiles.It canalsobemilled on a tablesiw fittedwith a moldinehead to pr6du.. usingthe sameprocedures or anyothchairrail,custombaseboard, er molding(backendpaper). In orderto nailpicture-frame casing in place,the front edgesof thewindow jambsneedto beflushwith theinterior wall. If the jambsare set more than Z inch backfrom the drywall,you will needto build and installa iambexten-
sion(below). Asthecasingwillhide the extension, thejoineryusedto attachthe pieces extension togethercanbeassimpleasa butt joint.
A shop-madegaugeis usedto mark out the narrow portion of the window jambs that will not be covered with casing.This exposedportion of thejambs-anywhere from'/' to',4n "reveal." It inch wide-is called the both enhancesthe visual effectof the casingand makesit easierto install. To make thejig, seepage 63.
INSTALLING A JAMBEXTENSI()N
t I I I I I I
t I I I I
theextension 1 Assembling thatwillfit theinside facesof thewindow I Measure thedistance between thefrontedges of thejamband sizeto makea frame jambs pieces your with reveal. You installthe inside wall. Then rip extension stock to this width from a slight can extension the jamb.Cutthepieces intoa unit(above). woodthesamethickness asthewindow to onebyone,or nailor screwthemtogether
WINDOWS
r) lnstalling theextension in placeas Z Fasten thelambextension (page youdidto installthewindow 59). Position overthejamb,using theextension thatit is level(righil.fhen shimsto ensure to thewallstudsthrough nailtheextension t h es h i m sA. d di n s u l a t i oi nnt h ee m p t y theextension. spaces around
I I I I
t I
r I I
t I
t I I I I I I
r I I I
t
Marking thereveal l f t h el a m be x t e n s i oi ns s l i g h t l p y r o u do f t h e i n t e r i owr a l l ,
planeit down.lf it is setbackfromthewall,usea raspor a (above, left)Iocutthedrywall downuntilit is flushwith shaver intoanypartofthewallthat willnot theextension. Avoid cutting Next,markthereveal around thejamb becovered bythecasing.
o r t h e e x t e n s i o nA.d j u s ta c o m b i n a t i osnq u a r et o t h e d e s i r e d reveal-typicallybetweent/zdrrd5Asinch.Then,startingat the h e a dj a m b ,b u t tt h e s q u a r e 'hs a n d l ea g a i n stth e i n s i d ef a c eo f t h ej a m b .W i t ha p e n c ifl l u s ha g a i n st th e b l a d es, l i d et h e h a n d l e right). downthe jambto markthe revealline (above,
62
I I I I I
t t I
r
I
t
WINDOWS
I
t I I
t I I I I I I I I I I
,t
A REVEAT GAUGE jig at rightmakesit easyto markthe Theshop-made jambs.Tomakethe reveal forcasing around window gauge, pieceof %-inchplywood cut a square or hardwood,thensawa different-sized rabbetin eachof the fouredges. Eachrabbetwidthshouldcorrespond to a typical reveal width-inthiscase,%inch,%einch, % inch,and%oinch.Markthewidths oneachside. youwill Donotmakeyourreveals toowide,otherwise haveto drivethe nailsneartheedgeof thecasing, jamb,a reveal whichwillrisksplitting it. Fora %-inch gauge, of % inchis aboutright.To usethereveal butt theappropriate rabbetagainst thejambandslideit downthejambwitha pencil(page61).
INSTALLING PICTURE.FRAME CASING Installing theheadcasing 1 I Todetermrne thelength of thehead casing, measure thedistance between the jambsandaddtwicethereveal window to yourmeasurement. Miterbothendsof the headcasrng at 45' sothatthedistance beyour tweentheheelsof themiters equals result. Then,aligning thebottom edgeof thecasing withthereveal line,fasten the headcasing in place witha hammer orfinishnailer(/eff).Space a pairof nailsevery 6 inches, driving oneintothejambandthe otherdirectly above it through thewalland intotheheader.
t I
t I I I I I I I
t I I I I
63
WINDOWS
r-) Installing thesidecasing I Delermine the lensthof thesidecasandmiterttieirendsasyoudid ingpieces in place; Setthepieces theheadcasing. joint the fits poorly, correct if eithermiter starting on page66. Once fit asdescribed youaresatisf a litiedwiththefit, spread miters tle glueon twoof thecontacting in andposition onepieceof sidecasing place. Starting at thetop,nailthecasing to thejambandwallstudsfrghf).Donot for now; driveanynailsnearthebottom youmayneedto adjustthecasing slightly fortheother Repeat to fit thesillcasing. sidecasing.
I I I I I I I
t t I I I I I I I
thesillcasing Q Installing the r-,1 Measure thegapbetween andcutthesrllcasing sidecasings to to f it. Again,it maybe necessary f ix the miters(page66). Spreada the littleglueonthemiters,position s i l lc a s i n ga,n dn a i li t t o t h ej a m b Thenfinandtheroughsill (below). in place. ishnailing thesidecasings
r t I I I I I I
64
t I I I I I I
r
I I
WINDOWS
t T I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
Cross-nailing themiters T o c o m p l e tteh e i n s t a l l a t i odnr,i v ea n:il
inin tho pdoo nf tho cido eecino np:r
the top so that the nailpenetrates the head casing(right).Repeatat the remaining t h r e ec o r n e r o s f t h e c a s i n gT. h r ss t e pw i l l h e l pe n s u r teh a tt h ej o i n t sd o n o to p e nw i t h s e a s o n aml o v e m e n t .
M()DIFIED PICTURE-FRAME CASING lnstalling a buttedsill casing Y o uc a ns i m p l i f yt h e i n s t a l l a t i oonf p i c t u r e - f r a mcea s i n gb y u s i n gb u t t j o i n t sa t t h e b o t t o m ,i n s t e a do f m i t e r sA . sshown i n t h e i l l u s t r a t r oant l e f t ,m o d iife dp i c t u r e f r a m ec a s i n gi n v o l v em s i t e rj o i n t sa t t h e t o p , b u t y o uc a nc u t t h e b o t t o me n d so f t h e s i d ec a s i n ss o r r a r eT h e nc r o s s c u t b o t he n d so f t h e s i l lc a s i n g t o s p a na l i t tle beyondthe sidepieces.Fordecorative e f f e c t y, o uc a n c u t a s h a l l o wm i t e ra t e a c he n do f t h e s i l lc a s i n gT. h e ns i m p l y b u t t i t s t h i c k e re d g eu p a g a i n stth e s i d e c a s i n gasn dn a i li t i n p l a c e .
t I
t I I I
65
WINDOWS
MITERS PO()R.FITTING C()RRECTING Cfosing a gapal theheel Youcanfixa gapin a miterjointbyadjustingthecuttingangleonthepower miter saw.Butinstead of resetting thesaw's angle,it issimpler to change theangleof theworkpiece onthefence.Toclosea gapat theheelof themiter,setthecasingagainst thefencewiththetoeof the miterextending slightly beyond thefence. (lnthiscase,anauxiliary fencehasbeen fenceto helpline attached to theregular upthecut.)Thenslipa thinwedge between t h ec a s i n ag n dt h ef e n c e1 o r 2 i n c h e s fromtheendof theboard.Nowmakethe bythedottedlinein the cut (represented illustration thelointand at left).Test-fit moving repeat thecut,if necessary, the wedge% inchfartherawayfromtheend of thecasins.
I I I I I I I
t I I
t t I I I I I I I I
t
Closing a gapatthetoe Toclosea gapat thetoeof a miter,place fromtheendof thewedge5 or 6 inches t h ec a s i n a g n dm a k et h ec u t .A ss h o w n the heelof at right,thesawwillshorten it thejointandrepeat, the miter.Test-f if necessary, moving thewedge% inch closer to the boardend.
66
I I I I I I I I I I
r
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I
WINDOWS
a miter Back-cutting thesolulf a miterjointisopenalongitsentirelength(inset),Iry joini page is open, remove some lf the still on 66. tronsdescribed pieces. You can do of one of the stockfromthethebackedge power with miter saw on the thecorrective cuts thisbyrepeating
above to raiseit slightly shimplacedunderthecasing a second themiterwitha sharputility thesawtable,or byback-cutting Youcanalso cuttingawayfromyourbody(above). knife,always usea blockolane.asshownbelow.
t t t I I I I I I I I I I
a miter Back-planing in a visesothe thecasing secure a miterusinga blockplane, Toback-cut parallelto Holding theplaneat anangle theworksurface. miteris roughly of lightcuts(abovd. to thebackedgeof themiter,makea series
67
I WINDOWS
r t I I I I
t I I
r t t t I T r i m m i npgr o u dc a s i n g A m i t e rl o i n tm a yf i t w e l l ,b u t o n eo f t h e , r raised m a t i n gp i e c e sm a yb e p r o u d o l f t h e o t h e rT s l i g h t l ya b o v et h e l e v e o . o r e m e d yt h e p r o b l e mg, e n t l yp a r ed o w n t h e p r o u dp i e c ew i t h a c h i s e l( a b o v e ) . A v o i ds a n d i n gw, h i c hw i l l l e a v ea p o o r s u r f a c feo r f i n i s h i n og r p a i n t i n ga,n d w h i c hi s m u c hm o r ed i f fi c u l tt o d o o n m o l d e dc a s i n gT. o a v o i dd a m a g i ntgh e p r o f i l eo f i n t r i c a t m e o l d i n gy,o uc a n i n s t a lal s h r mb e h i n dt h e p i e c et h a ti s r e c e s s eads a n a l t e r n a t i vt eo c h i s e l i n g t h e p r o u dp i e c e .
llj Jl tlililt dlllilijllllillt lll llli,1l,i ilj lll Jrllllltrl 1HO?TI? An auxiliarytable for the powermiter saw An auxiliary trablemakes it mucheasierto lineuV otraight and bevelculs, Use '/o-tnch for Lhetable Vlywood and securett,in VlacewiLh double-f aced Nape, l'/ake EhreekerfsacroooNheauxiliaryLable:one90" anqle cuLand a 45" cut on eilhereide.To ueelhe Lable,aliqn Nhecultinq mark on yourworK?tece luot to Lhewaste sideof the aVVropriatrekerf and maKethe cut.
t t I I I I I
t t I I I I
r t 68
I I
t I I I I I I I I I T I I I T I I
STOOL-AND.APRONCASING "traditional" window A lsoknownas A casing,stool-and-apron casingis more difficult to makeand installthan picture-framecasing.However,its use of thebutt joint allowsdifferentmoldings to be combinedfor contrasting effect.Thestoolis cut to fit thewindow "horns" that extend openingwith two beyondthe sidecasing,typicallyby the sameamountthat the stoolprotrudes from thefaceof thecasing.Thiscanbe anywherebetweenluto'l inch,depending on the profile of the moldingyou sellstoolcaps areusing.Lumberyards window installation, for assembly-line but you caneasilymakeyour own stool usinga router.To balancethe window pasttheside theheadcasingalsoextends Theheadcasingcanalsoinclude casings. decorativerosettes(page73),
A window sill,or stool,isfastenedto thewall studswith afinish nailer.Cut tofit hornsthatextendpastthewindowframe. thewindowopeningthestoolfeatures
CASING INSTALLING ST()OT.AND.APRON
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t
thehorns 1 Marking These will beyourlinesfor cutI Shape theoutside edgeof thestoolandcut it to length. wallmeetsthestoolhbove). bothhornlinesto of the horns.Extend sill. tingthe insideedges Markthecenterof boththestoolandtheroughwindow T h e nm . a r kt h ep o i n t os ne a c hs i d eo f t h ew i n d o w h e r teh e thefrontedgeof thestoolwitha try square.
69
t WINDOWS
I I t t I I t
t I I I I I r) Marking andinstalling thestool yourcutting Z- to finisf'marking linesforthehorns, adjust gapbetween a compass to thewidest thefrontedgeof therough sillandthedrywall. Holding thestoolagainst thewallwiththe c e n t em r a r k sa l i g n e ds,e tt h ec o m p a spso i n ta t t h ee d g eo f thewallandscribea lineforeachhorn(above, /eff).Todeterminehowmuchstockyouneedto trimfromtheinside edgeof thestool,keepthesamecompass setting andmarka linealong pointalong thelenghofthestool,running thecompass thefront (above, edgeof theroughsill right),Cutoutthehornsaswellas thewaste stripfromtheinside edgeof thestool. Thennailthe jambsareflushwiththewall, stooltothestuds.lf thewindow (step4).Otherwise, install thesidecasing mounta modif ied jambextension (step3).
I I I I
t I I I
t
jambextension a modified Q Installing r-,, Builda modified iambextension (page61)withnobotfompiece.Fit jambs theextension overthewindow (right)andshimit in place,making s u r et h a ti t i s c e n t e r ei dn t h eo p e n ing,square, andlevel. Thennarlthe extension to theiambs.
/tJ
I I I I I I I I
r
I
t I
WINDOWS
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
lnstalling thesidecasing around theiamb Markthereveal extension(page62) to matchthe reveal t h e s t o o la n d r o u g hs i l l .T h e n between c u t t h e s i d ec a s i n g tso l e n g t hs, a w i n g b o t he n d ss q u a r e I, n s t a ltl h e s i d ec a s casingsas youwouldfor picture-frame ing (page65), nailingthem into the winSpacethe dowjamband studs(above). n a i l s6 t o 8 i n c h e sa p a r t .
I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I
Installing theheadcasing R r - , 1C u t t h e h e a dc a s i n gt o t h e s a m e l e n g t ha s t h e s t o o l c, e n t e ri t o n t h e s i d e c a s i n gp i e c e sa, n d n a i li t i n p l a c e( / e f f ) . D r i v et h e n a i l si n t ob o t ht h e h e a dj a m b andthe roughheaderevery6 to 8 inches.
7l
I I I
WINDOWS
I t I I I I I I I Installing theapronandreturns 4i \ , f O n c et h e s t o o la n d c a s i n ga r e i n p l a c ec, o m p l e t teh e w i n d o wb y i n s t a l l i n g t h e a p r o nb e n e a t h t h e s t o o l .S t a r tb y m e a s u r i ntgh e d i s t a n c e b e t w e etnh e o u t s i d ee d g e so f t h es i d ec a s i n gasn dc u tt h e a p r o nt o y o u rm e a s u r elde n g t hs, a w i n g 4 5 ' b e v e l sa t b o t he n d so f t h e a p r o nT. o c o n c e at lh e e n dg r a i n g, l u eo n m a t c h i n g end pieces,knownas returns.Makethem r i t e rs a wb y c u t t i n ga 4 5 ' o nt h e p o w e m p i e c eo f s c r a pm o l d i n w b e v eiln a g i t ht h e p r o f i l e same a s t h e a p r o nt,h e nc u t t i n g off a narrowwedgeof stockat the end of the piece(above, left).Nailthe aproninto the roughsill andthe wall studs(aboye, rieht).lhensluethe retrrrns to the ends ' ' O ' / t
'
nf thc :nrnn
(naop \ P v bv
6 7 )/ '
v '
I I
iti U Ji ][ iiiilll '1filli d u i l t ] i i $ i l , , *l I
5HO?Tt? Atemporarybrace to holdwindowa?rone Tofree uo bolh vour hand,s for nailinqa window aVronin place,ueea brace boardlikeLheoneehownaL righL.Cut,lheboardfrom t,hin ocraVotockeliqhLly lonqerLhan the apron the distancebetween and lhe floor,and wedgeiI tiqhrly belween lhe aVronandLhefloor untiltt bowooliqhLly
I I I I I
t I ,\
I I I I I I I I I I I
I I I I I I I I
WINDOWS
ROSETTES MAKING ANDINSTALLING a drilling iig 1 Making (page58) fortherosettes I Sizeblanks sothattheyareslightly widerthanthe willalign andtheiroutside edges casing, Youcanalso withtheendsof thestool. maketheblanks thicker thanthecasing. Tocuttherosettes onthedrilloress. jigto secure theblanks. makea drilling plywood base Center a blankon a %-inch andbuttstopblocks of thesamethicknessaround threesidesof theblankand screwthemto thebase.Screwdowntwo moreblocks ashold-downs at a angle to formed bythestopblocks, thecorners Markthecenter of thejig andsetit on a brad-point thedrillpress table.Install bit,alignthejig'scenterpoint directly underthebit (lett),andclampthejig to t h et a b l e .
t I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t t
r) Securing theblankto thejig L lnstalla rosette cutterin thedrillpress followdrilling speed andsetthemachine's Place ingthemanufacturer's instructions. jigandlockit in place a blankinthedrilling b yc l a m p i nagn o t c h ehdo l d - d o wb nl o c k overiI tight).
73
WINDOWS
t) Cuttins therosettes <' r.J Turnonthedrillandlower thequill untilthecutterlightly contacts the wood. Continue cuttinguntiltherosette profile(above). hasthedesired Install therosettes withtheendgrainonthe topandbottom afternailing theside casings in place(page71);thencutthe headcasing to fit between therosettes.
ilIllllllllllllllllllllllll]illllllfiilrllllllrl]ltrllJ lllllrllll1 illl 5HO?Tt? A ohop-maderooette auf,ler Youcan cuL roaeltee by modifyinga drill preoofly cuf,ler wilh a beadinqbladefrom a Lableeawe moldinqhead,Noich lhe fly cutler arm l,o accommodaNe bhe beadinqblade,locatin4 LhecuLler aboutl inchfrom the endof the arm. Makesure il fits securelyin lhe notch so it cannoLohilAdurinquee.Dorea h o l e t h r o u q h t r ha er m a n d u s ea b o l L , washer,and nu|lo faslen the blade in place,iIo flal f ace loward
74
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I
I I I
t
MAKING A WINDOW SASH ASSEMBLING THESASH
I I I I I I I I I I I I
Medianrail
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
9pline
theiob 1 Planning I Thewindow sashshownaboveconsists of twovertical s t i l e st,w oh o r i z o n traali l sa, m e d i a rna i l ,a n dt w om u l l i o n s t h a td i v i d et h es a s hv e r t i c a l lTyh. ep i e c eas r ec o n n e c t ebdy jointscutona shaper. cope-and-stick Thejointsbetween the stilesandrailsarereinforced bysplines. Tosizeyourstock, makethestilesequalto theheight of theopening forthesash. Fortheraillength, takethewidthof theopening andsubtract twicethestilewidth.Thenaddtwicethedepthof thecoping cutsyouwillmake(step2),lf, forexample, thewidthof the window o p e n i nigs 3 2 i n c h e st h, es t i l e a s r e3 %i n c h ew s ide, andthedepthof thecoping cutsis % inch,eachrailshould be 26 inches long.Youcanalsomakethebottom railwiderthan theotherpieces to accommodate handles. To determine the length of eachmullion, taketheheight of theopening andsubtractthewidthof thethreerails.Thenaddfourtimesthedepth of thecopingcuts.Divide thetotalbytwo.
