IItIItI

THE ART OF WOODWORKING

HOMEWORI$HOP

III

7// 1

WORKSHOP GUIDE

SCRIBING

Fi t t ing the end or edge of a p iece of mold ing or t r imsquarely against a wal l that is not p lumb can be d i f -f icu l t . The s imple t r ick shown at r ight makes the tasks imp le . Bu t t t he boa rd aga ins t t he wa l l and ho ld apenc i l w i t h i t s edge aga ins t t he wa l l and i t s po in tcontact ing the face of the workpiece. Star t ing at thetop o f t he mo ld ing , s l i de t he penc i l down the war r ;the mark that is scr ibed on the workoiece wi l l oro-v ide you wi th a cut t ing l ine that wi l l enable you to f i tthe piece perfectly in place. You can also use a log-builder's scribe (page 42) for this task. Scribing hasnumerous appl icat ions, inc luding help ing to f i t base-board to an uneven f loor .

.l

IIIIIIIIIII

III!

IIIIIIIIIIIII

*

CHECKING AND TRUING A CARPENTER'S SOUARE

To check whether a carpenter 's square is t rue, tape a sheet ofpaper to a p iece of p lywood and, hold ing one of the arms of thesquare against an edge of the panel , draw a penci l a long the otherarm, mark ing a l ine across the paper. Then turn the square overand draw another l ine, as shown at r ight. The two marked l inesshould be paral lel , l f not, the arms are not perpendicularto each other, True the square as shown below.

To true a carpenter 's square, begin by marking a straight l inebetween the inside and outside corners of the square. l f theangle formed by the square is greater than 90' , you wi l l needto move the two arms closer together: Place the tip of a centerpunch on the l ine near the square's outside corner and tap i twrth a bal l -peen hammer. l f the angle is less than 90' , spreadthe arms apart by tapping on the l ine near the square's insidecorner (right). Truing a square may require several taps, butcheck your progress after each attempt.

Cent.er punch

THE ART OF WOOD\,VORKING

FINISHCARPENTRY

IttIIIItIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIJItIII

THE ART OF WOODWORKING

FTNTSHCARPENTRY

TIME-LIFE BOOKSALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

ST. REMY PRESSMONTREAL. NEW YORK

PUBLISHERPRESIDENT

Series EditorSeries Art Director

Senior EditorEditor

Art Directors

DesignersPicture Editor

WritersResearch Assistant

C o nt r ib ut in g I IIu st r at o r s

AdministratorProduction ManagerSystem Coordinator

PhotographerAdministrativ e Assist ant

ProofreaderIndexer

Kenneth WinchesterPierre Ldveill6

Pierre Home-DouglasFrancine LemieuxMarc CassiniJim McRaeNormand Boudreault, Luc Germain,Solange LabergeH6lEne Dion, Michel GigudreChristopher JacksonAndrew Jones, Rob Lutes, David SimonBryan QuinnGilles Beauchemin, Roland Bergerat,Michel Blais, )ean-Guy Doiron,Ronald Durepos, Robert Paquet,Maryo Proulx, James Th6rienNatalie WatanabeMichelle TurbideJean-Luc RoyRobert ChartierDominique Gagn6Garet MarkvoortChristine M. Iacobs

THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced byST. REMY PRESS

THECONSUIIANTS

Karl Marcuse is a self-employed carpenter and contractorin Montreal. He has worked as a home renovator in manycountries and is now completing restoration ofhis century-old home.

Giles Miller-Mead taught advanced cabinetmaking at Montrealtechnical schools for more than ten years. A native of NewZealand, he has worked as a restorer of antique furniture

Scott Sdruttner is a carpenter and home builder in Fairbanks,Alaska. A frequent contributor to Fine HomebuiWizg, he hasbeen building staircases and teaching aspiring carpenters forclose to 20 years.

foseph Truini is Senior Editor of Home MechankMagazine.A former Shop and Tools Editor of Popular Mechanic$ he hasworked as a cabinetmaker, home improvement contractorand carpenter.

Finish carpentryp. cm. - (The Art of woodworking)Includes index.ISBN 0-8094-9s20-l1. Finish carpentry I. Time-Life Books. II. Series.THs640.Fs63 1994694'.6-dc20 94-13533

CIP

For information about any Time-Life book,please call l-800-62I-7026, or write:Reader InformationTime-Life Customer ServiceP.O. Box C-32068Richmond, Virginia2326r-2068

@ 1994 Time-Life Books Inc.All rights reserved.No part ofthis book may be reproduced in any form or byany electronic or mechanical means, including informationstorage and retrieval devices or systems, without prior writ-ten permission from the publisher, except that brief passagesmay be quoted for reviews.First printing. Printed in U.S.A.Published simultaneously in Canada.

TIME-LIFE is a trademark of Time Warner Inc. U.S.A.R 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 r

r3IItIIItIIIIrIItIIIIIItIIIIIttt

Time-Life Books is a division of Time Life Inc.,a wholly owned subsidiary of

THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY

TIME-LIFEINC.President and CEO John M. Fahey

Editor-in-chief lohn L. Papanek

TIME-LIFEBOOKS

President Iohn D. HallVice-President, Director of Marketing Nanry K. fones

ExecutiveEditor RobertaConlanExecutive Art Director Ellen Robling

ConsubingEditor iohn R. SullivanProduction Manager Marlene Zack

CONTENTSIIIIIIItIIIIItIttIItIIIIIIIIIIII

6 INTRODUCTION

12 FINISH CARPENTRY BASICS14 Finish carpentry tools16 Basic cuts

MOLDINGMolding stylesBaseboardChair and picture railsCrown molding

PANELINGPaneling stylesTongue- and- groove wainscotingFrame- and-panel wainscotingPaneled ceilings

56 WINDOWS58 Basic window trim styles59 Installing windows6I Picture-frame casing69 Stool-and-apron casing75 Making a window sash81 A glazing bar half-lap joint

DOORSAnatomv of a doorTools and door hardwareFrame-and-panel doorsDoor jambsHanging a doorLocksets

II4 STAIRS116 Anatomy of a staircase118 The stringersI23 Treads and risersI28 Newel postsI32 Handrails136 Balusters

I4O GLOSSARY

142 INDEX

144 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

8486889095

100r0720

22233033

3840424652

ttIIIIIIt

IIIItII

n INTRODUCTION

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I__::__".-_ _

II

Grant Taylor describes

HOWI BLIILDDOORS

$ make custom, high-quality hardwood doors for a living, but no matter how manyA doors I see. I always marvel at the craftmanshio involved: The way a door mak-er can bring out the wood grain by using quarter;wn boards, for eximpie, or howthe mortise-and-tenon joinery makes a joint that won't open up for 100 years ormore. But there's somethins else besides the craftmanship tirat alwavs strikes me.It doesn't matter whether it'ia thick oak door on a medievai English castle or a mod-ern stained-glass assembly with a delicate arching sash. In some way, all doors aremagic, offering us the possibilty of mystery or the unexpected, just beyond the turnofthe knob.

I build my doors much as door builders of old worked, For starters, I use local woodthat has been cut and milled bywoodmen I know When the felled trees are lying infresh stacks, I climb over the logs and select prime pieces for milling. Those roughboards are later dropped off at my shop-a stone structure that I built myself inrural New Hampshire-where I carefully mill them to reveal their unique grain pat-terns. I select the finest soecimens and then drv them in a solar kiln that I also con-structed. After proper aging and drying-a process that gives optimum stability tothe wood-I finally bring into my shop a piece of wood that probably has beentouched by only a couple ofpeople since it stood as a tree in the forest.

Cherry and oak are my favorite woods, and they grow wonderfully strong in thearea where I live. Their grain patterns are invariably spectacular, and no matter howmany times I assemble a door-typically I work from custom design plans, so everyone is unique-there is always a thrillwhen I pullthe rnilled boards out of the plan-er and marvel at the Dattern that is revealed.

Though I use many traditional hand tools to assemble my doors, I rely on pow-er tools to get the precision my clients come to expect: Tolerances of % ' inch in doorpieces such as stiles, rails, and panels are colnmon in my shop.

I am proud of what I produce, and it's never boring. The range of styles that peo-ple look for in custom doors always keeps me on my toes, always doing somethinginteresting. Whether I'm working with a local blacksmith to fabricate some wrought-iron hir-rges for a Tudor-style door or figuring out the complicated geometry of cut-ting center ovals in a door that's taken me a week to complete, I never have a dull day.The only thing I find disagreeable is when the process comes to an end. These doorsare something I have poured my heart into, something I've sweated over to makebeautiful. I just hate to see them go.

Gront Taylor is the owner of Lamson-Taylor Custont Doors, atwo-person shop in South Acworth, New Hantpshire. Taylorhas buih cltstom doors for hotrses throughout North America.

INTRODUCTION

Ion Eakes on

MAKINGTRIMANDMOLDING

J waked in and I knew within two minutes that this was a quality-built house. ItI was a modest split-level-no vaulted ceilings, no spectacular centerpiece. In factthere was nothing "outstanding." Even the trim was simple and unobtrusive, but aclose look around the windows showed precise mitered angles and no sign of nails.It was the trim around the bottom of the wall that said the most: tight corners andcarefully constructed returns. Very few people bother to do that today.

Tiim and moldings were once the most obvious part of both furniture and houseinterior finishing. There were simple mechanical reasons why most of it has disap-peared today. The beauty and creativity of molding designs was an outgrowth of theneed to hide construction joints as well as junctions between different materials.Modern materials have changed all that. With drywall returns on windows andtapered corners, many modern houses now use trim only to hide the door frames andthe intersection between walls and floors.

