I am installing trim beams or feaux beams soon. I’ve already got my 1×6 & 1×8 select cypress in the house & it should be fully acclimated. As everyone probably understands, I need to cut a 45 (or more) degree miter on the edges so that I can create the look of a 16 foot solid cypress beam on the ceiling. My fear is that a less than perfectly straight piece of cypress will wreak havoc on the corners of the finished beam.
I haven’t done this specific job before – I’m open to all suggestions.
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Replies
That is a tuff row to hoe right there.
I'd be inclined to parallel rip and then use a router with a lock miter bit. Trying this on a table saw will NOT give you the results you are shooting for. I can almost see what will result. GAPS.
Clamping up is another challange, that the lock miter will help with, it self registers.
Easiest in my book is glue it up in a [_] and flush trim after the glue is set, skip the miters altogether.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
There is no cure for stupid. R. White.
Thanks for your reply, but.... what is a lock miter bit? I've not found one yet.
http://WWW.ROUTERBITS.COM http://www.routerbits.com/cgi-routerbits/sr.cgi?1152065254_4188+74
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
There is no cure for stupid. R. White.
I just did a big job of wrapping beams. I did it exactly the way Shere said except I was using clear white pine that I selected myself, a much straighter and more stable wood. The result was really incredible, you cannot see any seam whatsoever. Your problem is that you are using cypress and I don't know how straight the wood is. I did everything, glue up and all, in the shop on a long workbench using about every clamp I own (100 plus).
If the cypress is squirrelly, I would butt joint and clamp the hell out of it, then trim it, all at the bench making a large sleeve. Prefinish it, cut your ends accordingly and install angle screwing down from the top of the rough beam. Good luck.
I've never tried this for this application, but... perhaps making a very stable template and using a router with a 45 degree bit.
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Perhaps because of the difficulty of making a miter line up over a great length, a number of beams I see in old houses didn't use a miter. They used butts, and again probably to keep them from looking ugly, accentuated the thing by having a reveal.
In practice, I set the router with a 3/4" bit about 3/8" deep and leaving a 1/4" reveal and plow dados. The first side member goes up, scribed if necessary (like if it isnt covered by crown) and tacked, just enough to hold, to the layout lines. But not so much I cant tweak it later. Then I set the bottom in the dado, clamp the heck out of it and shoot brads in from the side. Then the other side goes up, mostly holding everything with clamps, make sure its all square to the world, and nail it off. So the bottom sits 1/4" into the beam, leaving a little lip on the side members at the bottom. Looks nice.
pic - not on a celing, but shows what I'm saying
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That's an interesting detail. do you have any more pics of that job?
I am building a place where the greatroom will have a 17' flat clg. There will also be a loft in part of the room, so a beam like your pic would be visible from above.
I was thinking about doing a coffered look and putting cans in the "beams"; however, I may try something like your pic.
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Another vote for the lock miter.
It takes a bit of fussing and time to set up, and it should be done on a router table or shaper.
But for invisible joints, and (fairly ) easy glue-up, it can't be beat.
You can go with the lock miter or I have in the past ripped to a 47degree and used gorilla glue and pin nails. Where you don't get a prefect edge you can burnish it over. Also add triangles to inside for nailers.
I've made genuine authentic fake beams myself using the same sized dimensional lumber as you're proposing, though it was pine rather than cypress.
I first tried to miter the corners on the tablesaw, and I was just not happy with it due to the gapping, even though it was slight. I eventuallly went with the reveal method much as like described in RW's post. I had lagged a 2 x 6 up to the ceiling (into the joist), and then installed the sides, and then blocking/spacers to attach the bottom and set the reveal.
Sixteen feet is a long way to go to match miters up . . .
Good luck,
sojourner
Without knowing whether you want and antique or modern look, I'll plump for the former, and suggest that many old beams have a chamfered edge. IIWM I'd chamfer down to almost the thickness of the lumber, so that there's an absolute minimum of the original edge showing, then butt and glue up (probably with a glued strip nailed fron inside, too). Don't chamfer within the last foot of each end to give the impression of it hewn from a tree.
All the best...
To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.
mud, if all I had was a circ. saw and a decent ripguide. I'd rip the 45's on all the pcs, glue up and pin them starting at one end. To keep the boards from spreading while fastening I'd tack two strips of wood to a work surface. Working from the top so you can see the seam, adjusting as necessary. When you've got one edge assembled, take the side of your wood handled hammer (up near the head) and roll it along the sharp mitre. This will ease the edge, but will also close up the joint. You and a helper install. If working alone, I'd probably put the bottom pc. up into position first, then add the sides, bashing the crap out of it with a block to get the good fit. Sand the joints soon, sawdust further closes the joint.
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