I recently got a job finishing what another carpenter started. He was hired to bump out a dining room wall (exterior), about two feet with a sliding door and two windows in it. The windows are about 12″ wide and 40″ high. His crew just roughed it in and sealed it to be weatherproof. My job was to do all the finish work. Well, when they put the windows in, they installed the jamb extensions and nailed the windows in. The extensions were the kind that you drive into the window frame. They are all wood(the window frames.)When I came to install the drywall, I noticed that the extensions were 1/8 to1/4″ proud of the drywall surface. I should have used 5/8″ drywall as that would have helped.
Now my question is how to install the casing. The walls are textured and painted. Do I try to plane or sand the jamb down flush with the wall surface or do I put a filler piece in behind the outside edge of the casing? I know this all could have been avoided if the extensions would have been ripped before installing, but what’s done is done. I’m afraid if I try to plane or sand the jamb, I will have a hard time keeping it straight. I would appreciate any advice anyone could give me. Thanks!
Duey
Replies
Duey,
You say you can't plane off an 1/8th to a 1/4 inch with a block plane and you call yourself a finish carpenter?!! C'mon now!
Quit fooling around here. Even if you happen to ding the drywall, so what?...the new casing will hide it. get out the block plane and have at it! You say you are afraid that you won't plane the edge evenly?....the jamb extensions are what...3/4 inch wide....one steady swipe across the edge with your plane and the board will be shaved evenly.
If you are afraid to use a plane...don't hire out as a finish carpenter...block planes and finish carpentery go hand in hand...period. Just take very thin shavings with each stroke....less than 5 minutes of grunt work involved.
Davo
Ps...Now that I've vented on you, here are 2 other alternatives....chuck up a flush cutting bit equipped with a bottom bearing into a small router and have at it. The bearing should be in contact with the drywall as you rout.
Put a small rabbet on the front edge of your casing so as to slip over the protruding extension ( personally, I think this would look lousy, but experiment with a piece of scrap first and see.)
why do I envision that bearing bit idea makeing a HUGE problem?
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Yes, the router is a good idea, but he trying to do it on the wrong axis, for several reasons.
Use a bit that will cut to the bottom. Add a 1/4" spacer to bottom of the rounter faceplate so that is only covers about 1/2 of the faceplate.
Set the bit so that it flush with the bottom of spacer. Slide the router with the spacer on the DW face and it will trim the extension down.
I agree, that bearing would sink into the SR too easy, and transfer all of the nail / screw dimples to the jamb..not a pretty sight.
I always just block plane, old school ya know?
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
>>why do I envision that bearing bit idea makeing a HUGE problem?
They call that experience. One slip and yer replacing the jamb. Then you gotta plane the corners anyway.
For me it would be easier to nail up the casing then float in the gap with durabond.
In 25+ yrs. of jambing, I have not encountered any jamb that needed more than a block plane, or worse case remove an ext. jamb and table saw to a scribe line, and touch up with a plane.
Yeah, it's a freehand cut on the TS...but it works if yer careful.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
I cut scribes way too much on my table saws. I'm not a fraid to do it on the portable but I've had the unisaw kick back. That'll get yer hair standing up.
I thought I was the only one brave ( read: stupid ) enough to freehand thru a table saw. I don't do it with others watching, which isn't too hard 'cause I usually work alone. Basically I don't want others picking up my bad habits<G>
Oh. and I have had kick-backs. No need for coffee after one of those.
Similar problem recently. I recently worked on an old multi-family that had a first floor fire. Plaster and lath removed removed throughout, 1/2" rock put up. The original window jambs stood 1/2" to 7/8" proud of new rock. Too much material and too many old nails to use even my junk plane. I went to Home Crappo and rented a Crain Jamb saw, did 29 large windows in couple of hours. Only a few very minor paper tears in the rock to repair. Few quick licks with plane to knock off blade marks, and cased the windows.
Because you can spell gouge (TTS) and know what tear out is...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
a little hep here...was TTS? am I asleep at the wheel or just frazzeled?
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Turns To Shid....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming.... WOW!!! What a Ride!
I don't know that I have everseen an extension jmab show up just right. Even the pones I make, I cut proud to start with and then plane down.
You take you=r block plane and set it across the jamb edge at an angle so that the shoe rides the sheet rock finish and the blade is on the jamb. You end up done in no time at all.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Block plane will give you the best job. Otherwise, cut filler pieces and slip 'em behind the casing before you nail the outside edge. The filler doesn't have to be the full width of the void; you can just take slices of the appropriate thickness off a piece of 1x pine.
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
If it is only a little proud and is also uneven, I use the tip of a cedar shim right where I am nailing, and then cut it off and use caulk to fill the rest.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I thought we were talking about interior casing. Caulk...?Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
I did say that if it is only a little uneven...
;)
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I think my problem is I'm imaging stained casing instead of painted. (Probably because today I just finished plugging about 2000 nail holes with Minwax Blend-Fil crayons and then hand-oiling all the moulding and woodwork for an entire basement I've been working on since October. Last item on the punch list!!)
In a paint-grade job, your thin line of caulk would work fine and nobody'd ever know it was there.
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
basement I've been working on since October
Cool .. I thot I was the only one stuck in a basement for the past year ....
guess what's on the short list for tomorrow ...
nail hole filling!
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Next time I'm either gonna use Velcro to attach everything, or I'll colour-match the stain to my little guy's crayons and put him and his whole 1st grade class on the payroll for a day....
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
A whole year? Did you have to modify your estimating system to "that'll take about a month"?
Jon Blakemore
yeah ...
"that'll take about a month ...."
the 12 step program!
honestly ... I'm trying my best to quit!!
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
My thanks to all of you who responded! I have slowly been getting involved with more finish work and I found all of your advice to be helpful. I will be planing down the jamb. I don't know why I was so reluctant to try it. One more related question; are those power planers the way to go or is it just as good to use a block planer?? Thanks again!
Duey
One word: NAILS ! Hitting one with a low-angle block plane is one thing, hitting one with a spinnig blade is down-right excitement.
Try to sink them with a drift-punch (aka: pin punch) if you can..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Not having seen the actual problem, I would, in a similar situation, go calmly to my toolbox on the back of my truck for my DeWalt Planer, which is easily adjustable to a highly accurate degree.