We can bemoan the sterilized look of particleboard furniture and box-like hous-es-or we can see the absence of joints as liberating molding from its mechanicalneed to hide something, allowing its shape and placement to be determined solelyby our esthetic desires.

Making your own moldings is one of the most satisfying ways of letting your cre-ativity show in your woodworking. Although routers can easily decorate edges andwith a bit of work even make full moldings, it is the table saw outfitted with a three-blade molding head that can really produce. In my experience the keys to success inmaking molding or trim on a table saw are very simple:

. Use very sharp knives.

. Use wood that is either flat or easily pressed flat on the table.

. Use firm hold-downs that prevent vibration.

. Advance the wood just fast enough to prevent burning but just slowly enoughto avoid "waves" on the face of the wood.

Honing your molding knives for that very clean cut is easier than it may seem.Never try sharpening the curved end: You won't get all three to match. Lay each knifeflat on a very flat sharpening stone and grind the entire side of the knife, the samelength of time for each one. You won't make it much thinner but you will hone thecutting edge and keep all three blades exactly the same shape and lengh.

lon Eakes has been a cabinetmaker and custom reno-vator in Montreal, Canada for more than 20 years.

He is known primarily for his teaching through books,videos, radio, and the TV showRenovation Zone.

. {r ' - l

IttI

t'n\. t

III

tIIIItIIIIIIIII

q1F m-,t ; s . #

&I

.s*r

bdFGT;d

il*"IIII . . . - , . : , , . r ' . - t

' ' * dr

:.;*lP

IIttI

l t

INTRODUCTION

Scott Schuttner on the

CHALLE,NGE OFBI.]ILDING STAIRS

, learned stairbuilding the wiry most of us do-fron-r books ancl trial ancl error.Honever, the books of 30 years ago usually coverecl such subjects either rvith rudi-

l-nentary abruptness or arcane terminologv. Neither approach satisfied nre anc'l Ihave conre to understaud that there is r.nore to consider than the clbviolrs fr.rnctionof delivering people from one elevation to another.

A gracefirl staircase is one of the most prominent architecturirl features in a homeand a showcirse of a u,oodworker's talents. The care and patience that go into buildingstairs mtry be on displav for 100 years and not easily remodeled or repaired. A staircasemust be made rock solid, as it will serve as rr plilyground, slide, anci racervay for cl-rilclren.

A stairbuilder must be arvirre thirt users become physically attuned to tl-re stairs. Ourlegs quickly pick Lrp a rhythm for tr set of stairs, rvhich after one or trvo steps allorvsr"rs to negotiate the rest without a1l-absorbing attention.

\\hen faced with these conceurs, it is not surprising that nor,ice carpeuters shv alvayfl'om br-rilding ar stairway. A minor miscalculation can result in one step being outof sync lvith the rest and even if not discernable visually, it may result in a stumblefor the ul-rwarv.

But not to ivorry. Although stairbLril<1ing requires thorough planning ancl atten-tion to detail, in most cases the nath is straightfbrrvard and the carpeutry, althoughclr .r l lerrgirrg, rreed rrot be int i rnid.r t i r rg.

To help ensLlre success I ahvays drirw ii precisely dimensioned, side-r,iew sketch ofthe stairs and include all detaiis such as tread thickness, floor coverir.rgs, landings,and rough framing while paying close attention to the first and last step since this iswhere most mistakes are likely to occur. And initially, I plan vertical distances withrefbrence to Jitishedfloor and tread surfaces and make adjustnrents fl'om there.

I also keep in mind building codes that dictate limits for the rise and mn, rvidth ofstairs, sizes of handrails, and headroom cleariurces to nalre a t-elv. Codes do not nec-essarily prescribe great stairs but they rvill keep,vou fi'om building disastrous ones.

As a stairbuilder in Alaska, I am asked to use a wide variety of materiirls com-bined into nrany eclectic stvles, ranging from rustic treads irnd cirrriases using splitspruce logs to grand stirircirses lvith mitered nosir.rgs, volutes, trnd goosenecks. \\4ri1eno tr'vo ever look the same, their construction fbllows the strme processes. It's irln aysa lot of fun and the end result turns out to be usefirl for so much nrore thtur merelvenabling people to go upstairs or down.

Scott Sclrtrtttrer is the atrtltor o.l 'Bosic Stairltuildirrg trttrl otlrcr boLtksarrd orticle s bS, 71,, Thrrrttort Pre ss. Hc l ivcs ttrtt l ope rotes It is cttttrpa-rry, HenrtwLtod lluilders orttl \,Vootlworkitrg, itt r..airbortks, Alosko.

FINISH CARPENTRY BASICS

IrI

ANATOMY ()F A H()USE INTERIOR tIIt

Crown molding(paqe 33)

Window casing(pa4e 61)

Picture rail(paqe 3O)

IItIII

FINISH CARPENTRY BASICS

III

III

IIII

Ealuster(pa4e 136)

I

IIIItI

Rosette(paag 72)

Frame-and-panel door(paae 90)

Door trim(pa4e 112)

Plinth(paqe 112)

FINISH CARPENTRYTOOLS

ItI

III

FINISH CARPENTRY BASICS

rIIIIIIIItIIIIItIIIIIIIII

Power miter aawFor croaecuttin4 andmiterinq molding andtrim; can croagcutetock up to 5 % incheawide and miter atockup to 3 % inchea wide.Model ahown featureaa 10-rnch blade anda laeer beam forlininq up cuta

MolderlplanerFlanea and milla baaeboard, chair rail,crown moldinq, and other typea of trimin etock up to 10 inchea wide; worka likea thickneaa planer with profiled knivea

Coping aaw9mall frame aaw uaed to cut coped iointe incrown moldinq and other trim with iurved pro-filea: model ahown feaLuree a 4%-inch throat

Although it is not as quick to use as a mitersaw, the commercial miter box shown at right

is a good alternative. The jig comes with itsown handsaw and can be adjusted to make q

cut at any angle between 0o and 90o. For easeof use, the legs can be attached to a plywood

base, which is then clamped to a work surface.

5liding compoundmiter sawMakee miter, bevel, andcompound cuta rn mold-inq and trim. Can croaa-cut and bevel atock upto 12 inchea wide, andmake miter and com-pound cuta in etock uptoB%incheawide.Featurea an B %-inchblade t.hat rune alonqa alide and an electricbrake to 6top the bbAeepinning quickly whenthe triq7er ie releaeed

II

1 5

BASIC CUTS

A slidirrg corrrpoturd snw is set te to nliter a lerrgth of molding. It is a good idenlo ntoLutt t lrc saw orr n portnlt le niter startd, which enables yott to work at acortt.fbrtoblc hcigltt. Tlrc nrodel showrt featu'es sLtpport arrtts thnt carr be adjust-ed to extctrd 4 .lbel ort enclt side of tlrc blade to accorturrodate lortg workpieces.

PREPARING ST()CK

Ripping on the table sawl f you are us ing rough lumber for your f in ish carpentry pro lects,s tar t by jo int ing one face of each board, and then an edge. Next ,r i p t he boa rd t o w rd th , mak ing the second edge pa ra l l e l t o t hejointed edge. Set the stock face down on the saw table and adlustthe b lade height about Z inch above the workpiece. Posi t ionthe r ip fence for the width of the cut , then feed the stock in to

the b lade, hold ing i t f i rmly against the fence (above.) Standsl ight ly to the le f t o f the workpiece and st raddle the fence wi thyou r r i gh t hand , mak ing ce r ta in t ha t ne i t he r hand r s i n l i newi th the b lade. Once your f ingers approach the b lade guard,use a push st ick to complete the cut . (Caut ion: Blade guardpartially retracted for clarity.)

ttI

I

I

rtI

tIIIIIItItIIIIIItIIIIIII

I

FINISH CARPENTRY BASICS

IIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIfItItIIIIIIII

Crosscufting on the table sawTo cut the board to length, hold i t f lushagainst the mi ter gauge, and a l ign yourcut t ing mark wi th the b lade. Posi t ion ther ip fence wel l away f rom the end of thestock to prevent the cut-of f p iece f romjamming aga ins t t he b lade and k i ck ingback. Hook the thumbs of both handsover the mi ter gauge to hold the stockf i rmly against the gauge and f la t againstthe table, then feed the board in to theblade (right). (Caution: Blade guard par-tially retracted for clarity.)

Making a miter cutAdjust the saw to the desi red mi ter angle.On the model shown at left, turn the tablelock ing handle counterc lockwise, depressthe lock ing la tch, and swing the table le f to r r i gh t un t i l t he po in te r i nd i ca tes t heappropr iate angle. Turn the handle c lock-wise to lock the table. Set your workpieceon the tab le and a l i gn t he cu t t i ng markwith the table slot. The model shown fea-tures a laser beam to help you l ine up thecut t ing mark. Hold ing the workpiece f i rmlyagainst the table and fence, turn on thesaw by squeezing the handle t r igger andbr ing the saw down s lowly ( /ef f ) . Oncethe cut is completed, re lease the t r iggerand l i f t t he hand le un t i l t he b lade c lea rsthe workoiece.

