picture frame wainscot for stairs -tips?
JFink
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
So I’ve got a great little trim job coming up next month, trimming out the foyer of a house – base, case, picture frame wainscot and chair rail.
I’d like to run the picture frame molding up the stairs, but I’m not sure how to do the job smoothly (ie: without making a hundred test cuts and mistakes until I’m satisfied with the miters 🙂
How does one figure out the maximum (or technically, minimum) angle you can miter on the picture frame molding before the profiles don’t match up anymore, etc?
who’s got some tips/inspiration for me?
Justin Fink – FHB Editorial
Edited 2/5/2008 4:52 pm ET by JFink
Replies
As long as you bisect the angles, the profiles will match. The only problem is that the angles may exceed the swing of your miter saw. You have to make a jig to hold the moldings on the saw. In figuring your angles, you stay parallel with the stair and go plumb/perpendicular to the skirt. Hold the molding on the marks, mark the two edges of the moldings, where they intersect and bisect that angle. The smaller angle will be a compliment to the steeper one. I only have one poor picture. There are no panels, just sheetrock, moldings and paint.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Bisecting the angles, that's the key that I wasn't thinking correctly about when I pictured the problem in my head. Thanks.Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
I like to lay out the frames on the stair walls by snapping lines and drawing in the verticles.
Once I have that done, I use my Starret angle finder to get the angle cut. I like to do the long angle cut first, and then cut and fit the other end. Use a jig to make the long cut, and keep your fingers away from the blade.
I don't always get the long angle 100% right, but I'm generally close enough to be alble to use a block plane to make any final adjustments. If you fit those first, getting the other joints to fit is easy.
BTW, you going to finish that basement job before you start this new one ? <G>
What kind of a jig do you make for your miter saw in order to make the cuts safely?
...and yes, I'm going to finish that basement before March 1! I go tmy second wind and now I'm pumped!Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
I'm into simple jigs.
I use a piece of 1/4" ply for the base, and install a piece of 3/4" something for the fence. I attach the fence at 90 deg. to the saw fence. I set my saw cut at 90 deg. minus the cut angle. So for a 65deg angle, I set the saw at 25 deg., and make the cut.
I usually either glue a piece of sandpaper on the jig, or drive a couple of brads on the fence part, and then clip them off close, to keep the wood from slipping.
Justin
I did as someone else mentioned, draw the whole thing out on the wall first, bisect your angles and make the cuts, that simple. Another thing mentioned, sometimes the cuts cant be done without some sort of jig for your chop saw, easy enough to make.
These steps and their wainscoting(pictured) have a sweeping curve to them so all the boxes are different, consequently all the angles change, takes a long time but having the drawing on the wall really helps, that and the Bosch angle finder!
these pictures were scanned so clarity is non-existent.
Doug
Edited 2/5/2008 9:57 pm ET by DougU
Get the Gary Katz dvd on wainscoting. Try laying it out on a straight wall first with the Construction Master calculator. Next move to the stairs. Get a Stabila Digital level. Lay it on the stairs and get an EXACT angle. Use one of the trig calculator websites, I use the one from Carbide Depot.com. Follow Gary's dvd for layout but for the unit measure use the values you get for side C on the trig site. For example lets say you are using 3 1/2 inch stiles and a stair angle of 37 degrees instead of a style length of 3.5 it would be 4.383, same approach for the panel. This way you can layout a stair wainscoting in less than 15 minutes and have it come out exactly.
As for the acute angles, make up a right angle jig. It's just a T on a piece of plywood, use the depth stop on your slider. Subtract 90 degrees from what you want for an angle and there you are.
Good Luck, I'm doing one tomorrow. They're easy to do, impress the customer and pay well. Except what DougU did on the curve wainscoting, nice work Doug! Never have done a curved one, would love the hear how you laid it out.Keith
I just posted pics of my first pass at Wainscoting using Gary's dvd. in the Photo gallery. Worked great..well worth the time, effort and price of the package."The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a governmental program" -Ronald Reagan
nice stiles/rails...and the curve looks terriffic. What materials did you use? MDF? FJP?Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
nice stiles/rails...and the curve looks terrific. What materials did you use? MDF? FJP?
All the curved stuff is some sort of flexible moulding stock, same as the curved crown that you see from time to time, I'd have to take a look to see what brand, been awhile. Feels like a really dense rubbery/plastic sorta stuff ( I think that's the technical name for it! ) It does machine well, we ran that panel mouldings through the Wienig and it came out great.
All the strait stuff is just poplar, we never use finger jointed pine, not sure why but I think we get pop fairly reasonable. The flat panels are 1/4" mdf.
Doug