Pairedwith a shop-mademortising jig, a router cuts a mortise in one of the stilesof a window sash.Thejig ensuresthat the mortiseis centeredon the edgeof the stock.A matching mortisewill be cut in the end of the adjoining rail and a spline will reinforcethejoint betweenthe two pieces.
75
I I I I I I I I I I
WINDOWS
t t )tickin7 cutter eet
r) Making thecoping cuts L es shownabove fortherailsandstiles at left,theloinery Thecopingcutter is doneby matching cutters on theshaper. s .h es t i c k i ncgu t i s u s e do nt h ee n d so f a l l r a i l sa n dm u l l i o nT t e rs h a n etsh e i n s i d ee d s e so f t h es a s hn i e c e sT.o s e tt h e h e i g hot f t h ec o p i n cg u t t e rf,i r s ti n s t a tl lh es t i c k i ncgu t t e irn theshaper andadjustits height sothetopof thecutteris leve l w i t ho n eo f t h es a s hp i e c e s e tf a c ed o w no n t h et a b l e . Makea cut (step5) in a testpiecethesamethickness asthe
s a s hs t o c k .T h e ni n s t a l tl h e c o p i n gc u t t e ra n d r u b b e a r i n go n t h e s h a p ea r n d b u t t t h e c u t e n d o f t h e t e s t p i e c ea g a i n stth e . o rt h e c o p i n gc u t s ,p o s i t i o n c u t t e rt o s e t i t s h e i g h t F thefence s l i g h t l yb e h i n dt h e r u b b e a r i n g a n d b u i l da c o p i n gl i g ( p a g e 9 0 ) . U s et h e i i s t o f e e d b o t he n d so f t h e r a i l si n t o t h e c u t t e r ( a b o v er,i g h t ) , I oc o p et h e e n d o f t h e m e d i a nr a i la n d m u l l i o n s s, h a p ea w i d ep i e c ea n d r i p t h e w i d t h sy o u n e e do n t h e iehlp
R i p p i ntgh em e d i a n r a i la n dm u l l i o n s Q r - , 1 O n c ey o u h a v em a d et h e c o p i n gc u t s o n t w o w i d eb o a r d sf o r t h e m e d i a nr a i l a n d m u l l i o n sp,o s i t i otnh e t a b l es a wr i p f e n c ef o r c u t t i n gt h e m e d i a nr a i l - t y p i c a l l y o n e - t h i r tdh e w i d t ho f t h e s t i l e s F . eed the boardintothe bladewitha pushstick ( r g h f )R . e p o s i t i ot n h e f e n c ef o r t h e m u l l i o n sa n d c u t t h e mf r o mt h e o t h e rb o a r d rnesameway.
76
carnr/
?)
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I I I I I I I I I I I I
WINDOWS
Setting upthesticking cutter O n c ea l lt h e r a i l sa n dm u l l i o nas r eD r e -
pared, remove thecoping cutterandrub bearing fromtheshaper andinstall a stickingcutterset.Theoneshown features a straight cutter, whichshould bethesame widthasthetongue leftbythecoping cuts. T h i ss e t u p w i l ls h a p teh ei n s i d e d g eo f allthesashpieces andcutrabbets to supporttheglass. Buttoneof therailsagainst thebrtto settheheight of thesticking cutter (left);the tip at the top of the cutter should bealigned withthelip,orquirk,at thetopof thecopedend.
t I t t I I I
t I I I I I I I I I t I I
Making thesticking cuts f, l-,l To makethestickingcuts,adjustthe shaper's fenceto T h e nm , a k et h es t i c k i ncgu t si n t h e i n s i d e d g e os f t h er a i l s m a k ea f u l l c u t i n t h ee d g eo f t h es t o c kt;h ec u t t e sr h o u l d andstiles,feeding thestockat a steady rale(above) anduse justtouchthewidestpointof theworkpiece. Alsoinstallcom- a p u s hs t i c kt o f i n i s ht h ec u t s .R e p e at h t i sp r o c e sf so rt h e mercial hold-downs ontheshaoer's fenceandtableto secure m e d i arna i la n dm u l l i o nbsu tt h i st i m es h a p i nbgo t he d g e s t h es t o c kd u r i n gt h ec u t sa n dp r e v e nkti c k b a cakn dc h a t t e r . o f t h eo i e c e .
77
WINDOWS
joints Strengthening thecorner the stiles Reinforce the jointsbetween a n dt h e t o p a n d b o i t o mr a i l sw i t h s p l i n e s . S t a r tb y r o u t i n gm o r t i s efso r t h e s p l i n e si n t h e e n d so f t h e r a i l sa n dt h e i n s i d ee d g e s o f t h e s t i l e s( p a g e7 5 ) .T h es p l i n es h o u l d f i t t h e m o r t i s essn u g l ya n db e s h o r t etrh a n the combined depthof the two matingmort i s e sY . o uc a nc u t a l l t h e s p l i n e fsr o ma s i n p l eh o a r dT o d o t h e i o bo n t h e t a b l e saw,screwa woodenextension to the miter g a u g eE. n s u rteh a ta l l t h es p l i n ew s i l lb e t h e s a m el e n g t hb y m a r k i n ga r e f e r e n c e l i n eo n t h e e x t e n s i o A n .l i g nt h e e n do f t h e boardwiththe lineandholditsedgeagainst the extension to cut eachspline(/eff).For maximum s t r e n g t hc,u t t h es p l i n e s ot h e i r g r a i nw i l lr u n i n t h es a m ed i r e c t i oanst h e g r a i no f t h e r a i l s .
Keference lrne :l
Keference line
totherails 7, Gluins - themullions Startbygluing therailsand / Glueuptheframein twosteps. mullions together, asshown above, thenaddthestiles(sfep8). reference linesacross thejoints marking Test-fit the pieces, w i t ht h em u l l i o nt so h e l py o ua l i g nt h ep a r t sd u r i n g l u e - u p .
F o rt h e r a i l sa n dm u l l i o n sa,p p l yg l u et o t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c e s o f t h e b o a r d sA. s s e m b lteh e p i e c e sa n d i n s t a lal b a rc l a m pt o securethe mullionsto thetop and bottomratlsGbove);usewood oadsto orotectthe stock
7B
I I I I I t I I
t I I I I I I I
t I I I I I t I I I I I I I I I
I I I
WINDOWS
t I I I I I I I
a I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
Gluing thestiles to therails I n s e rt th es p l i n ei sn t h er a i l sa n da p p l g y l u et o t h ej o i n t s between t h e r a i l sa n d s t i l e s S . p r e a dg l u ei n t h e m o r t i s eas n d o n t ot h e s p l i n e sT, u r nt h e w i n d o wo v e ra n ds e c u r et h e s t i l e si n ) .l i g na c l a m pw i t he a c hr a i l , p l a c ew i t h b a rc l a m p s( a b o v eA e n s u r i n tgh a tt h e e n d so f t h e s t i l e sa r ef l u s hw i t ht h e e d g e so f
therails.Usewoodpadsto protect thestock.Assoonasthe clamps aretight,checktheassembly forsquare bymeasuring thesashfromcorner to corner in bothdirections. Thetwodiagpressure onalsshouldbeequal.lf not,readjust theclamping slightly untilthesashis square.
INSTALLING THEGLASS ANDGLASS-STOP M()LDING molding 1 Makingglass-stop I G l a s s - s t ompo l d i n gw i l l h o l dt h e g l a s s a g a i n stth e r a b b e t si n t h e w i n d o ws a s h . T o p r e p a r et h e m o l d i n gw i t h a r o u t e r , i n s t a lal d e c o r a t i vme o l d i n gb i t i n t h e t o o l a n dm o u n ti t i n a t a b l e .S h a p eb o t he d g e s o f a w i d eb o a r dl o n ge n o u g h t o y i e l da l l y o uw i l l n e e d t, h e nr i p t h e themolding m o l d i n gs t r i p sf r o mt h e s t o c k .U s et h r e e f e a t h e r b o a r dt os s u p p o rt h e w o r k p i e c e d u r i n gt h e c u t : t w oc l a m p e dt o t h e f e n c e o n e r t h esr i d eo f t h e b i t a n do n ec l a m p e d to the table.Feedthe boardintothe cutter w h i l ek e e p i nigt f l u s ha g a i n stth e f e n c e : f i n i s ht h e p a s sw i t ha p u s hs t i c k .R e p e a t to shapethe other edge(left).Cut the m o l d i no g f f t h e b o a r do n t h e t a b l es a w , t h e n s a w r t t o l e n g t hm , a k i n g4 5 ' m i t e r c u t sa t t h e e n d o f e a c ho i e c e .
79
I WINDOWS
r) Installing theglassandthemolding I S e tt h e s a s ha n d s l a s so n a w o r k s u r f a c et ,h e np l a c et h e m o l d i n gi n p o s i t i o n . B o r ea p i l o th o l ee v e r y6 i n c h e s , n a i l i n t oe a c hh o l e , i n s e r at f i n i s h i n g a n d d r i v ei t h o m e .T o u s ea b r a dd r i v e r , as shownabove,adjustthe jawsagainst t h e s a s ha n dt h e n a i l ,t h e nt r g h t e nt h e l o c k i n gn u t . H o l d i n gt h e s a s hs t e a d y , soueeze the iawsto setthe nail.
lil ili llljil, dlllilli|Jililtllilriillilill lli iliil;ildlitlj ib 5HO7Tt? lnotallingthemoldingwibha hammer moldinqin lf you are uoinqa hammerLo nailqlaee-eNop place,prolec|the qlaooby placin4a pieceof cardboard on it ae youdriveeachnail,as shownhere.
t I I I I I I t I I I I I t I I I I I I I I I I I I I
r I BO
I I
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
A GLAZINGBARHALF-LAPTOINT ' ' Tlrcglnzingbar half-tnpjoint showrrat right fornrs a stronger joint for corutectingthe nuillion and bortdthnn the cope-and-stick rnedianrail of a divided window snsh.Thepieces,calledglazingbars,are .ioinedby ntiteredhalf-laps.Rabbetsare cut along the backedgesof the barsto nccontmodntethe glassand glass-stop ntolding.The endsof joints. the bnrsarejoined to the roils and stileswith cope-and-stick
MAKING A GTAZING BARHALF-LAP J()INT
r I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
'l
Moldingtheglazingbars I T h e l o r n ti s m a d ei n t h r e es t a g e sS: t a r tb y c u t t i n gt h e propep r r o f i l ei n t ot h e g l a z i n gb a r s ,a s s h o w na b o v en; e x t ,c u t r a b b e t si n t ot h e o p p o s i t e s i d eo f t h e b a r st o h o l dt h e g l a s sa n d m o l d i n gs t r i p s( s t e p2 ) ; f i n a l l y ,p r o d u c et h e m i t e r e dh a l f - l a p ( s t e p s3 t o 5 ) . F o rt h e f i r s t s t a g e ,i n s t a l la p i l o t e dr o u n d - o v e r b i t i n a r o u t e rm , o u n t h e t o o l i n a t a b l e .a n d a l i g nt h e f e n c e w i t h t h e b i t ' sp i l o tb e a r i n gT. h es t o c ks h o u l db e w i d ee n o u g h s o t h a t m a k i n ga p a s so n e a c hs i d eo f t h e b a rw i l l l e a v ea % i n c h - w i dlei p b e t w e etnh e c u t s .S u p p o rtth e w o r k p i e cdeu r i n g
t h e o p e r a t i ow n i t ht h r e ef e a t h e r b o a r dCsl:a m po n et o t h e t a b l e opoosite t h e b i t a n d t w o t o t h e f e n c eo n e a c hs i d eo f t h e c u t t e r .( l n t h e i l l u s t r a t i o n r dn t h e o u t f e e ds i d eo f t h, e f e a t h e r b o a o t h e f e n c eh a sb e e nr e m o v e fdo r c l a r i t y . F ) e e dt h e b a r i n t ot h e b i t u n t i ly o u rf i n g e r sa p p r o a c thh e c u t t e r ,t h e n u s et h e n e x t p i e c ea s a p u s hs t i c ko r m o v et o t h e o t h e rs i d eo f t h e t a b l e a n d p u l l t h e w o r k p i e cteh r o u g ht h e c u t . R e p e atth e p a s so n t h e o t h e rs i d eo f t h e b a r ( a b o v e )P. r e p a r a e n e x t r ab a rt o h e l p s e t u o t h e c u t i n s t e o3 .
81
I WINDOWS
r) Cutting rabbets fortheglasspanes widerthanthe I lnstalla dadoheadonyourtablesawslightly rabbets arecut remaining afterthe rabbets. Thetongue desired fence a wooden auxiliary at least %inch.Install should measure of the thickness depthon it-the combined andmarktherabbet glass fence theauxiliary overthe strip,Position andthemolding thatthemetalfenceis clearof thecutters. dadohead,ensuring crankupthedadoheaduntilit forms Turnonthesawandslowly Iine.Turnoffthesawandmarkthe a reliefcutto themarked bar.Butt endof theglazing widthof therabbets ontheleading theouterbladeof thedadohead,then oneof themarksagainst position thebar.Usethreefeatherboards thefenceflushagainst boardto a support theworkpiece asin step1, adding to support provide clamped to thetable. forthefeatherboard extrapressure (Again sideof ontheoutfeed in thisillustration, thefeatherboard Feedthebarsbyhand forclarity.) thefencehasbeenremoved (left)unlilyourfingers thenusethe approach thefeatherboards, Complete thecutonthefinal nextworkpiece to finishthepass. it fromtheoutfeed stdeof thetable. workpiece bypulling
t I
t I I I
t t I I I I I I
t
Making themitercuts Adiust a crosscut blade. Remove thedadoheadandinstall to the extension thebladeangleto 45" andattacha wooden bar holdtheextraglazing Tosetthebladeheight, mitergauge. youcut in step2 is flushagainst onthesawtablesothetongue thelowshould belevelwith Thetopof theblade theextension. thebladeheight ersideof thelip.Makea testcutandadjust Thenmarkthe the lip (inset). untrlthecuttingedgejustscores the mitercutson bothsidesof thebars;at theirwidestpoints,
Vsshould bethesamewidthasthestock.Tomakethecut,hold and themitergaugeextension of thebarflatagainst thetongue withtheblade. Butta stopblockagainst alignoneof themarks forsubsequent theendof thestockandclampit to theextension to theextension andfeedtheglazing cuts.Clamptheworkpiece the it firmlyin place.Rotate barintothebladewhileholding pieceandmakethesamecutontheothersideof theV. Repeat sideof thebar(above). theprocess to cuttheV ontheopposite
82
I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I
t I
I I I
WINDOWS
rl t
Cleaning uptheV-cuts 0 n c ea l l t h em i t e rc u t sh a v eb e e n made,usea narrow chiselto pareaway thewaste. Thewidthof thechannel at the bottom of theV shouldequalthewidthof thelip.Holding thechiselbevelsideup, pareawaythewaste(left)untilthe bottom of theV issmooth andflat.Workcarefullv to avoidtearout.
I
t I I I I I I
t t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
thehalf-laps f, Gutting dadoheadin yourtablesawandadjustit to r,l Reinstallthe thewidthofthebar'slip.Setthecuttingheight to one-half the stockthickness. Youwillbecuttinga half-lap in thebottom of oneglazing bar,thenmaking an identical cut in thetopof the
piece. mating Setupthecutbyaligning themiddle of theV-cut withthedadohead, whileholding thebarflushagainst themiter gauge extension. Keeptheworkpiece flatonthesawtableand (above). flushagainst theexiension asyoucutthehalf-laps
I I I I ,.,1
,,IL
..i'T i'i
ri
i
;" .1,i , ;' , r l , l
-1
{,
t t I
t I I I I I
t I 2 I I
t
r I I I I I I I I I I I
t
DOORS properdoor,like a proper most chair,maygounnoticed
environmentof an interior door is lessharsh,a lifetimeof usestill demandscarein construction. of the time. It will swingeasily, Oncea door is selected or built, closewith a satisfyingthud, and it still must be hung. In many restsquarelyin its opening.Its sryle ways,hanginga door is the most and weightwill complementits demanding choreof thefinishcarBut like a smiling surroundings. penter.Techniques varywidely,but face,a well-built,well-hung,and several thejob typicallycomprises well-frameddoor meetsfriends distinctsteps,eachof which must and strangerswith an unspoken, betackledwith carefulattentionto welcome. but warm-hearted detail.Normally,a carpenterwill For all its workadaynature,a frame the rough openingfor a A length of head casingisfixed over a door door and its surroundingsareno door,whichshouldequalthewidth and setagainsta rosettecorner block.Framing simplethings.Thedoor,frame,and of the door plusthe thicknessof a door with decorativemolding servesan trim mustbe both sturdyand decthe sidefambsand an additional imDortantestheticfunction in a room. orative.This chapterrevealsthe 1-inch spacefor shimsthat are anatomyof a door and showsjust a fewof themanysrylesin use.Startingon page90,youwill see usedto plumb and straightenthe jambs.Door jambs(page doorjambsshould 95)aremadefrom %-inchstock;exterior how to build one of the most elegantand populardesigns,a task,but be l- to l%-inchthick.Oncethejamb is plumb andlevelin frame-and-panel door.Buildinga dooris a challenging the opening,it is nailedin place.Next,the door is installed the result-a door that is uniquelysuitedto its settings-is with butt hingesmortisedinto the door edgeand the hinge one of woodworking'smostgratifring accomplishments. Doors,of course,serveboth interiorand exterioruses. jamb (page100).Forveryhearydoors,thehingesarescrewed through the jamb into a wall framing membercalledthe Exteriordoorshavegreatstructuraldemandsplacedupon trimmer stud.Finally,the casing,or door trim, is installed in heatand humidity insideand outthem;the differences sidealonerequirethat an exteriordoor be built of heavier (page112)to concealthe roughopeningandact asa gusset, tyingthejambto thetrimmer.Eachphaseof thedoor-hangmaterialthanan interiordoor,that its designbe suitedto its is shownin detailin this chapter. ing process use,and that thejoinerybe of thehighestquality.Whilethe
A leafof a brassbutt hingeisfastenedto theedge door.Oncetheotherhalfis of aframe-and-panel screwed to thedoorjamb, thedoorcanbehung. A pin will holdthehingeleavestogether.