FINISH CARPENTRY BASICS

Making a bevel cut ona s l id ing compound sawAdjust the saw to the desired bevel angle.0n the model shown, loosen the bevelc l amp l eve r , t i l t t he b lade assemb ly t othe left, and set the bevel to the requiredangle. T ighten the c lamp lever . Set theworkpiece against the fence, a l ign ing thecu t t i ng l i ne w i t h t he b lade , and secu rei t in p lace us ing the v ise knob. To maket h e c u t , g r i p t h e h a n d l e a n d s l i d e t h eb lade assemb ly f o rwa rd . Squeeze thet r i gge r i n t he hand le , b r i ng t he hand ledown , and s l i de t he saw b lade back tocut the workpiece (/eff).

tI

rItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItI

I

I

Making a compound cut ona s l id ing compound sawAdjust the saw to the desi red bevel andmiter angles. On the model shown, s tar tby setting the bevel angle (above). To setthe mi ter angle, loosen the table lock inghandle and swing the table to the le f t orr ight to the desi red angle. Set the work-p iece against the fence, a l ign ing your cut-t ing l ine just to the waste s ide of the b lade.C lamp the workp iece i n p lace us ing thevise knob. Make the compound cut (right)

as you would a bevel cut .

FINISH CARPENTRY BASICS

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIItIIII

WOOD SPECIES F()R FINISH CARPENTRY

w00D sPEcrEsAsh

Basswood

Beech

Birch

Cedar,Western red

Gherry

Cypress

Douglas-fir

Elm

Gum,sweet red

Hemlock

Hickory

Mahogany

Maple, hard

Maple, soft

Oak, red

Oak, white

Pine,ponderosa

Pine, yellow

Redwood

Spruce

Teak

Walnut

STRENGTH

Fair

Poor

Fair

Good

Poor

Fair

Fair

Fair

Good

Fai

Fair

Good

Fair

Good

Fair

Good

Good

Poor

Poor

Fair

Poor

Good

Good

WORKABITITYFai

Good

Fair

Good

Good

Good

Good

Good

Good

Good

Fair

Dif f icul t

Good

Diff icult

Fair

Good

Good

Good

Fai

Good

Good

Diff icult

Good

GTUING qUATITY

Fair

Good

Fair

Fair

Good

Fair

Fair

Good

Fair

Good

Good

Fai

Good

Fair

Fair

Fair

Fair

Good

Fair

Good

Good

Poor

Good

FINISHING

Accepts stains well; requires heavy fil lerfor paint ing

Accepts stains well

Accepts stains well; requires thinf i l ler for paint ing

Accepts stains well; requires thin fil lerfor painting

Oil stain recommended

Accepts stains well; not suitablefor painting

Oil stain recommended

Oil stain recommended

Accepts stains well; requires heavyf i l ler for paint ing

Accepts stains well; requires thin fil lerfor painting

0il stain recommended

Accepts stains well; not suitablefor painting

Accepts stains well; not suitablefor painting

Accepts stains well; requires thin fil lerfor painting

Accepts stains wel l ; requires thin f i l lerfor painting

Accepts stains well; requires heavyf i l ler for paint ing

Accepts stains well; requires heavyf i l ler for paint ing

Accepts finishes well

Accepts finishes well

0il stain recommended

Accepts finishes well

0il stain recommended; not suitablefor paint ing

Accepts stains well; not suitablefor paint ing

r9

I""1

I

G , T

-J*.49

fi ""

.}-S*'. . ,=,-** f\i

4t"*

ItI

IIIIItItIIIIIIIIIIIttItIII

Ir

T " the Greeks a.nd Ro-I mans, proport lon was

in the design of everythingthey built. For visual appeal,their structures relied on alogical and harmonious pro-gression of architectural ele-ments, one atop the other,from plinth to cornice. Some2000 years later, furni turemakers of the Georgian peri-od used small-scale versionsof the same elements to dec-orate the interiors of their

MOLDING

For woodworkers with a lot of molding to install,the finish nailer is a handy alternative to a hammer.

Here, the nailer secures a length of crown molding to theceiling. Powered by compressed air, the nailer drives home

small-gauge finishing nails without splitting the wood.

nicking walls and paneling,and picture rails provide ahandy way to hang art with-out marring walls.

The advent of the moldingmachine in the 19th Centurymade it oossible to mass-produce this functional anddecorative material. Today,you can buy the most popu-lar profiles of crown moldingand baseboard at virtually anyhardware store. Soecializedmillwork shoos stotk a widerrange of profrles, and somepatrons'homes.

Today, molding is a broad term that encompasses all inte-rior trim applied to walls and ceilings, such as baseboard, chairrail, picture rail, and crown molding. An example of each tipeis illustrated in a typical house interior on page 12. This chap-ter presents instructions for making and installing these dif-ferent kinds of molding.

Whether it is the angular trim of an Arts and Crafts-stylehome or the formal cornice of a Victorian parlor, moldingserves a functional as well as a decorative role. Baseboard (page23), for example, is designed to cover gaps between the walland the floor, while crown molding serves the same purposealong the ceiling. Chair rails (page j0) prevent chair backs from

will custom-grind special knives so that an antique patterncan be reproduced. But molding is also easy to make in theshop (page 24). All you need is a table saw with a tilting arborand a molding head or a table-mounted Z-inch router-anda bit of imagination. If you plan to produce a great deal ofmolding, a shaper or a molder/planer like the one shown inthe photo at left maybe a worthwhile purchase.

Installing molding can be a simple task once you have mas-tered a few basic principles (page 26). Use longer pieces for themain rooms so that there will be fewer joints in these loca-tions. Save shorter oieces for inside closets and less consDicu-ous areas of the home.

Combining features of the thickness planer and the shaper, a molder/planermilk a length of chair rail. The machine works much like a planer, exceptthat it can be fined with custom-ground knives that mqtch the desired pro-

fiIe. The model shown at left has the power and capacity to turn out custombaseboards, chair rails, and crown molding quickly and accurately.

2 l

MOLDING STYLES

Ranch-atylebaeeboard with4uarter-round ahoemolding (page 24)

Euilt-upbaseboard(pase 25)

Customoingle-pieaebaeeboard(pase 27)

Formal corniae(pase 56)

Crown molding Crown and flat(pase 33) molding

Colonial-atyle baaeboard

IIIIIItItIIttIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

BASEBOARDI

tItlIIrIIItIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIII

,{ lso known as skirt, baseplate, mop-.C-L board, or iust plain base, baseboardis the most common form of moldedrunning trim used in finish carpentry.Baseboards serve a dual purpose: theyvisually anchor the wall to the floor andthey also cover any gaps between thosetwo surfaces.

Baseboard comes in two basic tvoes:single-piece or built-up. Standard single-piece baseboard is usually between 3and 12 inches wide and is sold in a vari-ety of molded profiles; it can be madeeasily with a table saw, router, or shaper.While single-piece baseboard may beeasier to install, it is more likely to cupthan built-up molding. The simplestform ofbuilt-uo baseboard is base-and-shoe (page 2a),whichfeatures a mold-ed shoe that provides a visualtransitionbetween the wall and floor.

Baseboard is installed with a ham-mer, a nail set and finishing nails, orwith an air-powered finish nailer (page2i). While the nailer is a more expen-sive alternative, it makes installationquick and clean. It is preferable to hand-nailing when working with hardwoodmolding, which is more prone to split-tine than softwood. Baseboard mold-ing"is typically nailed ir.r place after thewalls have been oainted and the finishf loor instal led and sanded. Then theshoe molding is nailed in place. If thefloor is to be installed after the base-board, leave a space under the baseboardfor the floor; use scraps ofthe flooringto helo vou determine the size of thegap. Ai with all molding, baseboard canbe stained or painted; this is best doneafter all the molding has been cut to size,but before it is installed.

The last piece of baseboard to beinstalled in a room often ends at a doorcasing. Here a U-shaped, shop-nnde jig

called a preacher is used to nreasure thepiece before it is nailed irt place. The jig

slips over the baseboard and rests agninstthe casing, allowirtg you to mark thebuseboard to lertgth witlr precision.

M()TDING J()INERY

Coped joint (page 27)Joina cueLom baeeboard, ptcture and chatrraile, and cornice moldtn4'at. tnaide corner6;leea likely to open wtth aeasonal wood move'ment than miter joint, Aleo a cleaner joinLthan the miter for cornera that are noL 90'.

1carf joint)pltcea lenqthe of baee-board and cornice moldin4toqether alo.n4 a lonq watl

Door caeing

Butt jointUaed where moldinqmeeto door caetnq:aloo oerves to jorntwo len4the of flatbaeeboard at aninaide corner. Theend of the moldtn7eimply butte aqatnetthe matinq piece.

Miter joint (page 2A)For joinin4 moldin7 at outetdecornerg: can aleo jorn eomeLypee of molding at inoide cor-nera. The joinery hideo end qrain.

Z J

MOLDING

MAKING BASE-AND-SHOE BASEBOARD' l Milling the shoe on a router tableI Make the shoe molding port ion of thebaseboard from %-inchlhick stock. lnstal lan edge-forming bit in your router and mountthe tool in a table; a round-over bi t is shownat r ight, but any other shape can be used.To support the workpiece, use three feath-erboards: Clamo two to the fence-one oneach side of the bit-and a third to the tablein l ine with the cutter. Shape both edgesof each workpiece, feeding the stock withboth hands and f in ishing the pass with apush st ick. For safety, i t is best to shapelong boards that are at least 4 inches wide,and then r ip the shaped edges off on thetable saw.

