Just looked over the article about casing a door with mitered trim. Nothing against the Author or his Article.It just got me to thinking about technique.Any articles written about installing trim in the last couple of years all have to do with how good the miter saw and/or it’s blade is.The miter saw has become the great equalizer, like the Colt .45 in the ol’West. The skill and craftsmanship to work wood has diminished . The skill to manipulate technology has increased. A saw is a saw . The most important tool for installing casing is a low angle block plane . It saves to much time to be ignored and overlooked. How many trips are you going to make to the miter box to get that perfect fit .Door opening aren’t always square , jambs aren’t always straight , walls flush, casing the same size , to many things can be out of whac for accuracy to be that important.As soon as you try to manipulate the existing conditions to allow the benefits of a compound sliding miter saw to come to bear you are losing money.
Starting with rough cut lenghts and one reference mark on the door jamb I mark the casing for cutting ,one trip to the miter box , cut all miters , fit with block plane , naaaaaail-up.no reveal marks on jamb mark both sides of door at the same time ,done 20 minutes.
Does anybody else use a block plane for trim , or scribes for doing base board?I’ve taught any and all my guys how to trim this way, the youngsters usually look at me like I’m some kind of old fart. I’m only FIFTY!
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Depends on pricing, @$12 per door to hang & case were not going to spend 20 mins. $50 per door thats another story. Most door require one trip to the saw after hanging 10,000 doors in ones lifetime.
$12.00 are you serious?
I cant help but wonder who is serious here. A block plane to adjust mitre cuts? sounds like you need a new saw
All of my casings, whether it a door or a window are biscuited and glued before they go up. The relief in the back of the casing makes up the difference in the flat plain.
If I use a block plane it is only to relieve a little of the back of the casing to make up for irregularities of the wall
I believe he's talking about tuneing up the miter cut. Im sure everyone knows how it goes. You make your miter cuts at the saw, walk over to your window or door, and put your pieces up. They dont match up perfectly (there's a small gap at your either the heel or toe of your miter). Instead of walking back to the saw with your piece and shaving a little bit off with the saw, DPR does right there at the window/door with his block plane. Saves on all that walking back and forth to the miter saw.
Of course I dont have to do any of that cuase all my joints fit perfect the first time. ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!ha!!........sob! sob! sob!
-m2akita
As a Heart Attack!, The Boys from South of the Border do a good job of keeping the prices low!
I must be totally anal..I tote a guillotine miter trimmer from room to room...cordless and quiet, accurate enough the split a gnats gnut.A chinese copy of a Lion Trimmer
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" Let behind the eyes, that which one talks"
Rumi....
Are you saying the miter trimmer is as good as they advertise? I have really considered one. What's the max size you can cut? Also, are the angles easily adjustable?
BTW, I don't carry a block plane. I do take advantage og a high quality saw and blade. If all the tangibles are correctly there, I shouldn't have to make several trips. How's that go about the seven "P's"?ADH Carpentry & Woodwork
Quality, Craftsmanship, Detail
Definatly worth every penny. I love it for shoe moulding, I just put it on a scrap of carpet..and drag it along to each joint.I start by using a chop saw or even a pull saw to rough cut all the pcs for a room..lay them where they will live , grab the nailer and slicer and scoot around on my behind or knees and trim fit and nail.I never tried anything much wider than a 1x6. I also don't posess the top angle attachment. Never needed it.Just bear in mind its a trimmer, not a cutter. I had a helper trying to crosscut a pc of casing...idiot almost broke the handle. I also had a GF using it on a chair,to trim some twig furniture parts, it started to fall, she grabbed it...almost lost 3 fingers...it is WAY sharp.Angles of 45 and 90 are preset..anything else, I scribe a line on the bed to set the wings too..22.5, 30 are the most common I use. Easy as pie to change angles.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" Let behind the eyes, that which one talks"
Rumi....
Yeah - DPR, I use a block plane, I'm 50, AND I am an old fart ( in the finest sense ) I wouldn't want to do a trim job without it. I often think about getting a new one like the lie-nielsen or the lee valley, but mine is an old friend, one of the first hand tools I bought for myself that was a bit better than my skill at the time but it was calling me and I was smitten. Of course reality set in a week later when I realized that the more important skill that I need to learn was sharpening! It's a stanley low angle with an adjustable throat. I use it to remove saw marks on extension jambs or anything else thats been ripped, make tapered extensions, relieve the backs of casing or molding to accomadate bad walls, clean up a scribe on base after I've gotten it close with the table saw or jig saw, trim cabinet fillers to fit, and in a pinch when nothing else was available I've even planed the edge of a door. All this and much more too. As to your first paragraph, I think that a good saw helps alot but can't replace skill, a good attitude towards the work and patience. Having said that I wouldn't want to trim without my 12" dewalt either........
Edited 1/26/2005 11:04 pm ET by BUIC
Yes I keep a block plane in my pouch when I'm doing trim, but a mitre saw is still a big step forward for speedy clean cuts compared to a mitre box. Yes the skill level required is reduced for the saw, but it's still needed for good quality mitres in stain grade work. Certainly a mitre saw isn't cheating which seems to be the thrust of your post. Or did you get underbid on a job to a guy with a compound saw and a block plane?
Now I'm only 41, maybe I'm one of the young farts!!!
I have a plane in my kit also, it works great for lots of things, including blocking a door up to level it when you're by yourself!! When I saw the $12 per door price, I did think south of the border, then I immediately thought of one of the guy's motto's I've seen posted here (sorry, I don't recall who's it was), "beat it to fit, paint it to match"!! Whoever came up with that saying, thank you. Every time I see a "Per-fessional job" I CRACK UP!!
GB