ANATOMYOFADOOR
t t I
f) oorscanbe broadlydividedinto LJ nvo groups:exteriorand interior. While their stylesmay be similar,the constructiondiffers.Exteriordoorsare tlpically 1%inchesthick and B0inches high,althoughin olderhomesdoorsare often 82 to 84 incheshigh. The width varieswith location.Frontdoorsareusually36incheswide.Backdoorsandother entry doorscanbe asnarrowas32 inches.Interiordoorsrangefrom 24 to 36incheswideandaretlpically 80incheshigh andl% inchesthick. Most doorsin North Americaare eitherframe-and-panel, solid-core,or hollow-core.In frame-and-panel doors, a frameworkof stiles,rails,andmullions supportssolidwoodpanelsthatfloatin groovesmilledin the insideedgesof the joints framework.Mortise-and-tenon are commonlyusedto assemble the joints are framework.Cope-and-stick anotheroption,but theymustbe reinforcedwith splinesto withstandstress.
Solid-coredoorsconsistof a plvwood veneergluedovera particleboirdcore. Hollow-coredoorshavea lightweight interior,usuallycardboard.As shown on page87,therearemanydoorstylesto choosefrom. Hanginga door involvesbuilding and installinga jamb to fit the rough opening.Roughopeningsaretlpically framedby king studson eachsidewith
Kinq stud
Mitered casing Cornera joined with miterjointa
tsutted caaing )ide caeinq butta aqainat head piece
"comSimple orcomplex, thecasing visually pletes"a door,covering gapsbetween the jambandthewall.lt alsoblocks drafts and protects theroughopening andjambfrom damage. Threecommon designs areshown above. Asa rule,molded casingshouldbe joinedat thecorners withmitersor butted plinthblocks.Flatcasing against canbe joinedwitheitherbuttor miterjoints.
I I
t I I I I
t I !
Head jamb
Hinge
TRIM STYTES Eloaked corner Caaingpiecea butt aqainet corner blocka
Cripple eLud
a trimmer studattachedinsidethe king studs.A headerrestson the trimmers and constitutes the top of the rough opening.Whenyou build your jamb, allow Z inch of clearance betweenthe jamb and the headerand trimmersto allowfor shimming.Theanatomybelow showsa typicalroughdoor openingand a door with the jamb,and the casing installedon oneside.
I t I I
t Trimmer eLud
Hinge JamD
thima
I I
t I I I I I I I I I
t I
I I I
t t t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
DOORS
DOOR STYLES =z^=
:-/_==:
Frenah )uitable for indoorand outdoor uae
9olid-core 9uitable for indoorand outdoor
Frame-and-panel Suitablefor indooraid outdoor uae
o
o
o
o
o
o o
-ii----.o
oo
ll[ Olasa-a nd- wood-pa neled Onlvauttablefor outdoor uae
o oo
Victorian screen Onlvauitablefor outdoor uae
o
o
o o
o
o o
o
o
o o
o
Board-and-batten Suttablefor tndoorand outdoor uae
TOOLSANDDOORHARDWARE
I I
r Rosette cutter Usedin conjunction with a drill preee to cut roaettee: availablewith a wideselection of cuttera to create variouapatterna Port'able eleatric planer Foweredby a 3- to lO-amp motor, rotary cuttei turns at 12,OOOto 23,OOOrpm to planeeurfacea: can be aei to cit bevelafrom 15"in one direction to 40'in the other
Doorjamb jig Uaedfor inatallinadoor jamba. )toak ia faatened to vertical leaeand adiuatable head rail of ji1; ji7 ia then inaerted in rou1hdoor openin7and tacked to walla
Lock-face template Adjuotable template used for routin4 lock mor1iaea;automatically oelf-centerinq,the ji7 comeawith a tem/ate quidefor a router
Butt gauge A metal template struck with a hammer or mallet to acore hinqe outlinea;availablein vanoua aizea for atandard hinaea Hinge-mortiaing jig Adjuatable templatejiq clampe to doors and doorjambe to
I I I I I I I I I I
t I
r
Hingemoriiaing eyetem Adjuatable templatee and raila used for routinq door hin4emortiaee:adjueto for two- or three-hinqeoetupe and for 3-by-5 to 4-by-4 hinqea
Plumb bob Fear-ahapedwei4ht euapendedon a cord to checkwhethera framing memberia perfectly vertical, or plumb
Adjuatable vettiaal viee 5prin4-loadedjawe hold doora edae-upfor mortiainq or planin1;may be uaed freeatandin4 or attached to floor or bench.Holdeup to 2-inch-thickatock
I I I I
t I I I I I I
I I
t I
DOORS
t Entry Ioakeet Featurea bellhandlea and a Keyea entry lock
I I I I I I I J I I t I I I I
Flair handle
9pring-activated door etop Uaed to prevenLscreen doora from opentnaLoofar: brackeLsare ecrewed l.o door and door caoin7
Door entry handle Two-piece door enLry aet: eeparate lock cytinder provtdeeadditional eecurtLy.Availablein a widerangeof atylee
Privaay lockaet Orbit-etyle handlewith privacylock
Glaee handles Typicallyuaed wiLh Frenchdooro
t t
La|ch ptaLeie ocrewedto door jamb, allowinqdoor to be lockedahut
I I I
r I I
t
-
t
I Butt.hin6e htn7el;yptcallyuaedfor hanqtn4sl,andarddoore:wetqhLta Kectan7ularplain-bearinq aupported by Lhe htnqe knucklea.Heavterdoore ehould be hunq on commercial ball-bearinq hinqee. Vartoue Ltp Lypea are available;ehown from left to ri4ht are ball, eteeple, button, and Lwo decoraLivedeet4ne. )ee pa4e 1OZfor a char| of aLandard htnge otzea.
I
t t
89
FRAME-AND -PANEL-D OORS
I I
r I I I I
A shaperis itrvoluable.for makingli"ame-and-paneldoors. Fitted with cope-and-stick cttter sets,it will preparethe stiles "floating" and rnilsfor assentbly, ctrttinggrooveslbr the panels that lill theframe and carvinga decorotivemoldingalong the insitleedgesof theJionte at the sametinte. Then,ecluipped with n panel-raisingbit, the shapercanfornt bevelson the ponel edges,asshown in thephoto at right. The largeshopnurdefeatherboardclantpedto theshaper's fenceprotectsthe userJront the cutter nnd holdsthepanelJlat on the table. Step-by-step instructionsfor building a six-panelFederalstyledoor nreprovided belowand on thefollowingpages.
t I I I I I I I I
MAKING A FRAME-AND-PANEL D()()R
r I I
t I I
t M a k i n gc o p ec u t so nt h er a i l s 1 I As shownon page86, a six-panel doorfeaturestwo stiles,a top andbottomrail,twomedianrails,andthreemullions. Cutyour s t o c kt o s i z e ,t h e n i n s t a l a l c o p i n gc u t t e rs e t a n dg u a r do n t h e s h a p e rT. o f e e dt h e r a i l s b , u i l dt h ec o p i n gj i g s h o w ni n t h e j n s e t . jig The consistsof a plywoodbase,a miterbarscrewedto the underside of the base,a 2-by-4supportboardfastened flushwith the backedgeof the base,and a plywoodbackupboardscrewed t o t h e s u p p o rbt o a r dT. o p r e v e nt te a r o uot n t h e r a i l s t, h e b a c k u p boardshouldsupporttheworkpiece forthefull widthof cut.Screw
I two toggleclampsto the supportboard.Next,markthe tongue l o c a t i o on n o n eo f t h e r a i l s c, e n t e r eodn t h e e d g eo f t h e b o a r d . P o s i t i otnh e j i g o n t h e s h a p etra b l e s, e tt h e o n eo f t h e r a i l so n t h e j i g a n da d j u s t h e c u t t e rh e i g htto a l i g nt h e c u t t e rw i t ht h e t o n g u em a r k .T h e nc l a m pt h e r a i lt o t h e 1 i g a , l i g n i n tgh e b o a r d e n dw i t ht h e e n do f t h e b a c k u pb o a r ds o t h e c u t t e rw i l l s h a p e t h e e n t i r ee d g e N . o wm a k et h e c u t , p u s h i n g t h e j i g a c r o s tsh e table.Repeatthe cut on the otherend of the rail (above), then m a k et h e c u t so n b o t he n d so f t h e r e m a i n i nrea i l sa n dm u l l i o n s .
90
t I I I
t I I I
I I I I I I I I I I
DOORS
r) Adjusting thestickcutter L O n c ea l l t h e c o p ec u t sa r em a d e , replace the copecutterwiththe matching s t i c kc u t t e rs e t .T h i ss e t u pw i l ls h a p et h e ^^r -^;r^ p d o p s n f i h p c , t i l p q , .m. r. -r l. l.;t^u^|^) , o ilu Ic|)
O
Hei7htadjuotment wheel
w i t ha d e c o r a t i pv reoifl ew h i l ec u t t i n g grooves thetongues and to accommodate panels. Tosetthecutting herght, buttthe endof oneof thecopedrailsagainst the stickcutter, thenadjust theheight of the spindle sothegroove cutteris levelwith thetongue ontherail(/eff).
t t I
t I I I I
t I I I
t I I I I I I I I
t
Makingthe stickcuts Q r../ Adjustthe fenceto shapethe entireedgeof the stock.Also i n s t a lcl o m m e r c i aolr s h o p - m a dheo l d - d o w nosn t h e f e n c ea n d s h a p etra b l et o s e c u r et h e s t o c kt h r o u g ht h e c u t sa n d p r e v e n t
k i c k b a c kS.h a p eb o t he d g e so f t h e m e d i a nr a i l sa n d m u l l i o n s , feedingthe stockacrossthe tablewith both hands(above),but shapeonlythe insideedgesof the stilesandtop andbottomrails.
t DOORS
I I I
t I I I I I I I I
t Routing mortises inthestilesandrails Reinforce thejointsbetween thestilesandrailswithsplines. Todetermine theirlocations, test-assemble thestrles andrails andmarkthecenterof thejointsbetween them.Takethe assembly apartandsecure a stileedge-up ona worksurface. guide Usea routerfittedwitha mortising bit anda template to cutmortises forthesplines. Toguidethetool,buildthejig shownabove, madefroma pieceof %-inchplywood witha slot in the middleandtwo2-by-4jawsscrewed to the bottomof thetemolate to straddle thestile.Theslotshouldbethesize
youwishto cut plusthediameter of thegroove of thetemplate guideyouwillattachto therouter. Clampthejig to thestile, thensetthecuttingdepthto cuta 1%-inch-deep mortise in the stile.Turnontherouterandmakethecut,guiding thetemplateguidealongthe insrdeedgesof thejig slot(above, left). Repeat thecutat theotherendof thestile,at bothendsof the otherstile,andat thecenter of median rails.Next,secure the railsendup androutgrooves in theirendsthesameway (above,right).
I I
r I I
t I I
t t t
thejoint f, Test-fitting r.,f Onceall thegrooves arecut,make splines thatf it themortises andareshorterthanthecombined depthof twomortises.Thegrainof thesplines runin should thesamedirection astherails.Testfit one glue-up(righil.fhe of thejointsbefore jointshould fit together smoothly without b i n d i n gl f. t h ef i t i s t o ot i g h t ,t r i mt h e splineandtest-fit thejointagain. Finally, makereference markson alltherailsand stilesto helpyouassemble themproperly (page94). duringglue-up
I
t
92
I I I I I
I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I
DOORS
Raising thepanels Tohelpyousizethepanels, assemble t h ed o o rs t i l e sm , ulliona s ,n dr a i l sa n d measure theopenings. Add%inchto each d i m e n s i ot ona l l o wf o rt h e%i n c ha l o n g theedgeof thepanel thatwillfit intothe grooves. Cutthepanels to size;yourstock should benothicker thanthestockused forthestilesandrails.lnstalla oanel-raisi n gb i ta n dm a t c h i nrgu bb e a r i ni gn t h e shaper, andadjustthefenceevenwiththe rubbearing. Thenadjust thecutterheight willpensotheraised edges of thepanels etratethegrooves by %inchwhenthe panelis cuton bothsides. Clamp a wide featherboard to theshaper fenceto shield youfromthecutterandholdthepanelflat . e e de a c hp a n e l o n t h es h a p etra b l e F f a c e - u ipn t ot h ec u t t e ru, s i n gy o u rl e f t handto keeptheworkpiece flushagainst shape thefence(righil.fo prevent tearout, , n dt h e nt h es i d e s . t h ep a n eel n d sf i r s t a O n c eo n es i d eo f t h e p a n ehl a sb e e n shaped, turn it end-for-end andrepeat on theotheredge. Thenturnthepanelover andreoeat theseries of cuts.
t I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I
thefit ofthepanels I Testing / Onceyouhaveshaped thefirstpanel, fit it intooneof thegrooves in a stile(/eff,). Thepieces fit together should snugly, with thepanelextending %inchintothegroove. lf not,adjustthecuttingheight, repeat thecutsandtestthefit again. Onceyou aresatisfied withthefit, raisetheremainingpanels.
93
DOORS
Assembling thedoor Layoutallthepieces of thedoorclose thedoor at handsothatyoucanassemble quickly to set.Start before thegluebegins a stileedge-up building thedoorbysetting in onthefloor.Applygluein themortises railsaswellason thestileanditsadjoining Donotspread anygluein the thesplines. panel grooves. in thestile Insert thesplines mortises andfit therailsin place. Usethe reference marksyoumadeearlier to help youassemble properly, thepieces Tapthe witha malletto topendsof therailslightly between closethejoints.Now,seatpanels andrails.Continue in thisfashthestiles grooves i o n ,a p p l y i nggl u ei n t h es p l i n e andonthesplines andfittingthepieces in place(left)until thedooris assembled.
Clamping thedoor Layfourbarclamps onthefloor,one foreachrail.Caref ullylaytheassembled sothebarsoftheclamps doorontheclamps your withtherails.To protect arealigned stock,placewoodpadsthe lengthof the doorbetween theclampjawsandthedoor justenough Tighten to edges. theclamps Thenclampthedoorfrom closethejoints. lf youdo topto bottom along themullions. to span nothavea clampthatis longenough positioning them thedoor,usetwoclamps, eachother contact sothattheirtailstops nearthe middleof the door.Useshorter woodpadsto protectthe doorfromthese threemoreclamps across clampjaws.Install thebars thetopfaceof thedoor,aligning rail.Finish withthetop,bottom, andmiddle untilgluesqueezes tightening alltheclamps outof the joinlstight).Thenusea trysquare of thedoorare to checkthatthecorners s q u a r ea;d l u stth ec l a m p i npgr e s s u rief , necessary. Oncethegluehasdried,usea paintscraper anyremaining adheto remove sive.Whenthegluehascured,sandand finishthedoor.
I I I I I
t t t I I I
t I I I I I
t I
t I I I I I I I
r I I 94
r I
I I I I I
t I
t
DOORIAMBS If you will be hangingseveraldoors,a commercialdoorjamb jig couldprove to be a worthwhileptn'chase.Itsframework of ntetal legsand rails will keepa jantb squareond hold it in positionin the rough openingwhile you setit leveland plumb, and fastenit to the trimmer stud.
I I I
t I I I I I I I
r I
t I I I I I I
t I I I
MAKING ANDINSTALLING A DO()R JAMB 'l
B u i l d i ntgh ei a m b I S e l e c st t r a i g h t - g r a i n Z e -di n c h - t h i c k s t o c kf o r y o u rj a m b .R i pt h e s t o c ka s w i d e a s t h e t h i c k n e sosf t h e w a l l ,t h e nc u t t h e s i d ea n d h e a dj a m b st o l e n g t h M . a k et h e s i d ej a m b ss l i g h t l yl o n g etrh a nt h e h e i g h t of the doorso theyextendroughlyfromthe f l o o rt o t h e h e a d e rT. r i mt h e h e a dj a m bt o t h e w i d t ho f t h e d o o ro l u s% ' i n c ht o a l l o w %zinch of clearance on the door'slatch s i d ea n d X ui n c ho n i t s h i n g ee d g e .l f y o u w i l l u s ed a d oj o i n t st o j o i nt h e h e a da n d s i d ej a m b s ,a s s h o w na t l e f t ,a d d t h e d e p t ho f t h e d a d o e st o t h e l e n g t ho f t h e h e a dj a m b .O n c ey o uh a v ec u t t h e d a d o e s , f i t t h e e n do f t h e h e a dj a m b i n t oo n eo f t h e s i d ej a m b sa n d s c r e wt h e p i e c e s t o g e t h e rR. e p e afto r t h e o t h e rs i d ej a m b . F i n a l l yc, u t a s p a c e ro, r s p r e a d e tr o, t h e w i d t ho f t h e j a m b ' so p e n i n gT.h i sb o a r d w i l l b e s e to n t h e f l o o rb e t w e e n theside l a m b st o k e e pt h e a s s e m b lsyq u a r ea s i t r s b e i n si n s t a l l e d .