! Relieving the base 0n the table saw4- fo prepare the base portion of the baseboard, shape one edgeof a 1-by-4 or 1-by-6 as in step 1. Then plane the stock to thedesired thickness. To prevent the molding from cupping and com-pensate for any i rregular i t ies in the wal l , make a rel ief cut alongthe back face of the stock. Instal l a dado head on vour table saw.

adjust ing i ts width to about 2 inches, and set the cutt ing heightat % inch. Posit ion the r ip fence so the cut wi l l be centered inthe mrddle of the workpiece. Use two featherboards to supportthe s tock and bo th hands to feed i t face up , wh i le bu t t ing i tagainst the fence (above). Finish the pass with a push st ick.

ttrIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIttIIIIIIIt

1,1

MOLDING

IIItIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIItIII

MAKING BUILT.UP BASEBOARD

Mil l ing a base capTo make the top piece-the base cap-ofthe built-up baseboard illustrated on page22, install a decorative edging bit on yourshaper. (A router can do the job too, butthe shaper enables you to employ largercutters-and therefore thicker stock. l tis also a more stable tool to use.) Keepthe stock pressed against the fence andthe table using the hold-downs suppl iedwith the machine. Feed the stock on edge,using both hands (right). To f inish thepass, move to the outfeed side of the tableand pull the stock past the cutter. The bot-tom oiece of built-uo baseboard is installedthe same way as s ing le -p iece mold ing(page 26I The base cap is then nailed toboth the wal l and the bottom piece.

Before the router and shaper, the combi-nation plane was the tool of choice forshaping molding. This versatile handtool features a range of interchangeablecutters that can form tongues, grooves,dadoes, flutes, reeds, ovolos, and bead-ings. An adjustable edge guide ensuresstraight cuts while a depth stop allowsthe plane to trim to precise depths. Themodel shown at left, the Stanely 45Multiplane, is a venerable design thatinsDired many imitators.

25

MOLDING

INSTALLING BASEB()ARD

Mi1;er Buttor.coped joint.lotnt

MITERING INSIDE C()RNERS

Nai l ing the mold ing in p laceTo insta l l base-and-shoe mold ing at anins ide corner , cut the two p ieces to length,mitering one end of each board (page 17).Make the cuts so the back face of eachmold ing reaches the corner , then insta l lone of the p ieces. Using a hammer and 2-i nch (6d ) f i n i sh ing na i l s o r a f i n i sh na i l e rloaded wi th the type of nai ls speci f ied bythe manufacturer , fasten the mold ing tothe wal l . Dr ive two nai ls at every wal l s tud,locat ing the nai ls % inch f rom the top andbottom of the molding. The upper nail shouldreach the stud, whi le the lower one shouldenter the sole plate attached to the subfloordirectly below the studs. To locate the studs,use a stud finder (page 32). lf you are usinga hammer, set the nai l heads. F i t the sec-ond piece of molding in place (right) andnail it to the wall the same way. Then securethe shoe mold ing to the baseboard ( rnset) ,

dr iv ing a nai l every 16 inches,

Planning the insta l la t ionThe ideal sequence for install ing baseboarddepends on the room layout . Your goal ist o make the l o i ne ry i nconsp i cuous whenenter inp the room as shown at le f t . Atv i r ! v i , r i b

door cas ings , use bu t t j o i n t s ; a t ou t s i decorners, use mi ters. At ins ide corners, usemiters for f la t mold ing (below) or copedjo ints for contoured mold ing (page 27) .Star t a t a long wal l (A) opposi te the door.With coped jo ints . cut the p iece to but tagainst wal ls D and E so the end gra in ofthe mold ing a long these wal ls wi l l be inv is-i b l e f r o m t h e d o o r . I n s t a l l t h e m o l d i n galong wal l B next , then wal ls C and D. l f awa l l i s l onge r t han you r s tock , as i n E ,connec t two p ieces us ing a sca r f j o i n t .Locate the jo int at a wal l s tud. F in ish theinsta l la t ion at the door (wal ls F and G). Cuta l l the mold ing / - inch longer than need-ed ; t h i s w i l l a l l ow i t t o " snap" i n to p lace .

tItIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIII

26

MOLDING

tIIIItItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIItII

COPING INSIDE CORNERS

1 Coping the moldingI To instal l contoured molding at aninside corner, crosscut both ends of onepiece so that it f its snugly between thead jo in ing wa l ls . The mat ing p iece w i l lbutt against i ts face with a coped joint .Cutt ing this joint is a two-step operat ion.Start by making a 45' bevel cut on oneend o f the mold ing ; th is w i l l revea l thecontour l ine on the face. Then clamp themolding face up on a work surface, pro-tecting the stock with a wood pad. Use acoping saw fitted with a narrow blade tocut along the contour l ine. Hold the sawperfectly upright (right), biting into thewood on the upstroke. For a tight f it, holdthe saw slightly over 90', undercutting thejoint s l ight ly, so that only the front of theboard contacts the face of the matingpiece. lf the blade binds in the kerf, makeoccasional release cuts into the waste tolet smal l pieces fal l away.

Installing the moldingNai l the f i rst piece of molding to the

wall as you would flat baseboard (page 26).Then posit ion the coped end against thefirst piece to test the fit (left). Smooth oulany i rregular i t ies with a round f i le or f inesandpaper wrapped around a dowel. Oncethe f i t is perfect, nai l the coped moldingin olace.

27

MOLDING

INSTATTING BASEBOARD AT AN ()UTSIDE CORNER

r) Transferring the angle(- Use a trv square to extend the markon the face of tf,. ,.rup board to the topedge. Then adjust a sl id ing bevel to theangle formed by the end of this l ine andthe corner mark on the top edge of theboard (right). This is your miter angle. Usethe sl id ing bevel to adjust the saw youwi l l be us ing to cu t the mold ing .

1 Determining the miter angleI To fit baseboard at an outside corner,f i rst determine the miter angle you wi l lneed to cut. This step is essent ial i f thewal ls do not meet at 90' ; as a result , themiter cuts wi l l not be 45' . (This is oftenthe case in older homes.) Hold a scrapboard the same thickness as the moldingagainst one wall and use its outside faceto mark a reference line on the f loor. Thenhold the board against the adjoining wal land make two marks on it: One on its topedge in l ine with the corner and anotheron its front face perpendicular to the ref-erence mark on the f loor (/eft).

IItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

28

MOLDING

IIIIlIIItIItIItItIIttIIIIItIIITII

di l* iiil ilii ff it t$ rh iili ru ,ll * il{r ut illi $

5HO7 Tt?Store-boughtcorner pieceoCuINinq a miLer joinlie noL Nhe only wayt o inet al l baseboardaN outs ide cornero.Many Nypes of com'merc ia l baeeboardcome with ready-made ,.-.--\. 'corner Vieces featur inq \ \

lhe same profi le as otraiqhtsect ions. Jo ined to ot ra iqhLlenqtho wiLh buI I jo ints , lhese

Instal l ing the moldingMake the mi ter cuts on the p ieces of

m o l d i n g a n d c h e c k t h e f i t o f t h e j o r n t .Make any s l ight adjustments wi th a chis-e l or sandpaper. Then insta l l the p ieceswi th a hammer or f in ish nat ler (above) asyou would at an inside corner (page 26).Repeat the process to insta l l shoe mold-Ing or a base cap.

cornero oVeed up insLal laLion.The square tyVe ehown here ismade elightly "proud" of Lhe olraiqhteecNions for vieual effect,

CHAIRAND PICTURE RAILS

f hair rails originally were used sim-\, ply to prevent chair backs frommarring walls or paneling, but they haverecently assumed a more purely deco-rative role. Today, they often serve as adivider between decorative elements ona wall, with paneling or wallpaper usu-ally installed between the chair rail andthe floor.

Chair rails are much like baseboard,and are installed exactly the same way,except that they are located about one-

Custom chair rails and crown moldingare available with elaborate carved pat-terns and scrollwork, in a wide range ofmodern and antiaue stvles.

third of the way between floor and ceil-ing, typically 3 feet off the floor. Likebaseboard, chair rails are commerciallyavailable in a number of orofiles andsizes, but they can be easilymade in theshoo from 1-bv-4 stock.

ficture rail is a tvpe of chair rail witha rounded lip used to hang pictureframes. It is installed 6 to 8 feet off thefloor. Since picture rails often supportconsiderable weight, they are screwedrather than nailed in place. The screwholes are then concealed by wood plugs.Depending on the esthetic effect youwant to achieve, you can use chair rails,picture rails, or both in conjunctionwith baseboard (page 23) and crownmolding (page 33).

trIIIIItIItIItIttIIIIrtIIIIIIIII

MAKING CHAIR RAILS

1 Mil l ing the reedsI tvtat<ing one-piece molded chair rai ltypically involves two steps: cutting reedson the face of the stock, as shown at right,and then shaping the edges btep 2). CUIihe reeds on your table saw using a mold-ing head w i th a se t o f reed ing kn ives .Instal l the head and posit ion the r ip fenceby center ing the workpiece face downover the cutters and butt ing the fenceagainst the stock. Secure the workpiecewith two featherboards, one clamped tothe fence and a second f ixed to the sawtable. Both featherboards should be inl ine w i th the cu t te rs . C lamp a suppor tboard at a 90' angle to the second feath-erboard. Make the first pass with a cuttingheight of % inch; do not make a ful l -depthcut in one pass. To make the cut, s lowlyfeed the workpiece into the cutters withyour right hand, pressing it against the ripfence with your left hand (right). Finish thecut with a push st ick. One or two passesis usua l ly su f f i c ien t w i th th is par t i cu la rorof ile: raise the cutters no more Ihan Yainch at a time between oasses.

