Replies

1. 
   marv | Oct 13, 2003 11:55pm | #1

   Should work fine.  There was a FHB or FW article on this in the last couple of months.

   You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.

   Marv

2. 
   TLJ | Oct 14, 2003 12:03am | #2

   Sounds good to me. Ought to work fine. A scarf joint is good. You may want to reduce the miter to 30-15 degrees and use a plate joiner to keep it tight. That way, too, you don't worry about having to hit a stud with your joint.

1. 
   jhazel3 | Oct 14, 2003 06:54am | #3

   I like the idea reducing the angle  but by plate joiner do you mean a biscuit type or a metal plate?

   Thanks again

   Jim III

1. 
   TLJ | Oct 15, 2003 01:46am | #4

   I was thinking of a biscuit (wooden) plate. BTW, the goal of reducing the angle on the miter is to facilitate cutting a deep enough slot in the two ends. You may already know this, but be careful of kickout with your joiner, as the anti-kick pins will not be engaging your trim pieces because of the miter cuts. Am I making myself clear as mud?

1. 
   jhazel3 | Oct 15, 2003 02:58am | #6

   The joy of building  this house is that i get to buy new tools. I dont have a biscuit joiner yet it is one of my next purchases do you have any preferences I am willing to buy the best or near best because i am a mechanic buy trade and have learned a cheap tool is never cheap! Also that your advice was clear and   Iwill now be careful

   Thanks Jim III

1. 
   WayneL5 | Oct 15, 2003 04:37am | #8

   Based on a magazine review I bought a Black & Decker 3382 a number of years ago.  I like everything about it.  The fence is precise, square, and solidly made.

2. 
   TLJ | Oct 15, 2003 07:36am | #9

   I don't always have the luxury of time or energy to comparison shop. I usually find I need a new tool when I'm in the middle of something and I need it NOW. In this case, Sears was closest and I bought the Craftsman. It's satisfactory. I've never used another brand. I cannot tell you how it compares to another brand.

   Sorry, wish I could be more helpful.

   Yes, generally stated, it is easier to finish millwork before installation. The oak veneered MDF sounds interesting. Alternatively, if you're adventurous and circumstances allow, you could go to a sawmill, get some oak and proceed from there. The cost could be comparable to plywood. You'll have to have a table saw, either way. Got a planer? Belt sander?

   Edited 10/15/2003 12:39:22 AM ET by Tim

3. 
   jhazel3 | Oct 19, 2003 05:39am | #13

   I do have jointer and and a 4"by 24" belt sander and table saw

   Regards Jim III

3. 
   Frankie | Oct 15, 2003 01:54am | #5

   Wanna save even more? Try oak veneered MDF. Apply sealer to it prior to installation. This way the sealer will coat the exposed edge, thereby making it easier to sand and not fuzz-up during subsequent coats.

   F

1. 
   jhazel3 | Oct 15, 2003 03:04am | #7

   Is there any other upside to use the oak veneer mdf than price?  And I guess are there any downsides? I planned to prefinish it before installed it cause it looks a lot easier :) and what is your favorite sealer that you would use on your house?

   Thanks again Jim III

1. 
   johnnyd | Oct 15, 2003 03:20pm | #10

   With the MDF veneer, you won't have any voids like you can get in plywood.

   I used oak veneer plywood for jamb extensions and a door jamb on a recent project, trimmed over with standard oak ranch base and case.  The reveal goes into the very first layer of ply, and only an experienced eye can tell I used plywood.

   I sealed both sides (pre-install) with Zinsser wax free shellac sealer, then a coat of varnish.  It was nice to do this pre-install 'cause you can really be liberal with the sealer....especially the edges which will soak up as much as you can give them.

4. 
   ClaysWorld | Oct 19, 2003 12:40am | #11

   If  your still looking for a buscuit Jointer let me know and I'll dig around and get you a review of them. That's what I do when I don't know to much about what I may be getting into. Also as you know that the trim can eat up a chunck of change. If you do a rough tally of what you need , you may want to make a set up to do your own. If that's the case More tools? Let me know and I'll hunt you up some info.