DOORS
r) Setting thejamb I tacXabracing board diagonally across of thedooropening to eachtopcorner keeptheedges of thejambflushwiththe walls.Position thejambin theopening, buttingit against thebraces, andplace thespreader onthefloorbetween theside jambs.Tapshimsbetween thesidejambs at bothendsof the headjambto center theassembly in theopening; insert the shimsin pairsfromopposite sidesof the jamb.(Shims aretapered wedges of wood soldin smallbundles at thatareusually hardware andlumberyards.) Then stores levelto checkthe head usea carpenter's jambforlevel(left)and shifttheassembly In the process, one slightlyif necessary. of thesidejambsmayberaised offthe floor.lf so,measure thegapandtrimthe opposite sidejambbythesameamount. Reposition thejambin theopening, centeringandleveling it again. Bothsidejambs willnowbeonthefloor.Nailthejambto opening through theshimsinto therough thetrimmer studs. Setthenailheads.
forplumb Q Checking thesidejambs r,l Tapshimsbetween andthewallat bothendsof thesoreader. Tosetup Thencheckthejambforplumb. t h ep l u m bb o b ,m a r kt h ec e n t eor f t h e your headjambat oneedge,thentransfer markto thespreader. Tacka smallf inishingnailintotheedgeof theheadjambso t h e p l u m bb o bc o r dw i l l h a n gd i r e c t l y thebob below thecentermark.Susoend fromthenailsothepointof thebobhangs justabovethe spreader. Taptheshims in or outto alignthe beside thespreader underthebob.Drive centermarkdirectly f i n i s h i nnga i l st h r o u g thh es i d ej a m b s andthe shimsto secure thesidejambs at thebottomof theopening.
I I I I I I
t I I
t I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I
t I I
r I
t 96
I I
I I I I I I I I I I I I
DOORS
Squaring thesidejambs lnsertthreeadditional oairsof shims behind eachsidejamb,positioning them at thehingeandlockstrikeplatelocations. Theshimsshouldbewedged in tightly. Although thesidejambsareplumb, they fromtopto bottom. maybeslightly bowed press Toensure thejambsarestraight, a straightedge against thejambto f lattenit asyounailthrough theshims(right).ln thiscase,straight 1-by-4stockis used;a levelwill also 6-foot-long carpenter's workfine.
t I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t
theshims f, Trimming r-,10nceyouhaveshimmed thejamb, cuttheshimsoffflushwiththewallusing a utilityknife.Holdtheendof theshim (left)unlil andsliceacrossit repeatedly thewastepiececanbebroken offeasily.
97
I
t t
DOORS
D(l(lRSTOPS INSTALLING outthedoorstops 1 Laying I Doorstoos canbeinstalled afterthedoor is in placeor,asshownat left,oncethe j a m bi s i n s t a l l e M e rt h e d .a r ka g u i d e l i nf o witha combination square anda doorstops pencil. Adjustthecombination square to the thickness of thedoorandbuttthehandle against thedoor-opening edgeof the latch jamb.Starting at thetopof thejamb,hold thepencilagainst theendof therulerand runthesquare downthejambto markthe line(left).Before marking the hingejamb, inchto allowclearance forthehinges ?dd'Aa andprevent thedoorfrombinding whenit is closed.
I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I
r') Preparing thedoorstops I Youcanuseeitherflatormolded stock Thepieces forthedoorstops. canbejoined at thecorners withbuttjoints,miters,or flatstockis copedjoints.Inthisexample, beingjoinedwithmiterjointscutona chop saw;youcanalsousea miterboxandcut Adjustthesaw the pieces witha handsaw. fora 45"cutandbuttthefirstpieceagainst thefence.Clampa guideboard to thesaw the stock flush against the tableto secure fenceandmakethe cut (right).Miterboth doorstop andthe endsof the head-jamb lf you topendof theside-jamb doorstops. molded make areusing stock, surethe flatedgewill buttagainst thedoorwhen it is closed.
t I I I I I
r 98
I I I I
I I I I I I I I I I I I
DOORS
Installing the head-jamb doorstop Q r-,f Onceall the doorstops arecut, install themon the jamb.Startwiththe head-jamb doorstop. Alignthe edgeof the piecewith t h e l i n e sm a r k e do n t h e s i d ej a m b sa n d tack it in placewith f inishingnails(right). M a k es u r et h e m i t e r e de n d sa r ef a c i n g d o w n .D o n o t d r i v et h e n a i l sf l u s h ,a sy o u mayhaveto reposition the doorstops once t h e d o o ri s i n s t a l l e dT.h eh e a d - j a mpbi e c e w i l l b e s l i g h t l ya s k e wb e c a u s o ef the Xuinchoffsetbetweenthe two suidelines on t h e s i d el a m b s .
t I I
t I I I I I I I I I I
Installing thelock-jamb doorstop A l i g nt h e d o o r s t ow p i t ht h e g u i d e l i n e
onthejamb,buttits mitered endagainst t h ee n do f t h eh e a d - j a mdbo o r s t oapn d tackthepiecein place(left).Makesure themiterjointistight.Donotinstall the hinge-jam s tbo pu n t i yl o uh a v ec u t m o r t i s e sf o rt h eh i n g easn dh u n gt h ed o o r (page100).
t I I
t I I
99
t
HANGINGADOOR A chiselparesaway the wastefrom a hinge mortisein a doorjamb. By usinga chiselthat is the same width as the mortise,you can tap the chiselwith a mallet to score a seriesof cutsacrosslhe morlise and around its outline. Thenpush the chiselbevel-sideup to shear off the wastewood and clean up the bottom of the cavity.
I I I I I
r I I I I I
t I I
()NTHEJAMBBYHAND CUTTING THEHINGEMORTISES Chiseling outthehingemortises Therearenof irmrulesfor locating door hinges, buton an 80-inchinterior door, positioned theyaretypically 7 inches from thetopand11 inches fromthebottom ofthe door.lf youchoose to usea thirdhinge, locateit midway between theothertwo. M a r kt h el o c a t i oonf t h eh i n g eosnt h e j a m b a, l l o w i nf g hinge o r% i n c ho f c l e a r ancebetween thedoorandtheheadjamb. Youcanusea routeranda shoo-made t e m p l a tj ei g t o c u tt h eh i n g em o r t i s e s (pagel0l), or a commercial hingemortisingsystem(page102).Todothejob by hand,youcanusea buttgauge to score thehingemortise outlines onthejamb. Aligning thegauge stopssetsthedevice a u t o m a t i c ai n l l yp l a c ed i r e c t loyv e trh e bottomhingemark.Nowstrikeitsface w i t ha h a m m e rR. e o e at o t outline the remaining mortises onthejamb.Thenuse a chiselto cutthemortise, asshownin thephotoabove.
100
t I I
t I I I I
t I I I I I I
t I
I I I I I I I I I I I I
DOORS
()NTHEJAMB THEHINGE MORTISES ROUTING I jig a router template 1 Making I Toroutouthinsemortises on a door jamb,usethetemplate jig shownat left w i t hy o u rr o u t e ra, s t r a i g hbt i t ,a n da guide.Makethejig fromtwo template pieces plywood; of %-inch thetemplate shouldbewideenough to support the router. Outline thehingeleafonthetemplateandcut it out,compensating forthe guideandadding template thethickness of thefence.Fasten thefenceto thetem' plate,countersinking thescrews.
ROUTER TEMPTATE JIG
I I I I
t I I I I I I t t I I I I I I I
r') Routing themortises I ltlarV,the hingelocations onthedoor jamb(page100)andclampthejig to the jamb,aligning withoneof the thecutout marks.Buttthejig fenceagainst thedooro p e n i negd g eo f t h ej a m b .A d j u stth e router's deothof cut to the combined thickness of thetemplate andthehinge leaf.Thenturnontherouter and,holding it firmlyin bothhands, cutthemortise, keeping thebaseplateflatonthejig and guideflushagainst theedges thetemplate of thecutout(righil.Movetherouterin smallclockwise circlesuntilthebottomof is smooth. Reposition thejig themortise mortise thesameway. androutthesecond youareusingarerectangular, lf thehinges witha square thecorners of themortises chisel; forhinges withradiused corners, themortises canbeleftrounded.
101
t I
DOORS
I I
ROUTING HINGEMORTISES ONA DOOR Routing themortises Hingemortises on a doorcanbecut by hand(page100),or routedwiththeaid a shop-made lig(page101)ora commercial mortising system, suchastheoneshown at left.Thesystem canalsobeusedto rout themortises onthedoorjamb.Although thedoorshown willbehungwithonlytwo hinges, thejig features threeadjustable mortise templates connected withmetal r a i l sI.n t h i si n s t a n cteh,ec e n t ehr i n g e template isonlybeing usedto holdthejig together. Assemble thejig following the manufacturer's instructions, thensecure thedooredge-up witha pairof vertical visesor shop-made doorbucks(page104). Markthehingemortises onthedooredge andsetupthejig,aligning thetemplates overyourmarks. Adjustthesizeof the templates foryourhinges, making sureto guideyouwill compensate forthetemplate usewithyourrouter. Tackthejig in place (inset). withtheduplexnailsprovided Install a %-inch straight bitanda template guidein therouter, turnit on,andcuteach m o r t i sbeyr u n n i ntgh eg u i d ea l o n g the (left).Square insideedges of thetemplates thecorners of themortises witha chisel.
t I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I
t t t To makesurea door opensand closes free\, w i t h o u tb i n d i n go n thejamb, its latch edge shouldbe beveledslightly toward the side that contactsthe doorstops.A portableplaner,like the oneshownin thephoto at right, can be setto the desiredbevelangle, enablingyouto prepare severaldoorsquickly.
r02
I
t t I I I I I I I
I I I I I I I I T I I I I
DOORS
A D()OR M(lUNTING
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t
pilot 1 Drilling holesforthehingescrews I O n c ea l l t h em o r t i s easr ec u t i n t h e j a m ba n dt h ed o o rp, o s i t i oena c hh i n g e leafin place.Markthescrewholeswith anawl.thenborea pilotholeat eachlocamakingsureyouholdthedrill Iion(above), asvertical asoossible.
HINGE STANDARD SIZES DOOR THICKNESS 1%"- lYB"
Doorwidth
1%'1Tr"
Upto 32" Morethan32" 32' - 36', 36'-48' Morethan48"
Morethan1%"
Upto 43" Morethan43"
Hingeheight 3Y2'- 4' 4 ' ,- 4 y 2 ' , 5u 5" (Heavy-duty) 6u 5" (Heavy-duty) 6" (Heavyduty)
Thechartabove will helpyouchoose hinges of appropriate heightforyour (the correct hingewidth combined widthof thetwo door.Todetermine gapbetween leaves andthepin),firstsubtract thebackset-the theedge of thedoor,thenmultiof thehingeandthedoorface-fromthethickness plytheresultbytwo.Thetypical backset is %inch.Thecalculation fora wouldbe:(I%' - y4')x 2 = 3". Hingesizes 1%-inch{hick door,forexample, in heightfirst,thenwidth. areexpressed
103
DOORS
I I I I I
DOOR BUCKS Doorbucksserveasan inexoensive alternative to commercial vertical visesfor securing a dooron edgefor p l a n i no g r c u t t i n gh i n g em o r t i s e s . Theoneshown in theillustration can quicklyfromplywood beassembled provided Thedimensions scraps. will suitmostdoors. To makethejig,startbycutting plythejawsandfeetfrom%-inch plywood,andthebasefrom%-inch wood.Screwthefeetto the underside of thebaseflushwithitsends.Then f ix thejawsto the base,drivingthe fromunderneath. screws Countersink Besuretheedges all yourfasteners. of thejawsalign;leavea l%-inch soacebetween themsothebuckwill holdanydoorof standard thickness. Doorbucksareusuallyusedin pairsto securea dooredgeup.Set thebucksonthefloora fewfeetapart, thenslrdethedoorbetween thejaws. Thebase willbuckle slightly under the weightof thedoor,pullingthejaws together to gripthedoorandholdit in place(right,bottom).
%"xB"x19"
I I I I I
t I I I I t I t I I t
t t I I I
t I I 104
I I
r
I I I I I I I I I I I I
DOORS
Mounting thehingeleaves Remove thepinsfromthehinges and separate the leaves. Position oneleafin themortise in thedooredgeandscrewit in place(right).Besureto drivethescrew headsf lushwiththe hingeleaf. Fasten theotherleafto thejamb.Repeat at the remaining mortises.
t t I
t I I I I I I I
Hanging thedoor Onceallthehinges areinstalled, it is timeto hangthedoortemporarily. Thiswill youto checkitsfit andbevelthe enable dooredge,asshownin step5. Working with a helper, if possible, liftthedoorintopositionsothe hingeleaves onthedoorand jambengage. lf youhaveto workalone, holdthedoorupright andslidea fewshims underitsbottom edge.Bracing thedooron jointhetophingeleaves theshims, together.Thenpivotthedoorto jointhebottom hingeleaves. Slipeachhingepinpartially in place(left)Io lockthe leaves together.
t I I I I I I I I
105
DOORS
Markingthe bevel / -T Doors require typically a 3' to 5" bevel on the latchedgeto closeproperly. Standon the doorstoo sideof the door a n dp u l li t s h u t .l f t h ej a m bw a ss i z e d properly, thefrontedgeof thedoorwillhit theedgeof thejamb,preventing thedoor fromclosing fully.Tomarkthebevel, hold thedooragainst thejambandusea pencilto scribe a linedownthefaceof the doorwhereit meetsthesideiamb(left).
I I I I t I
t t t t I I I
t I
t t t I
Beveling thedooredge f, power planer r./ Youcanusea portable to bevelthe edgeof the door(page102),buI willalsoworkwell,Remove a lackplane the doorfromtheopening andsecure it latchedgeup.Transfer the bevelmarkon the faceof thedoorto theend.Then,starting at oneend,guidetheplanealong thedoor edge(right), walking nextto thepieceuntil youreach theotherend.Holdthetoolat thesameangleasthemarked bevel angle. Continue untilyouhave cuttotheline,then rehang thedoor.Thedoorshould contact latch-jamb the stopwhenyoucloseit. Now (page99), installthe lock-jamb doorstop it butting against thedoorandtheheadjambstop.Check thef inalf it of thedoor; thereshouldbeslightgapsbetween the doorandthejamb.Youcanusethethicknessof a dimeanda nickelto measure gaps.Pass these a dimealong thelockjamb to checkfortheX-inchmargin between the hrnge lambandthedoor.Usea nickelto measure therequired %,-inch spaceat the topandalong theotherside.lf necessary, remove thedooragainandplanedownany where spots thegapis insuff icient.
I I I I t I I I I I I r06
t I
t t
LOCKSETS
I
t I I I t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
With the latch assemblyfastenedto the edgeof the door, the doorknobsarefitted in place.The knob coverplate will then be screwedto the assemblvto comolete the lo ckset installation.
A PRIVACY INSTALLING L()CKSET
')
-.j
'
L'-/2 \-v
-
-
t
\')tL/
a
'
|
t I
t I I I I I I
thelockset 1 Positioning I Locksets usually comewitha template formarking theholes youwillneedto drillforthelatchassembly anddoorknobs. Start theheight of theknobs bymarking onthedoor-typically 36 inches offthefloor.Thentapethetemplate overyourmark.Use
pointonthefaceof thedoor(above, anawlto markthedoorknob leftl-eilher23/e or 2%inchesfromthedooredge,depending onthemodelof lockset-then thecenterpoint forthelatchassemright). blyholeonthedooredge(above,
107
DOORS
t
r ) D r i l l i n tgh eh o l ef o rt h ed o o r k n o b s L l n s t a lal h o l es a wi n y o u re l e c t r i cd r i l l , r e f e r r i n tgo t h e t e m p l a t ef o r t h e c o r r e c t d i a m e t e rT. h e h o l es a ws h o w na t r i g h t features a centerpilotbit. Setthe pointof t h e p i l o tb i t i n t h e a w l m a r ky o um a d ei n s t e o1 . t h e nb o r ei n t ot h e d o o ru n t i lt h e pilotbit emerges fromthe otherside.Keep a rt h e d o o rt h r o u g h t h e d r i l lp e r p e n d i c u tl o o u t .N o wm o v et o t h e o t h e rs i d eo f t h e d o o r ,i n s e rtth ec e n t e p r i l o tb i t i n t h es m a l l openingyoupiercedthroughthe door,and c o m p l e tteh e h o l e .D r i l l i n tgh e h o l ei n t w o s t e p sw i l la v o i ds p l i n t e r i nogf t h ew o o d .
I I I I I I I I t
thelatchassembly hole J<' Boring
r . - f R e p l a c teh e h o l es a ww i t h a s p a d e hit. eo:in
rpfpr tn thp tpmnletp
I I I
t
fnr ihp
a p p r o p r i a tbei t d i a m e t e rS. e tt h e t i p o f the bit in the awlmarkandborethe hole, k e e p i n tgh e d r i l lp e r p e n d i c u tl a o rt h e dooredge(below).Fora narrowdoor,you c a n c l a m pw o o db l o c k so n t h e f a c e so f t h e d o o ro n e a c hs i d eo f t h e h o l et o p r e ventthe woodfromsplitting. Stopdrilling w h e ny o u r e a c ht h e h a n d l eh o l e .S o m e l o c k s e trse q u i r et h i s h o l et o b e d r i l l e d beyond t h e e n d o f t h e d o o r k n ohbo l e forclearance.
I
t
108
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I I I I
t I I
DOORS
thelatchassembly faceplate ,{ 0utlining -T Slidethelatchplateassembly intothe h o l ey o ud r i l l e di n t h ee d g eo f t h ed o o r a n ds e tt h ef a c e p l a tf el u s ha g a i n st h te dooredge.Holding thefaceplate square to thedooredge,traceitsoutlinewitha pencil(right).
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t I
thelatchassembly f, Installing you r.,f Usea chisel to cuta shallow mortise withintheoutline marked in step4. Startbyscoring theoutline of themortise, thenpareoutthewaste(/eff)toa depthequalto thethickness of thelatchassembly faceplate. Using thechisel withthebevel facingdownwillhelpyoucontrol thedepthof themortise. Stop periodically andtest-f it thefaceplate in themortise. Continue untilthefaceplate sitsin themortise flushwiththedooredge, thenmarkthescrew holes withanawl.Drilla oilotholeat each mark.Finally, slidethelatchassembly in theholeandscrew the faceplate to thedooredge(above).