30

MOLDING

IItltIIItIIItItIIIIIIttIIIIIIItII

r) Shaping the edgesL Once you have milled the reeds in yourchair rail stock, shape the edges on a routertable. Instal l an edge-forming bi t in yourrouter; an ogee bit is shown at right. Thenmount the tool in a table. To suooort theworkpiece for this cut, use three feather-boards: Clamo two featherboards to thefence, one on each side of the bi t , and usethe third opposite the bit to press the stockagainst the fence. Set a shallow depth ofcut for the first pass. To shape each edge,slowly feed the workpiece into the cutter(r ight) ; f in ish the cut with a push st ick.Make a ser ies of deeper passes unt i l youattain the desired prof i le, increasing thecut t ing depth % inch a t a t ime.

INSTALLING A CHAIR RAII

1 Determining the height of the chair railI Use a cha lk l ine to mark a he igh t l ine on the wa l l fo r themolding. Make a mark at each end of one wal l , typical ly 36 inch-es off the floor. After measuring the height of one mark, use a lev-el and a long, straight board to make the second mark at the

same level, as the floor may not be true. Drive a finishing nail intothe wal l at one of the marks and hook the chalk l ine on the nai lhead. Align the other end with the second height mark and snapthe chalk line (above). Repeat for the other walls in the room.

31

MOLDING

Q Nai l ing the molding in placer-J Cut the chair rail to len$h and fasteni t to the wa l ls us ing a hammer or an a i r -powered nai ler. Al ign the molding with thecha lk l ine and dr ive two na i l s in to eachstud (right), lf you are using a hammer,set the nai l heads.

r) Finding the wall studsL neally, molding should be nailed to thewall studs. To determine their location, usea stud f inder and mark each point with apencil (left). Studs are typically 16 inchesapart, center to center. lf you do not havea s tud f inder , you can tap a long the wa l lwith a hammer; a change from a hol lowsound to a solid sound indicates a stud.

tIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIII

J Z

CROVTNMOLDING

IIIIIIItIIIItIItIIItIIIIIIIIIItI

f) ooted in classical Greek architec-I\ [ure, crown molding rose to promi-nence during lBth-Century England,first appearing on furniture of theGeorgian period. Soon after, the flow-ing patterns of this molding also beganto adorn the ceilings of drawing rooms.Today, single-piece crown molding canbe installed along the walls and ceilingsof house interiors, or it can be combinedwith other elements to make built-up ceiling moldings, such as crown-and-flat (page 22), or a formal cornice(page 36). When choosing crown mold-ing, make sure it is properly propor-tioned for the room; molding that is toowide will give the effect of lowering theceiling. Molding 3 or 4 inches in widthis about right for an average-sizedB-foot-high ceiling.

Installing crown molding is not muchdifferent from nailing on baseboard orchair rails; outside corners are miteredand inside corners are mitered or coped.Simple one-piece crown molding isnailed through the flats of the moldinginto the wall studs, ceiling joists, and topplate, which rests on top of the wallstuds. Complex built-up crown mold-ing, such as a formal cornice, needs to

be fastened to furring strips. Where theceiling joists run parallelto the wall, glu-ing the molding to the ceiling will often

suffice. A pair of nails driven at oppo-site angles into the wall will hold themolding in place until the adhesive cures.

Because crown molding is positioned on both the wall and ceiling, corners mustbe mitered at compound angles, and pieces must be held "upside down andbackward" when they are cut. The jig shown in the photo above, however,allows the molding to be held on the chop saw exactly as it will appear on thewall and ceiling, requiring no repositioningbefore the cut.

INSTALTING ONE.PIECE CROWN M()LDING

1 Coping molding at an inside cornerI Before installing crown molding, placei t in pos i t ion , and snap a cha lk l ine onthe wal l to mark the bottom edge of themold ing . Cope the end o f one p iece tof i t against the face of an adjoining pieceas you would baseboard (page 27). SIarIby mitering the end, then make the copedcut using a coping saw. In this case, securethe workpiece in a vise in the same posi-t ion i t wi l l be when i t is instal led. Hold thecoping saw perpendicular to the moldingthroughout the cut (/efi).

MOLDING

Installing the coped moldingTest- f i t the coped end against the

adjoining piece of molding, which shouldalready be nailed in place (/eff). Fine-tunethe fit, if necessary, by fil ing or sanding thecoped end. Nai l the coped molding to thewal l and cei l ing as you would base-and-shoe molding (page 27).

trIIIIIIIIIIIrIIItttIIItrIIIIIII

Q Determining the miter angleJ at an outside cornerAs w i th baseboard , the f i r s t s tep ininstalling crown molding at an outside cor-ner is to find the correct miter angle. Startby drawing two reference lines on the ceil-ing. Holding a piece of molding in placeagainst one wal l and the cei l ing, mark oneof the lines along its top edge, extendingpast the corner. Repeat for the adjacentwall to mark the second line (right).

34

MOLDING

IIIlrIIIItItIIIIIIItIIIIIIItIIttI

Transferring the miter angleto a sliding bevel

Draw a line from the corner to the pointwhere the two reference lines you markedin step 3 intersect. Then adjust a slidingbevel so that its handle butts against oneof the wal ls and the blade al igns with theline you just marked on the ceiling (rghf).Use the sliding bevel to set up your saw tocut the miters.

f, lnstalling the moldingr - ,1 Ins ta l l the c rown mold ing as youwou ld baseboard mold ing a t an ou ts idecorner (page 28). Using a f inish nailer orhammer , na i l one p iece in p lace . Thenposit ion the other ( lef t) . l t the f i t is notperfect, back cut the miters slightly witha ut i l i ty kni fe. Once you are sat isf ied withthe f i t , apply some glue to the miteredends and nai l the second piece of moldingin place. To prevent the miter from open-ing, nail through the miter from both sides.

35

MOLDING

INSTALTING A FORMAL CORNICE

IIItItIIItIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

1 Installing nailing stripsI A formal cornice is an ant ique-stylecrown molding consist ing of a box-l ikesupport assembly ( instal led in steps 1and 2) and three pieces of molding(instal led in step 3). Cut the four piecesof the support assembly from %-inchstock. These pieces are installed the sameway as baseboard (page 26), with mitersat both inside and outside corners. Startby screwing the cei l ing nai ler into theceiling joists with the piece flush againstthe wal l . Then screw the wal l nai ler tothe wall sluds (above), leaving a %-inchgap between its top edge and the ceilingnailer to allow for wood movement.

r') lnstalling the soffit and fasciaL Aip the fascia and soffit pieces so thatwhen they are attached to the ceiling andwal l nai lers, the four pieces wi l l form abox. Rout a decorative lip along the bottomedge of the fascia piece, join the fascia andsoffit boards with plate joints, then screwthe fascia to the ceiling nailer and attachthe soffit to the wall nailer (right).

36

MOLDING

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

I

tI

tI

I

tI

ttI

I

Instal l ing the moldingTo make the wal l mold ing, rout a decorat ive edge in %-

inch stock, then screw the p iece in p lace wi th i ts f la t edgeagainst the sof f i t . Dr ive the screws into the wal l s tuds nearthe molding's top edge, where the fasteners wil l be concealedby the bed mold ing; nai l a long the bot tom edge. Next , insta l lt he bed mo ld ing as you wou ld c rown mo ld ing (page 33 ) ,na i l i ng i t t o t he wa l l mo ld ing and the so f f i t . F tna l l y , cu t andinsta l l the crown mold ing between the fasc ia and the cei l ingaround the room (pages 33-35) . Nai l the mold ing throughi ts f la t sect ions, dr iv ing the fasteners in to the cei l ing jo is ts

and the fascta (above).

37

"#fu' {

\ , '

tI

I

IIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIttIIIII

PANE,LNG

i n g . I n 1 6 t h - C e n t u r y E u r o p e , c a l l e d s t i l e s o r m u l l i o n s , a n dat the end of the Gothic fur- Interior walls have been graced by frame-and-panel horizontal ones, called rails.niture period, "waynscottes" wainscotingfor centuries. The flexibility of frame-and- Grooves are milled around theconsisted of seasoned planks panel construction allows for a wide range of design inside edges of the frame, allow-of Baltic oak covering interior possibilities, from the elaborate ornamental panels ing the panels to float freely,walls. In Colonial America, of lacobean-style furniture to more modern designs, expanding and contracting with"wainscot" referred to pine such as the full-wall paneling shown in the photo seasonal changes in humidity.boards that stretched from above, made by Patella Industries of Montreal. This custom wainscoting canfloor to ceiling, adding a rus- transform a plain room into atic warmth to parlors. Today, wainscoting encompasses a wide more formal space, replacing flat, monotonous walls withrange of wall coverings, although the term most frequently exquisitelymoldedpanels.describes panels installed on the lower half of a wall. Paneling techniques can also be adapted to ceilings to cre-

There are two basic types of paneled wainscoting: tongue- ate a sumptuous look for a den or study (page 52).In a pan-and-groove and frame-and-panel. Tongue-and-groove wain- eled---or coffered---<eiling, a framework of 2-by-4sis sheathedscoting (page a2) is available at hardware stores and inhardwood,withveneeredplywoodpanelssetintotheframes.lumberyards as ready-to-install interlocking paneling. Made Crown and shoe molding provide the final decorative touch.from stain-grade hardwood or paint-grade softwood, tongue- In any style, paneled sudaces can transform ordinary roomsand-groove paneling comes in a variety of profiles. But you into richly comforting retreats.

A molded cap rail is installed as the crowning touch to frame-and-panelwainscoting. In addition to its decorative role, the cap railhides the gapbetyveen the wainscoting and the wall. Cap rail designs range from thesimple chamfered rail shown at left to more elaborate molded chair rails.