    Clay

1. 
   AXE | Oct 19, 2003 04:50am | #12

   Biscuit Joiner: Porter Cable.  About $200, great tool, accurate and versatile.  The Lamello is good but much higher cost.  Not worth it in my mind.

   Using MDF as trim: I did this once, probably wouldn't do it again.  Shooting it with a finish nailer caused these slight mushrooms.  With regular wood you could just scrape it off with a chisel, but with MDF it doesn't work that way.   Maybe if you pre drilled and hand nailed you could avoid this problem.

   MERC

1. 
   Accelar | Oct 19, 2003 08:54am | #15

   Ditto on not using MDF base again.  The mushrooms, as you mentioned, which looked lousy, but the other issue was water damage.  I tried mdf two houses ago and a couple of months back I could have had 1000 plus feet of 12" high mdf base free (it was part of another lot I bought at auction) and I simply left it there.  And I need a bunch of baseboard.  Just wasn't worth it.   

   Somehow when ever anything spilled, especially in kitchen and with snow etc. in the front hall, the unsealed back of the MDF did a great job sucking it up.  Kids managed to take some chips out in a few spots.  Plywood sounds like a better choice.  Please let me know how it goes - as I am not far behind you  and I'm looking at veneered ply as the lower portion of my baseboard.  Gavin Pitchford

   "Sail fast - live slow"

2. 
   jhazel3 | Oct 19, 2003 05:44am | #14

   I am going to buy a biscuit joiner have not decided which one. I will say that i have liked all the porter cable tools I have bought. And  I am the makitas to  any and all advice aprecaited though and considered

   Thanks Jim III

1. 
   ccal | Oct 19, 2003 09:11am | #16

   Get a kreg jig and pocket screw the joints. You can just cut them at 90 degrees and they will stay together with no clamps or nails through the joint. Pre fab the lengths you need and make all square cuts, miter or cope the top cap. I almost never use biscuits anymore.

1. 
   jhazel3 | Oct 23, 2003 08:07pm | #20

   Where is the best place to find a Kreg jig?

   Thanks Jim III

1. 
   IMERC | Oct 23, 2003 08:37pm | #21

   Tool Crib... Get the kit... 

   Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....

2. 
   Willy50 | Oct 24, 2003 02:07am | #22

   Hi,

   I saw your post, what is a Kreg Jig?

   Any idea where I could see a web link describing it?

   Thanks

   Bill

1. 
   ccal | Oct 24, 2003 06:00am | #24

   Go to kregtool.com and look at them there or at amazon.com which I think is the same as tool crib now. Basically it is a pocket hole jig for making joints in wood. The website describes it better than I can, but I have used them for about 5 years now and almost never use biscuits anymore. It is one of my most used tools and really saves time by not needing clamps on a lot of jobs. Very simple to use too.

2. 
   ClaysWorld | Oct 19, 2003 09:15pm | #17

   I'll see if I can get this site to you, the date is 2000 but I also thought I saw some reviews latter then this.

   http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/articles/showarticle.asp?articleID=1571&position=2&type=article&partID=1

   Also American wood worker  as show below is a source for info. I don't get it any more so I'm not sure of the review quality.

    Clay

   biscuit joiners

   anatomy of, 73:70–73:71

   buyer's guide, 2:24–2:25, 34:48–34:52, 41:48–41:49, 48:44–48:46, 55:64–55:66, 62:64–62:66, 69:66–69:68

   reviewed and American Woodworker rated, 73:70–73:77

   clamping jig for, 79:17

5. 
   archyII | Oct 20, 2003 02:35am | #18

   Be careful of the outside corners. If you hit them (like with a vacumn) the thin veneer can get damaged.  I use veneer plywood for my base and added soild wood corner trim at all of the outside miters.  It was standard corner trim and the plus is that your miter cuts don't have to be exact

1. 
   jhazel3 | Oct 23, 2003 08:04pm | #19

   That is an excellent point by soild wood you mean a block  that is larger than the base? Thanks jim iii

1. 
   archyII | Oct 24, 2003 03:44am | #23

   I used oak corner trim from HD (L shaped).  The thickness was less than the cap trim and I coped it to the shoe.  I thought about making the trim but after making 250' of cap trim I bought what was ava.