109
I I
DOORS
t theheight of 4i Marking \J thelatchholeonthedoorjamb to thedoor,firstfitFasten thedoorknobs asshown tingthemto thelatchassembly, on page107,thenscrewthemtogether Close thedoor through theircoverplates. partially against the sothelatchis resting thehole edgeof thelatchjamb.Outlining for the latchon thelambis a two-step Marktheheight of theholefirst, operation: asshownat left,thenthewidth(step7). U s ea p e n c itlo m a r kl i n e so nt h ej a m b alongthetop andboitomof the latch (left)anda combination square to transfer themarks across thefaceof theiamb.
Latchjamb
I I I I I
t I I I t I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I
thewidthofthelatchhole I Marking tapeto determine / Usea measuring of thelatchonthedooredge thelocation (righil.f ransferyourmeasurement to the j a m b ,m e a s u r i nf rgo mt h e l a t c h - j a m b d o o r s t oaon dm a r kv e r t i c al il n e so n t h e in thoseyoumarked lambthatintersect of step6. Thelineswillformtheoutline hole. thelatchclearance
r
t10
I I I I
I I I I I I I I I I I I I
DOORS
Cutting thelatchclearance hole Youcan usean electricdrillfittedwith
a spadebitor,asshown at right,a chiselto formthe latchclearance hole.Theexact s i z eo f t h eh o l ei s n o tc r r t i c asl ,i n c et h e s t r i k ep l a t ew i l lc o v em r oso t f i t , b u ti t m u s ta c c o m m o d a t ht e l a t c hw h e nt h e dooris closed. Tousea chisel, f irstscore theoutline of themortise, thenclearout thewaste(ilghil,fesltitthelatchperiodicallybyclosing thedoor.
( , ( /
t t I I I I
1trike plate ton0ue
t I I I I I I I I I I I I
Installing thestrikeplate A l i g nt h es t r i k ep l a t eo v e tr h el a t c h h o l ea n d m a r ki t s o u t l i n ew i t ha p e n c i l ( l e f t ) .f h e n c h i s e la m o r t i s ew i t h i n t h e o u t l i n et o a d e p t he q u a tl o t h e s t r i k ep l a t e t h i c k n e s s0.n c et h e p l a t ei s f l u s hw i t ht h e j a m b ,h o l di t i n p o s i t i o a n n d m a r kt h e s c r e wh o l e sw i t ha n a w l .B o r ea p i l o th o l e at eachmarkand screwthe strikeplateto t h e j a m b .T o c h e c kt h e i n s t a l l a t i o cnl,o s e t h ed o o rT , h ef a c eo f t h e d o o rs h o u l dr e s t f l u s ha g a i n stth e d o o r s t o p sl f. t h e d o o r d o e sn o t c l o s ep r o p e r l yy, o u c a n a d j u s t t h ef i t b y b e n d i n g t h e s t r i k ep l a t et o n g u e s l i g h t l iyn o r o u t .
I I I
DOORS
r
DOOR CASING BUTTED INSTALLING thereveal 1 Marking around a door, installing casing I Before enough remove thedoorto giveyourself overlaps normally roomto work.Casing of thejambedge,leaving onlya portron portion partof it exposed. is Thisexposed jambs On%-inchlhick known asthereveal. shouldbe% likethoseshown, thereveal willclear surethecasing to %uinch.Make usea shopTomarkthereveal, thehinges. maderevealgauge(page63)or a combiWiththesquare, adlusttt to nation square. the reveal width.Then,butting thedesired thetopofthehinge square's handle against jamb,holda pencil theendof the against andthepencil bladeandrunthesquare downthejambto thef loorto markthe (left).Repeat ontheoththeprocess reueal theheadjamb. ersidejambandacross
theplinths O Installing plinths and slightly thicker I Cuttwo youplanto use,and widerthanthecasing youplanto higherthanthe baseboard p l i nt i n s t a lol n t h ew a l l .T h e n t hs h o w a r i g h ti s c u tf r o m1 - i n c h - t h i sc tko c ka n d Alignthebeveled ononecorner. beveled lineand edgeof theplinthwiththereveal fastenit to thewallandjambwitha hamm e ro r a f i n i s hn a i l egr u n .T h ep l i n t h f loor.lf should restf lushonthefinished set hasnotyetbeeninstalled, theflooring under theplinthduring a pieceof flooring cleartherequired installation to provide theplinthonthe to install ance.Repeat otheriamb.
t12
I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I t
I
t I |l
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
DOORS
theheadcasing Q Installing r.,l Cutthe headcasingsothat it will extendslightlybeyond bothside-jamb Alignthecasing withthereveal casings. l i n eo nt h eh e a dj a m ba n dn a i li t t o t h e wall and jamb(right).
t I I I I I
r
Installing thesidecasings C u tt h es i d ec a s i n gtso f i t s n u g l y between theplinthsandheadcasing. Set in position, its oneof thepieces aligning edgewiththereveallineonthe janb (left), andnailit in place. Repeat to install the second sidecasing. Nowsetallthenails.
I I I I
t I
n3
I I I I I I I
STAIRS
t I I I
t I I I I
t I I
t
r I I I I
r 3 I I I I
risersclosethe verticalsDaces n a simplelevel,a run of betweenthe treads(page123). stairsis nothing more Thestaircase is anchoredat the from one than a conveyance top andbottomby newelposts floor to another.Functional(page128);the balusters(page ly, a well-built staircase seems 1j6), or verticalpostsbetween self-effacing-climbedor desthe stepsandthehandral (page cendedwithout thought or 132),are doweledor doveattention.But esthetically,a tailedinto the treadsandnailed staircasemay capturemuch joineryand to the handrail. attention.Precise poorlydesigned Because and ampleuseof finewoodshelpa executedstairsare accidents staircase transcendroughcarwaiting to happen,building of a 1-by-4clampedto a carpenpentryand riseinto the cateA simplejig consisting codesgovernmanyaspectsof ter'ssquareis usedto mark therise-and-run-the gory of fine woodworking. their construction. For examstringer. width of thetreadsqnd risers-on a staircase Theelaboratestairways often ple, handrailsshould not be with grandentrance associated newelposts, morethan 34inchesabovethe treads.In someareas,wide stairs halls,featuringcurvedhandrails,goosenecked andspiralingtreadsand risersbelongto a bygoneera.Crafts- musthavea handrailon both sides.Codesalsocarrystipulations governingheadroom;6 feet8 inchesis usuallythe minimum. menwho specialize in this tlpe of work arc ararcbreed.But theoneshownon page Besureto checkwith your localbuildingcodebeforeembarkevena simplestraight-runstaircase,like 116,canbecomethe focalpoint of a home-and a challeng- ing on a staircase. A basicprincipleof staircase designis theso-called17/. -nch ing but feasibleprojectfor anywoodworker.This chapterwill showyou how to getthejob done,from designto installation. rule.Thecombinedwidth of onetreadand heightof onerisarebuilt in muchthesame er shouldequallT'/'inches.Forthetypicalstair,thiscanmean Simpleor complex,all staircases a treadwidth of 10inchesand a riserheightof 7 %inches, way:from the ground up. All you needis an openingin the featuredin this but dependingon the needsof the stair'susers,somevariafloor aboveanda solidfloor below Thestaircase chapteralsofeaturesa landingabouthalfiuaybetweenfloors, tion is allowable. As professional stairbuilderScottSchuttnermentionsin whichshouldbe madeandincorporatedinto thewall framing is important. his introductoryessayon page10,consistency beforethe stairsaredesigned. mustbethe samewidth andall the thetreads-rest on notched All thetreadsin a staircase Thestepsofthe staircase--called risersthe sameheight.Evena slightdeviation-while not easboardscalledstringersor carriages(page118).Astaircaseof by the eye-will not go unnoticedby the pertypicalwidth,about36inches,will usuallyneedthreestringers, ily discernable one on eachsidewith a third in the middle.Boardscalled sonusingthe stairs.
A staircasecan be as simple as a straight run of stepsthqt lead into a cellqr or as elaborateas the structure shown at left, with hardwood treadsand risers,turned balusters,and a gracefulcurved handrail.
115
ANATOMYOF A STAIRCASE Floating handrail lnetalled on wall aide of ataircaae; may be required by buildinqcode. Attached to wallby metal brack' eta acrewedinto walletude. Handrail Frta atop balueters:bottom is qroovedor doweledto accepL lnna
nf
Baluster lneLalledbetween handrailand treade on eide of starrcaae away from wall. Twobaluetero are neededfor each tread; ueuallyequidietant. Typtcallenqth is 31 to 39 inchea.
balttafera
Cloaed at'ringer Ueuallya 2-by-1Oor 2-by-12that eug0ort6 the enda of the treada anidrreere alonq a wall;off,en mortiaed to accommodatethe treada, risera, and wedgee.
Tread 1tzed accordinqLo local buildin4code;ueuallya minimumof 1 '/aincheathick and 36 incheelong. Treadwidth (unit run) and riaer heiqht (unit riee)ahouldequal17%tnchea.)upportedat each end and at the middlebv a atrinaer.
Riser Cloaeaverttcal epace betweentwo treadg; uoually no widerthan 7% rnch' ea. End fit6 into mortiae tn cloaedatrtnqer;other end is beveledto fit fluah aqainet openaLrln4er,
Fit into morttee in cloeedetrinqer to aecure tread or riaer; ueually made of hardwood.
Center atringer Uauallya 2-by-1Oor 2-by-12that providea additional eupport to etaire wider than about.SOinchea:on narrower ataira, two atrinqereare uaually adequate,
Tread noainq Koundededqe of tread overhanqarreer below.
Open atringer Ueuallya 2-W-1Oor 2-by-12that eupporto Lheenda of the Lreadeand riEerE away from a wall;the edqee f,hat buLt a4ainotthe rieera are ofren beveledto concealf,heend qrain ofthe rieere. Kicker Tart of houseframin7aervinqto anchor bottom enda of strinqere; etrin4ere are notched to fit around kicker.
116
I I I
STAIRS
Dovetailjoint Anqledpin at bottom of baluaterfite into aocket cut in Lread; coveredby reLurn noeinq.Daluaterecan alao be doweledinto treada.
Return noeing End of tread over' hanginqopenatrrn4er; a aeparate pieceqlued and nailed Lo tread end to concealbaluater dovetailaand end 7rain of tread.
lrorrr..otNc
LENGTH THER''E-AND-RUN ANDTHE'TRTN'ER
I
I I I I I I
Determining thekeydimensions startbymeasuring Tocalculate thelengthof thestringers, f loorbelow fromthef inished thetotalrise-thedistance your t o t h ef i n i s h efdl o o ro r l a n d t nagb o v eT.h e nd i v i d e willbe sothattheresult measurement bya wholenumber lf, forexample, thetotalriseis between 7 and8 inches. by 14 equals 7% dividing thismeasurement 105 inches, risers. Thestaircase wouldhave14 7%-inch-high inches. thetotalrunof thestairs, Next,usethisresultto determine multiplied bytheunit of treads whichisthetotalnumber in ourexamole wouldhavethesame run.Thestaircase number of treads asrisers,14. SinceIhe I7% inchrule s t d e( 1 7 %l e s s d i c t a t et sh a tt h et r e a dw s i l lb e 1 0 i n c h ew t h er i s e rh e i g h to, r 7 % ) t, h et o t a lr u ne q u a l s1 4 t r e a d s Once theyouknow by 10 inches, or 140inches. multiplied thetotalriseandthetotalrun,youcanusethe Pythagorean calculator to calculate the length theorem anda pocket form Therise,run,andstringer of a staircase of thestringers. withthetotalrise(A)andthetotal a right-angled triangle sidesandthestringer asthelongest run(B)astheshorter (C).ThePythagorean formula states side,or hypotenuse sidesaddedtogether equals of theshorter thatthesquares (A2+82=C'z). ln thiscase, thesquareof the hypotenuse andthetotalrun thetotalrise(105x 105= 11,025) square ( 1 4 0x 1 4 0= 1 9 , 6 0 0a) n dc o m b i nt eh er e s u l t(s3 0 , 6 2 5 ) . atthe T h e nt a k et h es q u a r reo o to f t h i sf i g u r et o a r r i v e e7 , 5i n c h e s . s t r i n g el er n g t h - i nt h i se x a m p l 1
Total Riee = A (meaeuredfrom finishedfloor belowto finiahedfloor above) Total Run = E (Numberof treada multiplied by unit run) Total length of atringer = C
r I I I
I I I I I I
tt7
THE STRINGERS tl- h. stringers, alsoknownas carI riages, pieces that arelhe diagonal supportthetreadsandrisers.Theprinciplebehindsizingandnotchingthemis haveknown a simpleonethatcarpenters for centuries: Forstairsto beascended or descended comfortablyand safely,an exactratiomustbemaintainedbetween users theriseandtherun-the distance moveup or downandthedistance they moveforward.This is oftenexoressed
"17 asthe Z-inchrule":Thesumofeach rise-and-run shouldecuall7 Z inches. (Seecalculations on pageI 17.) Stringers canbeeitheropenor closed. An openstringeris simplya boardwith notchescut to supportthe treadsand risers;it is usuallyusedon the sideof a staircase awayfrom the wall.A closed strhserhouses theendsof thetreadsand riseri,oftenwith mortises; thewall-side ofa stairwayusuallyhasa closedstringer,
Most of the notching of the centerstringer can be donewith a circularsaw,but usea crosscLtt saw to completethejob. Make sureyou hold the saw verticallyasyou cut into the corners.
MAKING ANDINSTALTING THESTRINGERS 'l
Marking thecenter stringer t I Oncevouhavedetermined theunitrise andunitrunof yourstairs andcalculated prepare length, thestringer thestringers. Cutthemto lengthfrom2-by-12 stock. you Startbylaying outthecenterstringer; willuseit asa template to marktheothers.Setoneboardfacedownon a work surface. Tolayouttherise-and-run, attach twocommercial stairbuttons to a caroenpositioning ter'ssquare, onefortherise andtheotherfortherun.lf youdonothave jig shown stairbuttons, usetheshop-made onpage115.Then, starting about12 inchesfromoneendof theboard, holdthestair buttons against oneedgeof thestockand markthef irstunitrise-and-run alongthe inside edgeof thearmsof thesquare with a pencil. Slidethesquare along andrepeat (/efil,ensuring thatthenextunitrise-andrunstartsexactly wherethefirstoneends. marking Continue untilyoureach theoppositeendof theboard. Onceall thesteos aremarked, addcuttinglinesat 90' for thetopandbottom of thestringer. Also m a r kt h en o t c h et h s a tw i l lf i t a r o u ntdh e kickerat thestaircase bottomandthe ledger board at thetop.
118
I I t I t I I T I I I I I I I t I I I
t I I I I I I I I I t I I
I I I I I I I I
STAIRS
Cutting thecenter stringer C l a m pt h e s t r i n g ebr o a r df a c eu p a c r o s sa p a i ro f s a w h o r s easn dc u t a l o n g yourmarkedlinesusinga circularsaw(left). Whenyoureachtheendsof the board,repoDo sitionit on the sawhorses as necessary. n o tt r y t o c u t r i g h t o t h ec o r n e rosf c u t t i n g f i ,n i s h l i n e sw i t ht h ec i r c u l asra w .I n s t e a d (photo, page11&. the cutswitha handsaw
t I I I I T I I I I
t t T I I I I I I I I I
t I
Layingoutthe openstringer Q r - J S e tt h e o p e ns t r i n g e br o a r do n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d l a yt h e a g a pb e t w e e tnh e e d g e s c u t - o u tc e n t e rs t r i n g eor n i t , l e a v i n g o f t h e t w o b o a r d se q u a lt o t h e w i d t ho f y o u rr i s e rs t o c k .M a r k t h e r u n e d g e so f t h e c e n t e rs t r i n g eor n t h e o p e ns t r i n g ebr o a r d . T n m a r kt h e r i s ee d p e so f t h e s t r i n p e rt.a k ea n i e c eo f r i s e r s t o c ka n ds e t i t o n e n d o n t h e o p e ns t r i n g ebr o a r db, u t t i n gi t s
f a c ea g a i n sot n eo f t h e r i s e - e d g eosf t h e c e n t e rs t r i n g e rM . ark a l i n ea l o n gt h e r i s e rb o a r df r o mt h e e d g eo f t h e o p e ns t r i n g e r Repeatat boardto the run-edge of the centerstringer(above). a l l t h e o t h e rr i s e - e d g eosf t h e c e n t e rs t r i n g e rT. h i ss e c o n ds e t o f c u t t i n gl i n e sw i l l c o m p e n s aftoer t h e b e v eyl o uw i l l n e e dt o s a wi n t h e r i s e - e d g eosf t h e o p e ns t r i n g e r .
119
I
r
STAIRS
I
t t t I
t
for theclosedstringer f, Makingthewedges . - , 1 B e f o r ey o uc a n o u t l i n et h e m o r t i s e isn t h e c l o s e ds t r i n g e r , y o uh a v et o m a k et h e w e d g e tsh a tw i l l s u p p o rtth e t r e a d sa n d risersin the mortises. Cutting theopenstringer Use%-inch{hick hardwood for the wedges Cutouttheopenstringer thewayyoucutthecenter stringer, andcut themon yourtablesaw.Screwa boardto the mitergauge f o l l o w i n tgh e c u t t i n gl i n e sy o um a r k e di n s t e p3 , F o rt h e b e v e l a s a n e x t e n s i oann dc l a m oa s t o ob l o c kt o t h e e x t e n s i oanb o u t c u t s ,s e c u r et h e s t r i n g esr t o c ke n d u p i n a b e n c hv r s e .A t t h e % i n c hf r o mt h e b l a d e A . n g l et h e m i t e rg a u g es o t h a t y o uw i l l o u t s i d ec o r n e ro f e a c hs t e p ,u s ea c o m b i n a t i osnq u a r ea n d a c u t w e d g e tsh a t w i l l t a p e rf r o ma b o u l ' / ui n c ht h i c kt o a b o u t% p e n c i tl o m a r ka l i n ea I a 4 5 " a n g l ea c r o s tsh e r u n - e d goef t h e i n c ht h i c k .H o l d i n yg o u rw e d g es t o c kf l u s ha g a i n st th e m i t e r g a u g ee x t e n s i osno t h a t i t s g r a i ni s p a r a l l etlo t h e b l a d e ,c u t s t r i n g e rT. h e ne x t e n dt h e l i n ea t a 9 0 " a n g l ed o w nt h e i n s i d e faceof the stringer.Usea crosscut sawto cut the bevel(above), the wedges(above). Turn the boardoveraftereachpass.You s t o p p i n gw h e ny o u r e a c ht h e b o t t o mo f t h e r i s ee d g e .R e m o v e m a yn e e dt o m a k ea f e wt e s tc u t sa n da d j u s t h e m i t e rg a u g e angleuntilthe wedgesarethe rightsize.(Caution: Bladeguard t h e w a s t ew i t h a h o r i z o n t aclu t . B e v etl h e o t h e rr i s e - e d s eosf removed for clarity.) the openstringerthe sameway.