II

39

PANELING STYLES

tII

T()NGUE-AND-GR(1OVEWAINSCOTING(PAGE 42)

Cap ratl

Daeeboard

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

FRAME-AND-PANEtWAINSC()TING(PAGE 46)

9tt le

KateedfloaLtn4panel

thoemoldinq

Dotl,om rail

PANELING

tI

I

Crown moldinq

End att le

Medianratl

DotLomratl

thoe moldin4

Daaeboard

TONGUE -AND. GRO OVE WAINS COTING

*}- orrgue-and-groove wainscoting con-I sists of a series of interlockins boards

or panels with an opt ional deiorat iveprofile. It is the most basic and populartype of interior paneling. Traditionallymade from softwood and given a clearfinish, tongue-and-groove paneling canbe installed from floor to ceiling to cre-ate a rustic look. It imnarts a moresophisticated appearance when used aswainscoting and stained.

While you can buy tongue-and-groove wainscoting ready-made, you canalso mill your own fiom 1-by-4 or 1-by-6 stock using a table saw. Use a dadohead to cut tongues in one edge oftheboards and grooves in the other edge.Switch to a molding head to milla dec-orative bead in the front face of theboardsl a selection of wainscoting pro-files is displayed at right.

Tongue-and-groove wainscot ing istypically installed from the floor to aheight of 36 inches. Compensate foruneven floors by cutting the boards alittle short. That way, the top ends of theboards can all be installed at the samelevel; any gaps between the bottom endsand the floor will be concealed by base-board (page 22). If there are nailersbehind the wall-typically 2-by-4 block-ing between the wall studs-and youknow where they are, fasten the wain-scoting to them, Otherwise, anchor fi.rr-ring strips to the studs (page 49) and nailthe wainscoting to the furring strips.

Btttting the edge of a board or panelsquarely against an out-of-phmtb wall,

brickwork, or a wlll with contouredntolding car be a challenge. The log-

builder's scribe shown irt the photoat right rnakes afiting the edge easy. It

feotures an ad.iustnble urved steel pirrand two level vials for ncuu"ately trac-ing the wall profile onto the paneling.

A SETECTION OF PANEL STYLES

Daotc t onque-and-groove

thiplap

Channel

Frofiled Lonque-and-groove

Deaded tonque-and-qroove

Chamfered tonque-and-groove

Kounded tonque-and-qroove

Troftled Lonque-and-4roove

IIIIIItItI

I

I

I

tI

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I42

PANELING

I

tI

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

tIItI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

MAKING TONGUE.AND-GR()()VE WAINSC()TING

1 Cutting the groovesI Out l ine the groove on the leading endof one board; make the groove width one-th i rd t he s tock t h i ckness and i t s deo thaboul / , inch. Insta l l a dado head on yourtable saw, adjust ing i ts width to that of thegroove and the cutting height to the groovedepth. Insta l l an auxi l iary wood fence andcut a re l ie f notch in i t to house par t of thedado head when you m i l l t he t ongues i ns ten 2 A l i pn t he c r r t t i ns marks w i t h t he' " ' b " . ,

dado head and but t the fence against thestock. To prevent the workpiece from tip-p i n g d u r i n g t h e c u t , c l a m p a s h i m m e dfeatherboard to the saw table in l ine wi ththe dado head . Secu re a suooo r t boa rdagainst the featherboard for extra pressure.Press the workpiece against the fence andthe table as you feed it edge down into thedado head (right). Complete the pass witha push stick. Use the same setup to cut thegrooves in all the boards.

r) Cutting the tonguesL Outline the tongue on the leading end of one boaro, usrnga groove you cut in step 1 as a guide. Lower the dado headsltght ly so the tongue wi l l not bottom out in the groove. Thena l ign one o f the cu t t ing marks w i th the cu t te rs and bu t t thefence against the stock; also reposit ion the featherboard. Feedthe board as you did for cutt ing the groove, using a push st ickto finish the pass. Turn the workpiece around and repeat the cut tocomplete the tongue (above).

Mi l l ing the beadsInsta l l a mold ing head f i t ted wi th beading knives on your

table saw. Al ign the board face down over one of the knives sothe bead w i l l be m i l l ed a longs ide the tongue . Bu t t t he f enceagainst the board, reposition the featherboard, and clamp a sec-ond featherboard to the fence d i rect ly over the knives. Makea ser ies of test cuts in a scrap board to determine the properdepth, then mi l l the beads (above). You can a lso cut a s l rghtchamfer in the opposi te edge wi th a hand p lane.

Auxiliary fence

Y---Tonque

43

PANELING

INSTALLING T()NGUE-AND.GRO()VE WAINSC()TING

r) Install ing the boards along a wallL Once the two boards are installed atthe outsrde corner, slip the groove of a newboard in p lace. Nai l the board to the wal lt h r o u g h i t s t o n g u e , m a k i n g s u r e a l l t h etops are level . Cont inue a long the wal l thesame way, f i t t ing grooves over tongues(right) and nail ing the boards in place.

1 Install ing the boardsI at an outside cornerSnap a chalk l ine around the room (page

3I ) to mark the height of the wainscoting.Make sure the l ine is level - the f loor maynot be. l f you know where the nai lers be-h ind the wal l are located, a lso snap l inesfo r t hem. l f you do no t know where thena i l e r s a re l oca ted , i ns ta l l f u r r i ng s t r i ps(page 49) . Star t insta l l ing the boards atan ou ts ide co rne r . De te rm ine the beve langle you wi l l need as you would for base-board (page 28),Ihen make the cut alongthe grooved edges of two boards. To installeach board, align the cut edge with the cor-ner and drive a nail through the tongue intothe wall at each nailer location l ine (left).

Nai l the corner boards a long the mi terededges as well. l f you installed furring strips,nail the wainscoting to the strips.

IIIIIttIIIIIIIIIIIItI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tII

-\ n.\ \ _F

\Nailerlocationlinea

l t/ / q

/d$

44

PANELING

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItI

Q Checking for p lumbr. , f Hal fway a long the wal l , ho ld a car-pen te r ' s l eve l aga ins t t he t ongue o f t helast board you insta l led to check for p lumb(right). lf the board is not perfectly verti-ca l , taper the grooved edge of the nextboard wi th a hand p lane so that i t wi l l beolumb when i t is insta l led. Cont inue to theend of the wal l . To f i t the last board, usea l og -bu i l de r ' s sc r i be t o t r ans fe r t he p ro -f i l e and ang le o f t he ad jo in ing wa l l t o t heface of the board (page 42).

Panel ing an adjo in ing wal lTo i ns ta l l wa insco t i ng a t an i ns ide

corner, butt the grooved edge of a boardagainst the last board you insta l led on theadjo in ing wal l , then nai l i t in p lace ( le f t ) .Nail along the grooved edges of the boardsas wel l . Work your way around the roomun t i l a l l t he wa insco t i ng i s i ns ta l l ed . F in i shthe job by install ing baseboard (page 22)and adding a cap rail (page 38).

FRAME -AND . PANE L WAINS COTING

I rame-and-panel wainscoting con-l.' sists of a frame of horizontal railsand vertical stiles and mullions enclos-ing raised panels. The frame memberscan be joined in a number of ways,including dowel, biscuit, mortise-and-tenon, or cope-and-stick joints. Thissection shows you how to cut the cope-and-stick on the shaper (page 47).Thepanels can be raised on atablesaw (page49),burt specialized router bits (page a8)and shaper cutters (page 109) do a fasterand cleaner job, and can shape curvedprofiles as well.

This type of paneling can be installedover the lower portion of a wall, liketongue-and-groove wainscoting, or itcan cover an entire wall from floor toceling (page 4l). In either case, you needto determine the dimensions of the pan-eling and its various components. Theframe pieces and panels must be sizedto fit each wall exactly, and properly pro-portioned so theylook right in the room.Be sure to consider obstructions such asdoors and windows, fireplaces and ceil-ing beams. Before cutting any wood,make a scale drawing of the room andexperiment with different designs.

When installing frame-and-panelwainscoting, it is best to work on onewall at a time, preparing and installingthe frame pieces and panels together.The wainscot can then be glued up andinstalled as a unit, or built up on the wallpiece by piece. Ifyou follow the lattermethod, you will be able to compensatefor any mistakes as you go along.

ly used in frame-and fi,)ili'*r," %scoting. It also adds a decorative touch:

"%;lT,^

The router bit that cuts the grooves for the -""'i:

The cope-and-stick joint shown inthe photo at right is aneasy-to-cut alternative to themortis e - an d - ten o n tra diti o n al-

panel and tongues in the stiles and rails also carvesa molding along the inside edges of the frame.

A GALTERY ()F RAISED PANEL PR()FILES

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIItIIII

Kaiaed panelwith ovolo frame

Coved panel

Oqee beveledpanel

Develedpanel raioedfrom frame

Kabbetedframe withmoldinq

46

PANELING

MAKING A COPE-AND.STICK FRAME

I

I

I

tIIIIIIIIl

IIIIIIIt

IIIIIIIItIt

' l Cutting tongues in the railsI and mul l ionsS a w t h e r a i l s , m u l l i o n s , a n d s t i l e s t olength . To jo in the p ieces o f the f ramewith cope-and-stick joints, start by cuttingtongues at the ends of the rai ls and mul-l ions, as shown at lef t . Instal l a pi lotedcoping bi t in your shaper and adjust thecutt ing depth by butt ing the end of a rai lagainst the cutter and sett ing the top ofthe uppermost cutter s l ight ly above theworkpiece. Posit ion the fence paral lel tothe miter gauge slot and in l ine with theedge of the bi t pi lot . For added stabi l i ty,screw a board to the miter gauge as anextension. Feed the stock face down withthe gauge, holding the edge of the work-piece against the extension and the endagainst the fence (/eff). (Although a shaperis used here, a table-mounted router canalso be used to cut cope-and-stick joints.)