Marking themortises ontheclosedstringer 4l \,f The mortisesin the closedstringermusttake intoaccountthe treads,the risers,andthe wedges S i n c et h e t r e a d sa r eh o u s e di n t h e c l o s e ds t r i n g e r , startby markinga clearance linealongyourstringer s t o c ka b o u t2 i n c h e sb e l o wt h e t o p e d g e .T h e n , o u t l i n et h e c e n t e rs t r i n g eor n t h e c l o s e ds t r i n g e r b o a r da, l l o w i n ge n o u g hs p a c es o t h a t w h e nt h e treadmortiseis cut it will not projectbeyondthe c l e a r a n clei n e .P o s i t i oan p i e c eo f t r e a ds t o c ko n e n d o n t h e b o a r df l u s hw i t h t h e c e n t e rs t r i n g e r o u t l i n ea n dm a r ki t so u t l i n ea t e a c ht r e a dl o c a t i o n . Repeat witha pieceof riserstock.Finally,position a w e d g ef l u s hw i t h e a c ht r e a da n d r i s e ro u t l i n e and markits outline(left).Makesureto position t h e t h i n e n do f t h e w e d g ea t t h e j o i n tb e t w e e tnh e treadand riser.Extendall vourlinesto the bottom cdoc nf fhp cfrinopr
t20
I I I I I I I
t I I I I I I t I I I I I I I I t
t t t
STAIRS
I
t I I t I I I I
r I I I I
t t
jigs Makingthe closedstringermortising I r ith / l t i s e a s i e stto r o u tt h e m o r t i s e tsn t h e c l o s e ds t r i n g ew j i g s a v a i l a b l f e o r this c o m m e r c i a l a r e l t h o u g h t h e h e l po f a 1 i g A . t a s k ,y o uc a ne a s i l yb u i l dy o u ro w n .M a k eo n ej i g f o rt h e m o r t i s e s housing t h e t r e a d sa n dt h e w e d g e su n d e rt h e m ,a n da s e p a r a t e j i g f o r t h e r i s e r sa n d t h e w e d g e sb e h i n dt h e m .M a k et h e t r e a d m o r t i s i njgi g f i r s t .S t a r tb y s e c u r i n tgh e s t r i n g efra c eu p o n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d p o s i t i o n i ncgl e a t sa l o n gi t s e d g e s I. n s t a lal % i n c hs t r a i g hbt i t i n y o u rr o u t e ra n d a l i g nt h e b i t w i t h o n ee d g e o f a t r e a do u t l i n e S . c r e wa b o a r da s a n e d g eg u i d et o t h e c l e a t s p a r a l l etlo t h e t r e a d ss o t h a t i t s e d g ei s f l u s ha g a i n stth e r o u t e r
t i t h a s e c o n de d g eg u i d ep a r a l l etlo t h e b a s ep l a t e .R e p e aw . r n c et h e f r o n te d g e so, r o p p o s i t e d g eo f t h e t r e a do u t l i n e S n o s i n g so,f t h e t r e a d sa r er o u n d e dy, o uw i l l n e e da r o u n d e d e d g eg u i d ea l o n gt h e f r o n to f t h e t r e a dm o r t i s eA. d j u s ta c o m passto the distancebetweenthe edgeof the routerbit and base plateT . h e n ,h o l d i n gt h e c o m p a s p s o i n ta t t h e c e n t e ro f t h e t r e a dn o s i n gd, r a wa n a r co n t h e s t r i n g e rC. u tt h e t h i r dg u i d et o f i t b e t w e e tnh e e d g eg u i d e ss, a w i n ga n a r ce q u a lt o t h e t r e a d n o s i n ga n dt h e r o u t e rb a s ep l a t eo u t o f o n ee n d ,t h e ns c r e w it in place(above).
I I I I
t I t I I I I I I
intheclosed stringer Routing themortises jig overoneof the tread-and-wedgep i n gw h e nt h e b o t t o mo f t h e c a v i t yi s s m o o t hR . e p e afto r t h e Alignthe tread-mortising . l u n g et h e r o u t e b o r t i s e sM. a k et h e r i s e r - m o r t i s i n g r e m a i n i ntgr e a d - a n d - w e dm ge r i t i n t ot h e o u t l i n ea s n d c l a m pi t i n p l a c e P j i g t h e s a m ew a y ,o m i t t i n gt h e r o u n d e d e d g eg u i d e ,s i n c et h e s t o c k r, i d i n gt h e b a s ep l a t ea g a i n stth e e d g eg u i d e st o r o u tt h e . o v et h e r o u t e ri n s m a l lc l o c k w i scei r c l e s f r o n te d s e so f t h e r i s e r sa r es o r i a r eT. h e nr o u tt h e r i s e r - a n d e d g e so f t h e m o r t i s eM w a s t ef r o mt h e m o r t i s e( a b o v e )s,t o p - wedgemortises. t o r e m o v et h e r e m a i n i n g
r2l
I I I t I I I I I I I I
STAIRS
Installing theclosed stringer Onceall themortises in theclosed youcaninstall stringer havebeenrouted, thestringers. Staftwiththeclosed stringer. Holdit f lushagainst thewallandfasten it to thewall,driving screws intoevery wallstud.Usescrews thatarelongenough to reachthestuds,making sureto drive thefasteners belowthetreadmortises (righ).fhis way,thescrewheadswill not b ev i s i b l e .
r I I I I
t I 'l
theopen n Installing I \-,t andcenterstringers Butttheopenstringer against theheadboardandmarka lineonthe headboard alongthetopedgeof the notchin the stringer. CUIa 2-by-4to thewidthof your staircase. Aligntheboard withthemarked Irneontheheadboard anduselagscrews to attachit to the header. Checkwitha carpenter's levelto makesurethe board is levelasyoufastenit in place. The2-by4 willserve astheledger boardto support thetopof theopenandcenterstringers. Repeat to position andinstallthe kicker at the bottomof thestringers. Oncethe ledger boardandkickerarein place, set theopenstringer in position andfasten it to thetwoboards, drivingscrews at an angle through thestringer. Repeat to install the centerslringer(left).
r22
r I I I
t I 3 I
r I I
r I
I
t I T I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
TREADSANDRISERS Anatomy ofa treadandriser woodstairsareoften Although thetreadsandrisersin prefabricated withscrews, classic stairbuilding together andjoined simply butted joinery at right.Tread stockis techniques, asshown usessturdier pre-milled; lf youare allyouneedto do is cutto length. available thickif you cutthem1%inches making treads fromroughlumber, To prepare thickfor hardwood. andIYoinches areusingsoftwoods cut a rabbetalongthebackedgeof each thetreadsforassembly, in theriser lipwillfit intoa groove one(page124);theresulting nearthefront in thetread's underside Thenrouta groove above. Fortherisers, cutthegroove theriserbelow. edgeto accommodate thelip in thetread to accommodate in thefrontfacenearthebottom ontheopenstringer thebevel below. Bevel theendthatwillfit against (page120).0nce andglued andrisers areassembled thetreads glueblocks Glueand to reinforce thejoints. cuttriangular together, joint,locating at thebackof eachtread-riser nailtwoorthreeblocks for Finally, makea length of covemolding themnearthestringers. jointandglueandnailit to thefrontof thejoint. eachtread-riser is strictlydecorative. Thecovemolding
ANDRISERS PREPARING THETREADS
t I
r I I I I I I I I I I I
'l
Rounding overthefrontedges ofthetreads youneedto shape the I Onceyourtreads arecutto length, thatoverhangs theriser frontedgeof eachoneto formthenosing piloted round-over bitin yourrouter and lnstall a%-inch below. . l i g nt h ef e n c ew i t ht h eb i t ' sp i l o t m o u ntth et o o li n a t a b l eA to thefence,oneoneach bearing andclamptwofeatherboards
witha shallow cuttingdepth,feed sideof thecutter.Starting the thetable,pressing thefrontedgeagainst thetreadacross passes oneachface, fenceandthepilotbearing. Makeseveral increasing thedepthof cutby%incheachtimeuntiltheedges arerounded over(above).
t23
STAIRS
r) Cuttingthe rabbetsat the L nac?ofthetreads Makethe joinerycuts in the treadson your t a b l es a w .I n s t a lal d a d ob l a d e a , djusting i t s w i d t ht o s l i g h t l ym o r et h a n % i n c h .S e t lip in the t h e d e p t ho f c u t s o t h e r e s u l t i n g t r e a dw i l lf i t s n u g l yi n t h eg r o o v e i n t h er i s er (seeanatomy,page 123). Then attach fenceto the sawandcut a reliel an auxiliary notchin it. Usetwofeatherboards to brace thetreads, clamping oneto thefenceabove t h e d a d oh e a da n da n o t h et ro t h et a b l ei n l i n ew i t ht h e b l a d e sP. o s i t i otnh e f e n c e f o r a c u t t i n gw i d t ho f % i n c ha n df e e dt h e t r e a da c r o s st h e t a b l e ,h o l d i n gt h e b a c k edgeflushagainstthe fence(/efl).(Caution: Bladeguardremovedfor clarity).
Featherboard
I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I I
t I I I
Cutting thegrooves in thetreads Q r.,l Onceall therabbets arecut in thetreads, readjust thedado headto a widthof % inch-thethickness of theriserstock. Set thecuttingdepthat %inchandreposition thefenceto locate thegroove llo inchfromthetreadnosing. Again,usetwofeath-
t t e r b o a r dtso b r a c et h e t r e a d sr,e p o s i t i o n i n t hge o n eo n t h e s a w t a b l ea s n e c e s s a rFy e . e dt h e t r e a di n t ot h e d a d oh e a d ,k e e p i n g : lade t h e n o s i n gf l u s h a g a i n s t h e f e n c e( a b o v e )(.C a u t i o nB guardremovedfor clarity).
r24
I I t I
r
I
t I I I I I
t I I
t I I I I
STAIRS
treadsforreturnnosing / Preparingthe T Tohidetheendsrainofthetreads at theopen-string.r.nJ, cuta pieceof stock fromtheendof eachtread,leaving a bevel (page will mate with return nosing that the is 139)Ihat applied oncethestairsare assembled andthebalusters areinstalled. Clamoa treadastride sawhorses asshown. yourcut,marka straight Tooutline lineon inches from thetooof thetread1% the open-stringer end.Thenmarkanother line at a 45'anglestarting fromthefrontcorner andintersecting thefirstline.Usea crosswiththe cutsawto makethecuts,starting fortheothertreads. bevel(right).Repeat
INSTALLING THETREADS ANDRISERS
t
'l
lnstalling thebottom riser I Prepare a riserwithnogroove in its frontfaceandsetit in position withthe beveled endflushagainst theopenstringer andthestraight endseated in themortise in theclosed stringer. Usefinishing nails to fastentheriserto theooenandcenter stringers. Drivea wedgeintotheclosed stringer mortise behind theriserto secure it in place(/eft).
I I I I
r I I I I
t I I I I I I
125
I
r
STAIRS
r) Assembling theremaining L teadsandrisers riseris in place, the Oncethebottom remaining treads andrisers areassembledandinstalled in pairs.lf youare usingdovetails to jointhebalusters to in the thetreads, firstcutthesockets treads(page127).Tojoina treadand gluein therabbet at the a riser,spread in backof thetreadandin thegroove together. theriserandfit theboards Then,holding thetreadandriserona worksurface asshown, drivea screw every 3 or4 inches through thebackof Ihe riser(left).
I I
t I I
t I I I
t I I I
t I I I I I I
Installing thetreads andrisers O n c ea l l t h e t r e a d sa n d r i s e r sh a v e
b e e na s s e m b l ei dn ,s t a ltlh e mo n ea t a at the bottomof thestairs. timestarting in theunderside Applygluein thegroove of thetreadandfit it overthe lastriser nailsto fasten the rnstalled. Usef inishing Then risertotheopenandcenter stringers. screwthetreadto boththeopenandcenter Counterbore thescrewholesso stringer. thatyoucancoverthescrewheadswith woodplugs. Tapa wedge intotheclosed every stringer undereachtreadandbehind riser(right).Youmayhaveto cut someof onesin thewedges shortto f it adjoining glueblocks place. to Glueandnailtwoorthree t h eu n d e r s i doef e a c ht r e a d - r i sjeori n t (nape12.3):locatethe blocksnearthe s t r i n g e rFs i.n a l l yg,l u ea n dn a i lt h ec o v e m o l d i nign p l a c ea n ds e ta l ly o u rn a i l s . \ F v b v
t t
1 1 v , ,
r26
I I I l I I I I
I I I I I I I I I I I I
STAIRS
PREPARING TREADS FOR BALUSTERS
t I
t t I I I I
Cutting dovetail sockets Markthe position of the balusters on eachtread(page138) before assembling thetreads andrisers. Thenclampthetread endup in a vise.Usea dovetail square anda pencilto outline the sockets ontheendof thetreadat eachbaluster location mark (above, lefil.fhemarks shouldbecentered withintheoutlines. Extend thesocket outlines withstraight linesacross thetopface of thetreadabouI3/o inchin fromtheendof thetread.Marka line
ontheedgeof thetreadforthedepthof cut.Cutthesockets with a router fittedwitha dovetail bit,or usea chiselanda mallet. In eithercase,clampthetreadfaceupto a worksurface. Tocut thesockets byhand, score theoutlines withthechisel anda wooden mallet, holding thechisel vertically withthebevel facing the waste.Thenpareawaythewastein thin layers(above, right), pushing thechiselintotheendgrainwiththebevel facingup.
t I I I I I I I I
Drilling mortises lf yourbalusters willbemortised intothe youcandrilltheholesafterthe treads, treads andrisers areassembled. ln this case, thereturn nosings willhavealready beenfastened to thetreads(page139). Turna tenononthe bottomendsof the (page137),andmarktheirposibalusters tjonsonthetreads(page138).Fitanelectricdrillwitha spade bit.Holding thedrill perfectly straight, borea holeat each baluster location mark(left),penetrating thetreadslightly deeper thanthelength of thebaluster tenon.Locate theholesso thatthebalusters willbealiened withthe centerof the neweloosts
t I I
t27
NEWELPOSTS newelpostsanchorthe Q tructurally, rJ handrailandbalusters of a stairway. But theycanalsoserveasimportantdecorativeelements.Newelscan be very elaboratestructureswith boxedenclosuressurroundingmetalsupportrods andcarvedwoodencapsor simplepieces of solidor glued-upa-by-astock.And as shown below, wood newelscan be
or tapered, turnedon a lathe,chamfered for each. with manyvariationspossible Howevercomplexor straightforward theirdesign,thestrengthof a newelpost derivesfrom how solidly it is attached to thestairs. Thenewelpostat thetop of a staircase is calledthelandingnewel;theoneat the bottom is known asthe startingnewel.
Asshownonpage129,thejoineryattachingeachoneto thestairsisdifferentfrom Asageneral rule, thatusedforbalusters. shouldbeabout4 feet startingnewels long.Landingnewels rangefrom5 to 6 lengthof a feetin length.Theprecise at neweldepends on howit is fastened thebottom.A newelthatisboltedto the floorframingwill needto belonger.
POST FOUR NEWET STYLES
I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I
t I
it )
I I I I
(
t Insteadof a conventionalsinglenewel post,the staircaseshown aboveusesa seriesof severalbalustersarranged in a tight circleto servethe samevisual purposeand to anchorthe handrail at the bqseof the stairs.
Turned
Chamfered
Stop tapered
I I I I I I I I I
t
t t t
STAIRS
|r I
t I I I I I I I I I I
t t
A NEWET P()ST TURNING AND ANATOMY OFSTARTING TANDING NEWELS Landing newel Notched to fit aqatnat firat riaer and tread of atair aboveIandrn4.
r )
(
I I I
t I I I I I
t I I I I
Starting newel Ertenda to floor at bottom of ataira; notched to ftt around open-etrrnqerend of boLtom rreerand Lread.Couldbe made lonqerto exLendthrouqh subfloor and be bolted to floor jotet for added aupport.
Dowel Making a newelpostona lathe piece Prepare a 4Joot-long of 4-by-4stock andmountit onyourlathe. lf yourmachine tsead willnotaccommodate sucha longprece, youwillneedto sawtheblankin two.The bestpointto cutthe blankis justbelow at thetop. thesquare section, or pommel, Thenmountthesection below thepommel onthelathe.Forthedesign shown above, usea skewchisel to definetheoommel at gouge a V-cutdirectly aboveit. Usea roughing thebottomof thepost,making fromtherestof theblankandturnit intoa to cutawaythebulkof thewaste gouge Switch to a skewchisel orspindle to turnthebeads anda spincylinder. (above). gouge forthecoves Forall thesecuts,keepthebevelof thecutting dle thebladeonthetoolrest. toolrubbing onthestockat all timeswhilebracing at thetoponthe Oncethebottompartof thepostisturned,mountthe pommel end.Torejointhetwosections latheandmakea rounded bevelcutat its bottom andborea dowelhole of thepost,install a Jacobs chuckin thelathetailstock hf a b o u3t i n c h eisn t ot h ea d j o i n i negn d so f e a c hp i e c eC. u ta 6 - i n c hl e n g t o Press dowel,applyglueintotheholes, andinsert thedowel. thetwosections (inset)andclamp.Turntheothernewelpostthesameway. together
t I
STAIRS
t A NEWEL P(IST CHAMFERING Using a router anda power mitelsaw Define thesquare sections at thetopand bottomof the newelpostbymarking lines across all foursidesof theblank.Tocut thedecorative chamfers alongthecorners of thepost,clamptheblankto a worksurfaceandusea routerfittedwitha oiloted chamfering bit.Stopthecutsat yourmarked lines.Onceall fourcorners areshaped, chamferthetop of the poston a power mitersaw.Settheblankonthesawtable andadjust theblade to a 45" angle. Cut offa smallwedge of wood,rotate theblank by90'on thetableandrepeat thebevel cut.Repeat twicemoreto f inishchamferingthetopof the post(left).