Adjusting the sticking bitRep lace the cop ing b i t w i t h a

prloted st icking bi t . To adjust the cut-t ing depth, butt the tongue at the endof a rai l or muntin against the bi t andset one of the groove-cutting teeth lev-el with the tongue (below). Align thefence with the edge of the bi t pi lot .

\ \ ) )

Miter gauqeextenaion

PANELING

Cutting the groovesand decorative profile

Use two featherboards to secure the stockdur ing the cuts. Clamp a standard feath-erboard to the shaper table opposite thebit; secure a support board at a 90" angleto the featherboard. Clamp a shaper feath-erboard to the fence. Make th is feather-board on the band saw by curving the bot-tom edge of a 2-by-4 and cutting a serieso f ang led s lo t s i n to t he edge . Cu t t hegrooves and decorat ive prof i le a long theins ide edges o f t he s t i l es and ra i l s , andalong both edges of a l l the mul l ions. Makeeach pass wi th the stock outs ide- facedown, pressing the workpiece against thefence (lefi l . Use a push stick to completetne Dass.

IIIIIItItI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

RAISING THE PANELS

Raising a panel on the router tableCut each pane l to f i t w i th in i t s f rame,adding % rnch on al l s ides for the grooves.Instal l a pi loted panel-raising bi t in yourrouter and mount the tool in a table. Setthe depth of cut at % inch and clamp twofeatherboards to the fence, one on eachside of the bi t . To raise the panel, feed theboard across the table outside-face down,keeprng the workpiece f lush against thefence and your hands clear of the cutter(r ight) . To minimize tearout, cut into theend gra in o f the pane l f t rs t , shap ing thetwo ends o f the pane l be fore the s ides .Test fit the panel in the frame grooves andmake as many passes as you need, increas-ing the cutt ing depth no more than % inchat a t ime.

Fanel-raieinq bit

48

PANELING

INSTATTING FRAME-AND-PANEL WAINSCOTING

I

I

I

tIIIIItI

I

I

tIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIII

Raising a panel on the table sawTo set the proper blade angle for rais ing apane l on the tab le saw, mark a cu t t ingline on the panel: Draw aYo-inch square atthe bottom corner, then mark a l ine fromthe f ron t face o f the pane l th rough theinside corner of the square to a point onthe bottom edge X inch from the back face(insef). Install an auxiliary wood fence, setthe panel against i t , and adjust the angleof the blade unt i l i t a l igns with the cutt ingl ine. Raise the blade unt i l one tooth justprotrudes beyond the front face of the pan-el . Make a cut in one end of the oanel andtest-fit the cut in a groove. lf the panel sitsless than % inch deep, move the fence al i t t le closer to the blade and make anotherpass. To minimize tearout, bevel the endsof the panel f irst, then the sides (rrghf).

1 Install ing furring stripsI L i ke t ongue -and -g roove pane l i ng ,f rame-and-panel wainscot ing can be fas-tened to nailers behind the wall (page 44).l f you do not know where the nai lers areloca ted o r whe the r t hey ex i s t , you w i l lhave to ancho r t he pane l i ng t o f u r r i ngstr ips. Snap two chalk l ines on the wal l tohelp you insta l l the st r ips. For f rame-and-pane l wa insco t i ng , one s t r i p shou ld belevel wi th the top ra i l , typ ical ly 36 inchesof f the f loor . Locate the second chalk l inea few inches above the floor. Saw the fur-ring strips from 1-by-3 stock; cut one forthe top ra i l and two for the bot tom ra i l .Determine the location of the studs (page32 ) and na i l each fu r r i ng s t r i p i n p lace(left), driuing two nails at each stud.

49

PANELING

Q Setting the first panel in placer-J Once three sides of the frame havebeen instal led, set the f i rst panel in placeat the outside corner (right), making surei t f i ts snugly in the grooves cut in the rai land str le. Do not apply glue to the panelgrooves; the panel must be free to movein the frame.

r") Installing the stiles and railsI f est-fit the parts of the wainscotingand scr ibe al ignment marks for the mul-l ions along the top and bottom rai ls. Bevelone edge of the outside corner stile as youwould for tongue-and-groove paneling (page44). Posilion the stile at the corner ands l ide a sh im underneath i t ; the gap w i l la l low for wood movement. Tack-nai l thest i le to the furr ing str ips, making sure thatthe board is plumb. Hold the mating st i lein p lace to make sure tha t the mi te rededges of the two are perfectly aligned. Thenapply some glue to the ends of the bottomrai l and join i t to the st i le, also sett ing i ton shims. Join the inside corner st i le tothe bottom rai l and tack-nai l i t to the fur-ring strips, adjusting it if necessary. Lastly,screw or nai l the assembly to the furr ingstrips (/eff).

IIIIIIrIIIIttItI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

ttI

I

I

rI

tt

50

PANELING

IITtIItIIIIIIIrIIIIIItIIIIIIIIII

f , Insta l l ing the top ra i lr , , Apply g lue to the top ends of a l l themu l l i ons and f i t t he t op ra i l i n pos i t i on(right), making sure the top ends of thepane l s , mu l l i ons , and s t i l es a l l f i t snug l yin the groove rn the top ra i l . An extra seto f hands w i l l make the j ob eas ie r . Oncethe top ra i l i s i n p lace , you can i ns ta l lbaseboard mold ing (page 24)and a caprai l (nase.38) Proceed to the next wal land work your way around the room, us ingbut t jo ints at ins ide corners and mi ter ingouts ide corners.

Instal l ing the f i rst mul l ionApply g lue to the bot tom end of the

mul l ion and the groove in the bot tom ra i l ,and set the mullion in place (left). Makes r r r e f h c n a n p l s i i s i n t h p o r n n v p s / - r r t i n

t he mu l l i on ' s edge . Con t i nue i ns ta l l i ngpane l s and mu l l i ons un t i l you reach thes t i l e a t t he i ns ide co rne r . S l i p t he l as tpane l be tween the mu l l i on and the s t i l e .

PANELED CEILINGS

T) aneled ceilinqs, also known as cof-.[- fered ceilingsl are an adaptation offrame-and-panel techniques normallyused to decorate walls. In conjunctionwith fiame-and-panel wains coting (p age46), apaneled ceiling can add depth andwarmth to a den or study.

The illustration below shows howa paneled ceiling is installed. Start witha structural framework of 2-by-4s an-chored to the ceiling joists. Cover theframework with I -by-a hardwood stock,such as oak or birch, then make box-like

facings to fit inside the framework, cre-ating a grid of boxes. Finally, set aveneered plyruood panel into each boxand install a frame of molding to holdthe panel in place.

As with full-wall paneling (page 41),the size of the panels should be propor-tionalto the dimensions of the room. Aceiling of small panels in a large roomlooks cluttered, while the opposite canappear too heaqu. Determine the panelsize by making a scale drawing of theceiling and experimenting with differ-

ent dimensions. A oanel size between 20and]6 inches is typical for medium-slzeo rooms.

You can try variations on this basicdesign. The panelboxes may be Ieft whitefor contrast or crown molding can beused in place of quarter-round mold-ing-although this would involve cut-ting coped joints at inside corners. Ifyoudecide to use stain, it is a good idea toapply the finish before installing the ceil-ing, for working overhead on a ceilingfull of crevices can prove tiring.

ItIIIIIIIIIItIItIIItIIItIIIIaIII

AN ANATOMY ()F A PANELED CEILING

PANELING

INSTALLING A PANELED CEILING

IIttIIttIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIII

1 Installing the 2-by-4 ftameworkI Snap a gr id o f cha lk l ines on theceiling based on the size of your panels.Start from the center of two oopositewa l ls so tha t any smal l pane ls w i l l belocated around the edge of the cei l ing.Remember to account for the width ofthe 2-by-4s as you lay out the chalkl ines. Determine the direct ion of thecei l ing joists with a stud f inder, theninstall the framework. Use long 2-by-4sto span the cei l ing perpendicular to thejoists; al ign the pieces with the chalkl ines and fasten them to the joists withfloorrng screws. Use shorter 2-by-4s tofit between the long boards and toe-nailthem in place (above).

r) Installing the hardwood gridL Once the 2-bv-4 framework is install-ed, use a f in ish naiter to mount the 1-by-4 hardwood grid (left). For added rigidity,instal l the long 1-by-4s perpendicular tothe long 2-by-4s. Al though the nai l ing canbe done by hand, a f in ish nai ler makes thework go much faster.

V

Dtrection ofceilinq joiete

L o n q 2 x 4

53

PANELING

Q Instal l ing the facingr-, f Wrthrn each frame, instal l four facingpieces of 1-by-3 hardwood stock thatmatches the wood you used for the gr id.For a more decorative effect, rip the piecesso they extend below the gr id by % rnch.F i t t he n ie r ^es : t t he co rne rs w r th 45 "bevel cuts (right), Ihen naii them to the2-by-4 framework,

Gluing the panels in placeOnce a l l t he f ac ing i s i ns ta l l ed , cu t pane l s f r om venee red

p lywood to f i t w i th in the f rames. App ly cons t ruc t ion adhes iveto the unders ide o f each pane l and press i t in p lace aga ins t

the ce i l ing (above) . The adhes ive w i l l ho ld the pane l un t i l youinstal l the shoe molding (step 5). The molding wi l l supply pres-sure needed for a f i rm slue bond.