I I I I I I I I I I I I
t
INSTALLING THENEWEL POSTS newel thestarting 1 Preparing I Position newelonthecorner thestarting of thebottomtread sothatthemiddleof the oostis in linewiththedovetail sockets forthebalusters. or mortises Usea penciltomarkcuttinglineson the bottomof the postso it will buttagainst theriserandopen stringer. Extend thelinesuptheinsidefacesof thepost.Todeterminewhereto stopthesecutssothatthepostrestsonthefloor, measure fromthetopof thebottomtreadto thefloorandtransferyourmeasurement to thepost,marking cuttinglineson its insidefaces.Cutintothepostalongtheselineswitha handsaw, stopping thecutsatthefirstsetof cuttinglines.Maketheremainingcutsonyourtablesaw.Tosetupthesaw,setthepostonthe sawtableandraisetheblade to thehorizontal cuttingline.Then alignthefrontendof thebladewiththehandsaw cutsyoumade, post butta boardagainst theendof the andclampit to therip fenceasa stopblock.Finally, alignthevertical cuttinglineon theendof thepostwiththebladeandbuttthefenceagainst the stock.Feedthepostwithbothhands, running it against thefence untilit contacts thestopblock.Rotate the post90", reposition thefence,if necessary, andrepeat thecut (right).Usea chisel piece anda malletto detach thewaste fromthepost.Test-fit the postonthetread;to ensure it overhangs bothtreadandriserby youwillhaveto trimthetreadnosing. thesameamount, Thiscut is shownin step3 (pagel3l). (Caution: Bladeguardremoved for clarity.)
130
I I I I I I I I
t
r I I I I I I
I I I
STAIRS
|r I I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
r') Preparing newel thelanding newelis prepared thesamewayasthestartL m" landing sinceit will ingnewel, except thatit is 6 to 8 incheslonger, youwill forsupport. Asa result, extend to theopenstringer youmade thecut-out needto makeoneadditional cut.Measure themeasurement bythe in thestarting newelandlengthen in lengthbetween thetwoposts.Markcuttinglines difference newel neweland notchit asyoudidthestarting onthelanding
(page130).Besurethetopsof the newels will bethesame Now,measure height whenthepostsareinstalled. thegap between thelanding andthetreaddirectly aboveit, andtransferthemeasurement to thefaceof thepostthatwillextend to A decoraCutthe newelwitha handsaw. the landing(above). tivebevelonthe bottomof the postwillgiveit a lighter,more finished appearance.
Installing thenewelposts Thenewels will befastened to the stringers withlagbolts,drivenintoadjoiningsidesof theposts. Witha helperholdingeachnewelin position on thestairs, workfromthe insideof thestarrcase to thestringer drivetwolagboltsthrough andintothe oosi.
t I I I
t
131
HANDRAILS ,{ handrailcanbe themostcomplex f\ anddecorative elementof a sfaircase.But it alsooerformsthe more pedestrian-butvital-task of guiding the peoplewho climb and descend the stairs.Whethera handrailis aselaborateasa curvedassemblymadefrom laminatedstripsof wood,or assimple asthe straightexamplefeaturedin this section, mostbuildingcodesgovernseveral aspectsof its construction.For exampli,a handrailis usuallyrequired on any staircase with threeor more treads.It is typicallyscrewed or bolted to the newelpostsand attachedto the topsof thebalusters. A rail shouldalso typicallynot encroachmorethan 3 Z inchesinto the minimum width of the staircase. Mostcodesrecuirestairswider than 44 inchesto havea handrailon both sides.A handrailalonsa wall is calleda floatinqhandrail-iso-called
it is suspended because abovethetreads, attachedto the wall abovethem (page 135).Commercialrailsandhardwarefor floatinghandrailsgenerally satisfybuild1n8 COOeS.
This sectionwill showyou how to makeand installa handrailalongthe open-stringer sideof a staircase aswellas how to mount a floatinshandrail.The designs shownbelowcanbemadeon a shaperor routertableusing2-by-3stock. Thegroovealongthebottomof therail is cut on the tablesawand housesthe topsofthe balusters.
The handrail shownat right culminatesin a spiral-shaped form, known as a volute, at thefoot of the stairs.
()FHANDRAIT ANINVENTORY DES]GNS
I I
t I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I
t LJZ
I I I
I I I
t
STAIRS
A HANDRAIL SHAPING
I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I I
theprofile 1 Routing and in yourrouter topprofile a bitwiththedesired I Install bit is a round-over mountthetoolin a table.Inthisexample, the Tosupport Alignthefencewiththebit pilotbearing. shown. to thetablein line it,clampa featherboard handrail asyoushape sothatthe a shimunderthefeatherboard withthebit.Place
pressure of thestock.Feedtherail isapplied nearthemiddle and shape theotheredgeof the turn it around down,then upside profile, thebit.Inthis replace left).To form the side Iopbbove, rail acrossthe is used. Feed the handrail bit case,a specialized (above, passes right). right side up this time again, tablein two
groove inthehandrail thebaluster Cutting T o a c c o m m o d at h t eet o pe n d so f t h e b a l u s t e rssa, wa g r o o vdeo w nt h e m i d d l eo f t h eh a n d r a i lu' sn d e r s i dIen.s t a l l a d a d ob l a d ea, d j u s t i ni tga sw i d ea sp o s s i b lyeo; uw i l ll i k e l y needmorethanonepassto cut thefull widthof thegroove. Adjustthecuttingheightto aboul%inch,thenmarkthegroove Thewidthof the endof thestock. of theleadine in thecenter
Clamp groove of thebalusters. beequalto thethickness should featherboard to thesawtablein linewiththedado a shimmed blade, butt marks withtheinside head. Alignoneof thegroove andfeedthestockintothe thehandrail theripfenceagainst thecut (above). around andrepeat cut.Turnthehandrail
r33
STAIRS
INSTALLING THEHANDRAIL 'l
Cutting thehandrail to lengh position I Onceyouhaveshaped thehandrail, it onthe treads,buttingan edgeagainst the newelpostsat thetop andbottomof thestairs.Holding therailin place,mark linesacross itsedgeat bothpointswhereit meetsthenewels. youselect Depending onthemethod to attachthehandrail youcanmakethe rail to the startingnewelpost(below), slightly longer, sinceyoumayneedto mortise thebottom endof therailintothepost.Thenadjusta slidingbevelso t h a ti t sh a n d l ies p a r a l l e t ol t h er a i la n di t sb l a d ei s f l u s h on the landingnewel(right).Usethe bevel's settingto set up yoursawto the proper anglefor cuttingthehandrail, thencuttherailto length.
HANDRAIT ATTACHMENT METHODS ATTACHMENT METHOD AT LANDINGNEWEL
ATTACHMENTOqflON' AT STARTINGNEWEL
Kailbolt and nuT.
Choosing anattachment method Thereareseveral waysof fastening a handrail to thenewel posts; threemethods areshownabove. Mostfinishcarpenters relyon oneof twooptions forthestarting newel. Thetraditional method involves usinga railbolt.A clearance holeforthe boltisdrilledintothebottom endof therailanda oilotholeis boredin thenewel; anaccess holeis alsodrilledintothebottom faceof therail.Theboltis thendrivenpartway intothenewel andthehandrail is slipped overtheprotruding endof thebolt. A special nutistheninserted through theaccess holeandonto
thebolt,andtightened usinga smallscrewdriver. A woodplug is gluedin theaccess holeto conceal thebolt.Thesecond methodinvolves cuttinga mortise in thenewelfortheendof therail.Therailis fittedin themortise andscrewed to the newel. Thebestoptionat the landing newelinvolves simply butting theendof therailagainst thepostandscrewing it in place.Inthiscase,sincethescrews aredrivenintothetopface oftherail,theholes arecounterbored andtheheads arecoveredwithplugs.Screws areshownin thestepthatfollows.
r34
I I I I I I I I I I I t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I I
STAIRS
t
Ir I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
to thenewels thehandrail Q Attaching to newelposts r-,1Tofastena handrail and withscrews, holdtherailin position therailand holethough drilla clearance At thetopof a pilotholeintotheposts. holes and thestairs, drillcounterbored through thetopfaceof drivethescrews with thescrewheads therail.Conceal At thebottom, workfromthe woodplugs. the underside of therailandcountersink screws(/eff),
HANDRAIL A FLOATING INSTALLING
t I
t I I I I I I I I I I I
thehandrail Attaching (page133),omitting in the f l o a t i n gh a n d r a ial g a i n stth e w a l lp a r a l l et lo t h e o t h e rh a n d r a t l handrail thegroove Makethefloating wall brackon it. Screwcommercial to thesamelen$hasthehandrail and markthe stud locations andcutthehandrail underside, (above, location rail left) atlhe stud underside of the above etsto the Themodelshown sideof thestaircase. ontheopen-stringer your Reposilocal building code. marks at intervals specified by asa tactilereminder to thevisually features a returnthatserves s c r e w h o l e s b , o r ep i l o t h a n d r a i o l n t h e w a l l , m a r k t h e of thestairs. t i o nt h e at thetopor bottom rmpaired thattheyarearriving (above, place right). position rail in wall, and fasten the the holesintothe thewallsideofthestair.Then Locate thestudsalong
135
I I I I I I I I
BALUSTERS balusT ikenewelpostsandhandrails, I: terscanbe madein a widevariety ofdesigns. Fourpopularstylesareillustratedat right.Althoughbalusters can beboughtready-made, theycanbefashionedeasilyin theshop.On thefollowing pageareinstructionsfor turning balusters on a latheandmakingtapered balusters on a jointer. Asshownin theillustration on page 138,not all the balusters arecut to the samelength.Thebalusterat thebackof eachtreadis longerthanthe oneat the front,owingto theslopeof thehandrail. The squaresectionat the top of the balusters-if thereis one-is typically the samelengthon all of them,but not that at the bottom.Most balusters are cut to thelengthof thegapbetween the handrailandtreads,addingabout%inch for the tenonor dovetailyou will useto attachthebalusters to thetreads.Balusterswith roundedtou sectionsshould be longerto accommodate the tenon thatfits into thehandrailmortise.
INVENTORY OFBATUSTER STYTES
t I I I I I
t /
I I
\
t I I
Chamfered
Tapered
Turned
Turned
r36
t I I I I I I t I I I I
I I I
t
STAIRS
MAKING BALUSTERS
I I I I T I
t I I I I I I
Turningbalusters onthe lathe M o u n ta b a l u s t ebr l a n ko n y o u rl a t h ea n d m a r ko f f t h e s q u a r e s e c t i o n sa t t h e t o p a n d b o t t o m .D e f i n et h e s es e c t i o n sa s y o u d i d f o r t h e n e w e lp o s t s( p a g e1 2 9 ) ,t h e nu s ea r o u g h i n g o u g e r etween t h e s q u a r ea r e a s t o t u r n t h e b l a n kr n t oa c y l i n d e b ( a b o v el,e f t ) .T u r na n yo t h e rd e s i g ne l e m e n t ss, u c ha s b e a d s . hen o r c o v e su, s i n ga s p i n d l eg o u g ea n d a s k e wc h i s e lW
t u r n i n gr e l a t i v e ltyh i n s e c t i o n ss,u p p o rtth e b l a n kw i t h y o u r l e f t h a n dt o p r e v e nct h a t t e r( a b o v er.i g h t ) .l f y o u a r e u s i n g t e n o n st o j o i nt h e b a l u s t e rt so t h e t r e a d st,u r na % - i n c h - l o n g t e n o na t t h e b o t t o mo f e a c hb a l u s t eur s i n ga p a r t i n gt o o l .T h e d i a m e t eor f t h e t e n o n s h o u l dm a t c ht h e m o r t i s ecsu t i n i h e treads(page127).
I I I I
Makinga taperedbaluster Movethe guardout of the wayfor this operation a n da d j u st h ej o i n t efro r a %i n c hc u t . M a r ko f f t h e s q u a r es e c t i o nas t t h e t o p a n d b o t t o mo f e a c hb a l u s t ebr l a n ka n ds e tt h e b l a n ko n y o u r j o i n t e ra, l i g n i n tgh e m a r kf o r t h e t o p s q u a r e sectionwiththe frontedgeof the outfeedtable. Butt a woodblockagainstthe end of the stock a n dc l a m pi t t o t h e o u t f e e dt a b l ea s a s t o p . R e p e awt i t ht h e o t h e rm a r kt o c l a m pa s t o p b l o c kt o t h e i n f e e dt a b l e .T o m a k et h e f i r s t p a s sb , u t tt h e e n d o f t h e b l a n ka g a i n stth e i n f e e ds t o pb l o c ka n dl o w etrh e b l a n ko n t ot h e k n i v e sk,e e p i n rgt f l u s ha g a i n st th e f e n c e F . eed t h e b l a n kw i t h a p u s hs t i c k ,u s i n gy o u rl e f t h a n dt o p r e s st h ew o r k p i e caeg a i n stth e f e n c e u n t i l i t c o n t a c t tsh e o u t f e e ds t o pb l o c k ,t h e n l i f t i t o f f . M a k eo n e p a s so n e a c hs i d eo f t h e b l a n k t, h e ni n c r e a steh e c u t t i n gd e p t hb y % i n c ha n dr e o e atth e D r o c e sosn a l l f o u rs i d e s . C o n t i n u ei n, c r e a s r n t hge c u t t i n gd e p t hu n t i l y o uo b t a i nt h e d e s i r e dt a p e r .
I I I I I I I I I I I
137
I STAIRS
t I I I
INSTALLING THEBALUSTERS 'l
Planning theoperation ea n y I B u i l d i ncgo d eds o n o tp r o v i dm governing rigidguidelines baluster installation, butmostcodes require themto be nomorethan6 inches apart. Asshown at right,stairs typically feature twobalusters pertread; forvisual balance, space them a n e q u adl i s t a n caep a r tT. h ef r o n to n e just positioned oneachtreadistypically behind thenosing. Thebackbaluster is thenpositioned halfway between thefront b a l u s t earn dt h ef r o n tb a l u s t eornt h e treadabove.
TYPICALEALU?TER LAYOUT
I
t t I I I I I I
t t I
t I I I
t I I I r) Cutting dovetails onthebalusters L Forbalusters posithatwillbedovetailed intothetreads, tiona baluster upagainst theendof thetreadandoutline the youcut in it onthebottomof thebaluster. socket Thensecure thebaluster in a viseandcutthedovetail usinga dovetail saw (above). Usethef inished baluster asa template to outline the remaining orres.
balusters to lengh Q Cutting \,, Fitthebottom of thebaluster intoitstreadand,holding it perfectly upright against thehandrail, marka lineon it along theunderside of therail(above). Marka second lineabove thefirst,offsetfromit bythedepthof thegroove in therail. Sawthebalusters to length alongthissecond marked line.
I I I I
t r38
I
r
I I I t I
t I I I I I I I I
STAIRS
the balusters in place ,{ Fastening T O n c ea l l t h e b a l u s t e rasr ec u r r o l e n g t hi,n s t a ltlh e mo n ea t a t i m e .P o s i t i o n t h e b a l u s t ebr e t w e e tnh e t r e a da n d t h e h a n d r a ial ,n dd r i l lt w op i l o th o l e sf o r f i n i s h n a i l st h r o u g ht h e t o p e n do f t h e b a l u s t e r i n t ot h e u n d e r s i doef t h e r a i l .G l u et h e b o t tom of the balusterto the tread.lf youare u s i n gd o v e t a i l sa,l s od r i v ea n a i lt h r o u g h the dovetail and intothe tread;for tenoned b a l u s t e r tsh, e a d h e s i vies a d e q u a t eT.h e n a d d g l u et o t h e t o p e n d o f t h e b a l u s t e r , b u t t i t a g a i n stth e h a n d - r a ial ,n dn a i li t r n place(right).To hidethe gapsin the handr a i l g r o o v eb e t w e e nb a i u s t e r sc,u t w o o d s t r i p sa b o u t% i n c ht h i c k ,c a l l e df i l l e t s . G l u ea n d n a i lt h e mi n p l a c e .
I I I I I I I
upthejob f, Finishing r-,f Onceall the balusters arein place, complete thestaircase byinstalling return nosings to cover theendgrainof thetreads ontheopen-stringer side.Makethenosings byripping themfromrounded-over tread stock;thewidthof the pieces shouldbe t h es a m ea st h eo v e r h a nogf t h et r e a d nosings fromthe risers(page125).Saw thereturnnosings to extend to theopen stringer, mitering theendsto matchthe miteryoucutonthetreads. Glueandnail thenosings in place andsetthenails. To conceal theendgrainof thereturnnosings, s i t ho n e4 5 " a n g l ea n d c u te n dp i e c ew (left).Holdthe gluethemto thenosings e n dp i e c e isn p l a c ew i t hm a s k i ntga p e u n t i lt h ea d h e s r vc eu r e s .
t I I I I I I I I I I
139
I
t
GLOSSARY A-B.C Apron: In stool-and-apronwindow casing,a horizontal pieceof window trim installedbeneaththe stool. Baluster: A vertical post mounted betweenthe handrail and treads oppositethe wall sideof a staircase. Baseboard:Decorativetrim installed around the perimeter of a room at the baseof the walls. Bead:A convexprofile, usually semicircular. Bedmolding: A type of crown molding featuring reversedcurves;often usedaspart of a formal cornice. Bevelcut Sawingat an anglefrom faceto facethrough the thicknessor along the length of a workpiece. Built-up baseboard:A type of baseboard built up from severalelements, suchasbase-and-shoe baseboard. Cap rait A molded rail installedat the top of wainscoting. Casing:Decorativetrim usedto frame a window or door. Chair rait Decorativetrim installed on walls, usuallyabout 3 feet above the floor. Tiaditionally servedto prevent chair backsfrom damagingwalls. Closed stringer: A 2-by-10 or 2-by12 that is mortised to acceptand support the endsofthe treadsand risersof a stairway;usually adjacent to a wall. Seeopenstringer. Compound cut: A cut through a board at anglesother than 90" relative to the faceand edgeof stock.
Cope-and-stickjoinery: A method ofjoining stilesand rails in frameand-paneldoors and windows. Cut with a router or shaper,the joint featuresmating tonguesand grooves and a decorativemolding along the inside edgesof the boards.
Furring strip: A narrow strip of wood nailed to wall studsto support molding or wainscoting.
Copedjoint: A method ofjoining two piecesof molding at an inside corner.The end ofone board is cut so that it fits preciselyagainstthe contoured faceof the mating board.
Glazingbarhalf-lap joint A method ofjoining the rails and mullions of a window sashwith mitered half-laps.
Countersinking: Drilling a hole that enablesa screwheadto lie flush with or slightly below the surface. Cove molding: Trim featuring a concaYeprofile. Crosscufi Sawingacrossthe grain of a workpiece. Crown molding: Decorative trim installedaround the perimeter of a room at the top of the walls;also known ascornicemolding. D-E-F-G-H-I Dado: A rectangularchannelcut into a workpiece. Double-hung window: A type of window consistingof two sashes that slideverticallywithin a jamb.
Glass-stop molding: Decorative strips of wood usedto hold a pane of glassin a window sash.
Glueblock In stairbuilding, a triangular pieceof wood glued and nailed under the joint of a tread and riser to reinforcethe ioint betweenthem. GooseneclcA nearlyvertical piece of railing connectinga handrail to the upper newelpost of a staircase. Half-blind dovetait A joinery method involving interlocking pins and sockets;commonly usedto ioin balustersto treads. Hinge jamb: The sideof a door jamb adjoining the hinge sideof the door. l-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q famb extension:A wooden frame installedon awindow jamb to bring it flush with the interior wall. Joist A horizontalsupport for a floor.
End grain: The arrangementand direction of the wood fibersrunning acrossthe endsofa board. Formal cornice: An elaboratetype of crown molding built up from a box-like soffit-and-fasciaassembly decoratedwith strips of crown and bed molding. Frame-and-panel door: A door consistingof panelscontained within a framework of stiles,rails, and mullions.
Kicker: A2-by-4 attachedto the subfloorto anchorthe stringersat the bottom of a staircase. Kingstud: Avertical framing member adjoining the rough opening for a door. Ledgerboard: A2-by-4 attachedto the headboardat the top ofa staircaseto support the stringers.
I I I I
r t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I 140
t I
I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
LeveLHorizontal; parallelto the floor or ceiling. Seeplumb. Miter cut A cut that anglesacross the faceof a workpiece;seebevelcut. Moldinghead: A solid metal wheel installedon the arbor of a table saw or radial arm sawfor forming moldings;holds three identical knives. Mortise-and-tenon joint: A joinery techniquein which a projecting tenon on one board fits into mortise in another. Mortise: A hole cut into a pieceof wood to receivea tenon. Mullion: A vertical member between two rails of a frame. Nailer: A 2-by-4 installedhorizontallybetween wall studsto support wall paneling. Newel post A wooden post fastened to the handrail and treadsat the top and bottom ofa staircase. Open stringer: A 2-by-10 or 2-by12 that is notched to support the endsofthe treadsand risersofa stairway;usuallyawayfrom a wall. Seeclosedstringer. Picture rai} Decorativetrim installed on walls, usuallyabout 6 feet above the floor, for hangingpicture frames. Pilot hols A hole bored into a workpieceto prevent splitting when a screwis driven; usuallymade slightly smallerthan the threadedsection of the screw. Pilot bearing: A free-spinningmetal collar on a piloted router bit that follows the edgeof the workpiece or a template to keep the cutting depth uniform.
Plinth: A decorativewood block installedbetweenthe sidecasingof a door and the floor.
Run: The horizontal spanofeach stepof a staircase;alsoknown as unit-run. Seerise.
Plumb: Vertical;perpendicularto the floor and ceiling. Seelevel.
Scarfjoint A methodofjoining two lengthsof molding end to end by bevelingboth pieces.
Preacher:A U-shapedjig usedto mark the length of a pieceof molding that butts againstdoor trim or a plinth. R-S Rabbet A step-likecut in the edge or end of a board; usuallyforms part of a joint. Rait The horizontal member of a frame-and-panelassembly;seestile. Return nosing: A pieceof tread stock nailed and glued to the openstringer end ofa tread to concealthe end grain ofthe tread and the bottom endsof the balusters. Reveal The gap betweenthe inside faceof awindow or door jamb and the inside edgeof the trim installed on it.
Soleplate: A horizontal framing member installedon the subfloor to support the wall studs. Stair button: A commercialjig attachedto a carpentert squareto lay out the rise-and-runof a staircaseon the stringers;usuallyused rn parrs. Stile: The vertical member of a frame-and-panelassembly.Seerail. Stool The horizontal component of stool-and-aproncasingthat juts out and forms the sill of the finishedwindow. Wall stud: A vertical member forming walls and supporting the framework of a building.
T-U-V.W-X-Y-Z Rip cufi A sawcut that follows the grain of a workpiece. Rise The vertical distancebetween two adjoining stepson a staircase; alsocalledunit-rise. Seerun. Riser:A board that closesthe vertical spacebetweenstair treads. Rosette:A decorativewood block installedat the upper cornersof window or door casing. Rough opening: The wall opening into which awindow or door iamb is installed.
r4l
Top plate: A horizontal framing member installedalong the top of the wall studs. Tread: Forms a stepof a staircase. Treadnosing: The rounded front edgeofa stairtread. Volute: A spiral sectionof a staircasehandrail, usually ending at the newelpost. Wainscoting: Wall panelingthat coversthe lower part of a wall.
t I I
INDEX Pagereferencesin italicsindicate an illustration of subjectmatter. Page references in bold indicate a Build It Yourselfproject.
A-B-C-D Balusters,136 Chamfering,l3T Installation, 138-139 Tiead preparation, 127 Twning,I3T Baseboards, 12,23 Base-and-sh oe,24 Built-up,25 Installation,26 insidecorners,26-27 outside corners,2B-29 store-boughtcorner pieces (ShopTip),29 foinery, 2i,26-29 Bevelcuts, 18 Doors,102,106 Build It Yourself: Doors door bucks,104 Windows revealgauges,53 Butted sill casings,65 Cap rails, 38 Carpenter'ssqtares,front endpaper Trr;'eing,front endpaper Casings: Doors,85,86,112-113 Windows, 12 butted sill, 65 correcting poor-fitting miters, 66-68 picture-frame, 58,61-65 stool-and-apron,57, 58,69-72 temporary braceto hold window aprons(Shop Tip),72
Ceilings: Paneled,52-55 Chair rails, 12,30-32 Coffered ceilings,52-55 Combinationplanes,25 Compound cuts, 18 Coping saws,15 Crosscutting,IZ Crown moldings, 12, 30,33-35 Formal cornices,36-37 Doors,7, 13,85-86 Beveling,102,106 Binding,102,106 Casings,85,86, 112-113 Doorstops,98-99 Exterior,85,86 Frame-and-panel, 90-94 Hanging,85,86, 105-106 Hardware,89 locksets,107-111 Hinges,103,105 butt hinges, 84 mortises,100-102 sizes,103 Interior,85,86 lambs,95-97 hinge mortises,100-102 Styles,86,87 E-F-G.H-I Eakes,Jon,8-9 Finish nailers,14,21 Frame-and-panelconstruction: Ceilings,52-55 Doors,90-94 Wainscoting,39, 40, 41, 46-51 Glass-stop moldings, 79-80 Glazingbar half-lapjoints, 8l-83 Handrails,132-133 Floatinghandrails,135 Installation,134-135
142
Hardware: Doors,89 locksets,107-111 SeealsoHinges Hinges: Doors, 89 butt hinges,84,89 mortises,88,100-102 sizes,103
I-K-t |igs: Doors door bucks,104 hinge-mortisingjigs, 88 jamb jigs, 88,95 Moldings preachers,23 Stairs calculatingrise-and-run,I 15 Windows auxiliary tablesfor power miter saws,68 mortising jigs for routers, 75 revealgauges,63 |oinery: Baseboards, 23,26-29 Paneling cope-and-stickjoints, 46, 47-48 tongue-and-groove,43 Windows,76,78 glazngbar half-lap joints, 8l-83 Log-builder's scribes,42 Lumber.SeeWoods M-N-O-P-Q Miter boxes,15 Miter cuts, 17 Baseboards inside corners,26 outside corners,28
t I I I
r I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I
t I
t I I I I I I
t
I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I I
t
Crown moldings, 34-35 Windows correcting,6G6T Moldings,8,12,2I-22 Cap rails, 38 Chair rails,30-32 Crown moldings, 30, 33-35 formal cornices,36-37 Fitting scribing, /ro nt endpaper Glass-stopmoldings, 56,79-80 installing the molding with a hammer (ShopTip), 80 Milling, backendpaper Picture rails, 30 Rosettes,58,73-74 shop-maderosettecutters (ShopTip),74 SeealsoBaseboards; Casings Mortises: Door hinges,100-102 Nails: Finishing, backendpaper Newel posts,128-129 Chamfering,130 Handrail attachments,134-135 Installation, 130-I 3 1 Twning,l29 Paneling,12 Cap rails, 38 Ceilings,52-55 Frame-and-panelwainscoting, 39,40,41,46 cope-and-stickframes,47-48 installation, 49-51 raising the panels,48-49 Tongue-and-groove,39, 40, 42-43 installation, 44-45 Panels: Raised,46,93 Patchingcompounds,backendpaper Picture-framecasings,58,61-65 Picture rails, 12,30
Portableelectric planers,88 Powermiter saws,l5 6B
R-S-T-U Railings. SeeBalusters;Handrails; Newel posts Ripping, 16 Rosettes,58,73-74 Shop-maderosettecutters (ShopTip),74 Routers: Mortising jigs, 75 Thbles,14 Router tables, 14 Schuttner,Scott,l0-1 1 Scribing,/ront endpaper,42 Shapers,-14 ShopTips: Moldings,29 Windows,68,72,74,80 Sliding compound miter saws,15, 16,18 Stairs,lI, 12-13,114-II5 Anatomy,116-117 Rise-and-runcalculation,1 15,117 Risers,125-126 Stringers installation, 122 length calculation, 117 making, 118-121 Tieads balusters,127 installation,126 making, 123-125 SeealsoBalusters;Handrails; Newel posts Stool-and-aproncasings,57, 58, 69-72 Thblesaws,14, 16-17 Taylor, Grant,6-7 Tongue-and-groovewainscoting, 39,40, 42-45
I I I I
t I I
r43
Tools: Carpenter'ssquarcs,fr ont endpaper Combination planes,25 Coping saws,15 Finish naifers, 14,21 Log-builder's scribes,42 Miter boxes,15 Molder/planers,15,20 Portableelectric planers, 88 Powermiter saws,15, 68 Routers mortising jigs, 25 tables,14 Shapers,14 Sliding compound miter saws, 15,16,18 Thblesaws,14, 16-17 Vertical vises,88
V-W.X-Y-Z Vertical vises,88 Wainscoting. SeePaneling Windows,12,57 Casings,12 butted sill, 65 picture-frame, 58,61-65 stool-and-apron,57, 58,69-72 temporary braceto hold window aprons(ShopTip), 72 Double-hung,59-60 Glass-stopmoldings, 56,79-80 installing the molding with a hammer (ShopTip), 80 Glazingbar half-lapjoints, 8l-83 lambs,61-62 Rosettes,58,73-74 shop-maderosettecutters (ShopTip), 74 Sashes,75-79 Wood, 19 Patchingcompounds, back endpaper
I I
t ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Theeditorswishto thank thefollowing
Machineo,n"r,..Ltil1l:":fftHl:""?*:ttt"tt DeltaInternational
GA; werroolsu.s.A.Ltd.,Norcross,
|et Equipmentand Tools,Auburn,WA; Tool TrendLtd.,Concord,Ont.;Williamsand HusseyMachineCo.,Inc.,Wilton, NH MOLDING AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, M,L; JetEquipmentand Tools,Auburn, WA; LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; Blair McDougall, Brome Lake,Que.;RichardsEngineeringCo., Ltd., Vancouver,BC; SandvikSawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA; Tools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,Ii; Stanle-y Concord,Ont.; Walter Tomalty EnterprisesLtd., Montreal, Que;Williams and HusseyMachineCo., Inc., Wilton, NH PANELING AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; Hitachi PowerTools U.S.A.Ltd., Norcross,GA; JetEquipmentand Tools,Auburn, WA; LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; RichardsEngineeringCo., Ltd., Vancouver,BC; Shopsmith,Inc., Montreal, Que.;StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; Tool Tiend Ltd., Concord,Ont.; Williams and HusseyMachine Co., Inc., Wilton, NH DOORS AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln, NE; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; De-Sta-Co,Troy,-Ml/WainbeeLtd., Montreal, Que.;GeneralTools ManufacturingCo., Inc., New York, NY; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; Hitachi PowerTools U.S.A.Ltd., Norcross,GA; JetEquipmentand Tools,Auburn, WA; LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; Putnam Products,Old Saybrook,CT; RecordTools Inc., Pickering,Ont.; Sears,Roebuck and Co., Chicago,IL; StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont. WINDOWS AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln, NE; Delta InternationalMachinery/Porter9able, Guelph,Ont.; De-Sta-Co,Troy,-Ml/WainbeeLtd., Montreal, Que.;GeneralTools ManufacturingCo., Inc., New York, NY; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; fet Equipmentand Tools,Auburn, WA; Marvin Windows and Doors Inc., Toronto, Ont.; Blair McDougall,Brome Lake,Que.;RecordTools Inc., Pickering,Ont.; RobertSor\ Ltd., Sheffield,U.K./BusyBeeMachine Tools, Concord,Ont.; Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont.; Vermont AmericanCorp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville,KY STAIRS AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln, NE; Colonial EleganceInc., Montreal, Que.; Ont.; GreatNeck Saw Delta InternationalMaihinerylPorter Cable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd., Mississauga, Mfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; RecordTools Inc., Pickering,Ont.; SandvikSawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; Skil Canada,Ltd., Toronto, Ont.; StanleyTools, and Equipment,Division of the Ivy Group, Inc., Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; ThoroughbredSawhorses Valparaiso,IN; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont.; Vermont AmericanCorp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville,KY in thepreparationof this book: Thefollowingpersonsalsoassisted Lorraine Dor6, Graphor Consultation,GenevidveMonette
PICTURE CREDITS Cover RobertChartier 6,7 Alan Briere 8,9 Marie LouiseDeruaz 10,11CharlesMason 30 CourtesyOrnamentalMouldings 39 CourtesyPatellaIndustries,Inc. 114CourtesyBoiseriesRaymond,Inc. 128CourtesyBoiseriesRaymond,Inc. 132CharlesMason
r44
I I I I I I I I I
r I I I I I I I I I I I I I
t I I I
t t
I I I I I I I I I I I
WORKSHO GPU I D E MIttINGELABORATE MOLDINGS Youcanusea combination of router bits,shaper cutters, or molding head knives to millan impressive array of molding designs ona workpiece-for a fraction of thecostof a specialtv
cutteror a lengthof custom-milled ogeecurvecuttermounted onthe molding, A decorative molding bitand tablesawcancreatecrownmolding coreboxbit,forexample, cantrans- (below,right). forma boardintoa chairrailmolding (below, left).A beadcutterandan
t :
I I I I I I I I I
W(|OD PATCHING COMPOUNDS TYPE
CHARACTERISTICS
USES
COMPATIBITITIES
Wood filler
Solvent-or water-based; depending on type,can be tintedwith stainor purchased pre{inted
Fillinglargeholes,gouges, cracksand dents
Compatible withmostfinishes; applyeitherbefore or afterstain
Waxstick
Wax-and resin-based; availablein a varietyof colors.
F i l l i n gs m a l lh o l e ss, c r a t c h e s and cracks
Maybe incompatible withlacquer; a p p l ya f t e fri n i s h i n g
Shellac stick
S h e l l a ca- n dr e s i n - b a s eadv; a i l a b l e in a varietyof colors.Setsquickly to form a hardsurface
Fillingscratches, dentsand gouges
M a yb ei n c o m p a t i b wliet ha l c o h o l or lacquer-based finishes; apply eitherbefore or afterfinishing
Shop-made filler
Sawdustmixedwith binder,such a s g l u eo r s h e l l a cc; a n b e t i n t e d with stain
Fillingnanowcracks,gaps a n ds m a l lh o l e s
Compatible withmostfinishes
t I I I
t I I I I I
FINISHING NAITS "Penny" Rating: Untilthedevelopment of cutnailsat the TENGTH beginning of the19thCentury, nailswereforged individual"penny" "PENNY'' ly by hand.The system nowassociated withthe sizeof nailsreflected theircostbased onthegreater metal RATII{G INCHES content of larger nails.Thesystem isstillcommonly used, 2d butit is moreconfusing thanhelpful. Forsizesupto 10d, 3d I% youcancalculate a nail'sactuallength bydividing thepenny- +o ty, sizeby4 andadding %inch.Forexample, a 6d nailis 2 5d I% inches long(6 divided by4 plusY,inch= 2 inches;. 6d
DIAMETER (Gauge number) SHANK
HEAD
16% 15% I5 15
13v,
t5
I2%
T2 I2 10