I

I

I

I

tIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITIIrIII

PANELING

tIIIIIIIItIItIIIIttIIIIIIIIIIIII

f i Install ing the quarter-round moldingr-,1 Secure the panels with quarter-roundmold ing insta l led around the ins ide of eachfacing box. Cut the molding to len$h, joining

the p ieces at the corners wi th 45 ' mi ters.Nai l the mold ing to the fac ing wi th a f in-ish nailer (lefil.

A Installing crown molding\J To f in ish the cei l ing, instal l crownmold ing around i t s per imeter . Na i l i tto the framework and wall as you wouldon a plain cei l ing (page 26), usingcoped joints at inside corners and mitersat outside corners.

fu,' />,_+is

-IIII

tr: #"r_. i

I

tIII

IIIIIIIItIIIItIIIIIItIIIIIIII

II

I good window lets allthe light1\ and beautv of the outdoors inwhile keeping the elements out.Although they do this in many ways,reflecting a wide range of styles, win-dows consist of two basic parts: theframe and the sash. The former islike a door jamb, and serves muchthe same purpose: It is fixed to thestuds when the window is installed.The sash actually holds the pane ofglass. The windows covered in thischapter feature the popular double-hung sash. As shown on page 59,they contain two sashes, both ofwhich can slide up and down.

Once a window is installed (page59), gaps remain behveen the fiameand the surrounding framing ofstuds and headers. Just as sills,stools, aprons, and casings are

\AIINDOWS

I

A mitered "return" is glued onto the apronbelow a window sill, or stool, to hide the end

grain of the apron. Stool-and-apron is atraditional method of casing a window, often

made to match the room's interior trim.The molded casinghides the gaps between

the window jambs and the wall.

Picture-frame casing (pnge 61)consists of four pieces of molding:two side casings, a head casing, anda sill casing, all joined at the cornerswith 45" miters. Stool-and-aoroncasing (page 69) also features twoside casings, and may include dec-orative corner blocks, known asrosettes (page73).

In the example shown in thischapter, the head casing is buttedagainst the side casings, but thesejoints can also be mitered. The mostrecosnizable element of stool-and-apron casing, however, is the stool,or sill, installed at the bottom, whichjuts out from the window.

While many home builders, par-ticularly those in colder climates,opt for the precision and insulationof factory-made windows, elegant,

installed on the outside of a window to complement the exte-rior trim of a house, the window needs to be "casedj' or fiamedon the inside as well. Finish carpenters use two basic methodsfor this task: picture-frame and stool-and-apron.

high-quality windows can be made in the shop with special-ized sash cutters (page 75). Since these windows require thick-er stock than most cabinet work, a shaper is the stationaryoower toolof choice for makine them.

The final step in making a custom-fit window is installingthe glass-stopmolding, thin strips of shaped wood that hold the panes of glass in place.Shaped on a router table and ripped to width on the table saw, the moldingstriDs are ioined at the corners with miters and nailed to the window sash.

57

PICTURE-FRAME CASING(PAGE 61)

ST(IOT-AND.APR(lN CASING(PAGE 69)

9idecaeinq

CORNER TREATMENTS

APR(IN TREATMENTS Butted sill aaeing(page 65)A variaf,ron of picture-frame caein4 in which theaill caoinq io buLted upa4ainet the oide caainqeand extende beyond them;eliminatea the need formiterin7 oide caeinqe

Roeett'eg

i Qase73)! Uaed for deco-rative effectin atool-and-aPron ca,tnq;eliminatea theneed for miter-in4 head caeinq

IIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIItIII

BASIC WINDOW TRIM STYLES

INSTALLING WINDOWS

INSTALLING A D(|UBTE.HUNG SASH WINDOW

ItIIIIIIIIaIrtIItIIttIIIIIItrIII

I lthough fitting a window in placeArnuy ulpp.ur to"be a daunting task,it can in fact be a straightforward oper-ation. With the pre-hung window shownbelow which already includes the win-dow jambs attached to the sashes, all youneed is a hammer or a screwdriver and alevel. Whether your windows are facto-ry- or shop-made, they will be installedin the same fashion. The jambs are nailedinto the rough opening in the wall, theninsulated and dressed with interior trim.Sometimes, a jamb extension (page61)is

installed on the inside to bring the win-dow flush with the interior wall.

A window should be about %-inchsmaller on all sides than its rough open-ing. Since rough openings are seldomsquare, level, or plumb, this will makethe window easier to fit and shim, whileleaving some space around the windowfor insulation. Remember not to drivethe shims in too far or you mav riskbowing the window Test the windbw tomake sure that it slides smoothly beforenailing it in place.

A double-hungwindow is positionedin its rough openingfrom the outside.To help hold the window in place untilit can be adjusted and secured from theinside, it will be nailed or wedged tem-porarily to the frame of furring stripsaround the opening.

1 leveling and centering the windowI Position the window in its rough open-ing (photo, above)and temporarily tackor wedge i t in place. To help check thewindow for level as you go, clamp a car-penter's level to the underside of the headjamb. Insert shims between the side jambsand studs at the top of the rough open-ing. (Shims are wooden wedges usual lysold in bundles at hardware stores andlumberyards.) Then, holding up one cor-ner of the window, sl ip a shim betweenthe window horn and the rough sill (left).Repeat on the other side of the window.Add shims between the side jambs andthe studs at the middle and bottom ofthe window. Use as many shims as youneed to center the window in its openingwhile keeping the window level. (To installmore than one window at the same heightin a room, make a mark on the stud at aset distance from the header and shim allthe windows to the mark.r

59

WINDOWS

IItIIItItIItIIIIItIIIIIIItIIIIII

Nailing the window in placeOnce the window is level, fasten i t

to the wal l f raming. Drive a f in ishing nai lthrough the side jambs and shims into thestuds at each shim location hbove). Culthe shims f lush with the window iambsusing a ut i l i ty kni fe.

Q lnsulating the windowr-,1 Once a window is nai led in i ts roughopening and before instal l ing the casing,i t is a good idea to f i l l the hol low spacesbetween the window jambs and the wal lstuds with insulat ion-part icular ly i f youl ive in a cold cl imate. You can use f iber-glass insulat ion or a low-expanding foamas shown here. Fiberglass works well forlarge gaps, such as the space between thehead jamb and the header or the spacebetween the two si l ls. Foam insulat ion isideal for thinner spaces, but use i t spar-ingly; too much of it may cause the jambsto bow inward.

60

PICTURE-FRAME CASINGIIITtIIItIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIItIIII

.|) icture-frame casing comprises four

L pieces of molding mitered at 45o thatframe a window in much the sameway as a picture is framed. Commercialpicture-frame casing is available in anumber of profiles. It can also be milledon a table siw fitted with a moldine headusing the same procedures to pr6du..chair rail, custom baseboard, or any oth-er molding (back endpaper).

In order to nailpicture-frame casingin place, the front edges of the windowjambs need to be flush with the interiorwall. If the jambs are set more thanZ inch back from the drywall, you willneed to build and install a iamb exten-

INSTALLING A JAMB EXTENSI()N

sion (below). As the casing willhide theextension, the joinery used to attach theextension pieces together can be as sim-ple as a butt joint.

A shop-made gauge is used to markout the narrow portion of the win-dow jambs that will not be covered

with casing. This exposed portion ofthe jambs-anywhere from'/' to',4ninch wide-is called the "reveal." It

both enhances the visual effect ofthe casing and makes it easier to

install. To make the jig, see page 63.

1 Assembling the extensionI Measure the distance between the front edges of the jamb andthe inside wal l . Then r ip your extension stock to this width fromwood the same thickness as the window jamb. Cut the pieces to

size to make a frame that wi l l f i t the inside faces of the windowjambs with a sl ight reveal. You can instal l the extension piecesone by one, or nail or screw them together into a unit (above).

WINDOWS

r) lnstalling the extensionZ Fasten the lamb extension in place asyou did to instal l the window (page 59).Position the extension over the jamb, usingshims to ensure that it is level (righil.fhennai l the extension to the wal l studs throughthe sh ims. Add insu la t ion in the emptyspaces around the extension.

Marking the reveall f t he l amb ex tens ion i s s l i gh t l y p roud o f t he i n te r i o r wa l l ,

plane i t down. l f i t is set back from the wal l , use a rasp or ashaver (above, left)Io cut the drywall down until it is flush withthe extension. Avoid cutt ing into any part of the wal l that wi l l notbe covered by the casing. Next, mark the reveal around the jamb

or the extension. Adjust a combinat ion square to the desi redreveal-typically between t/z drrd 5As inch. Then, starting at thehead jamb, but t the square 's handle against the ins ide face ofthe jamb. With a penci l f lush against the b lade, s l ide the handledown the jamb to mark the reveal l ine (above, right).

IIIItIrIItItIIIIIIrIIItIIIIIttIr

62

WINDOWS

INSTALLING PICTURE.FRAME CASING

ItItIItIIIIIIIIIItItIIIIIIItIIII

1 Installing the head casingI To determrne the length of the headcasing, measure the distance between thewindow jambs and add twice the reveal toyour measurement. Miter both ends of thehead casrng at 45' so that the distance be-tween the heels of the miters equals yourresult . Then, al igning the bottom edge ofthe casing with the reveal l ine, fasten thehead casing in place with a hammer or f in-ish nailer (/eff). Space a pair of nails every6 inches, dr iv ing one into the jamb and theother directly above it through the wall andinto the header.

,t

A REVEAT GAUGEThe shop-made jig at right makes it easy to mark thereveal for casing around window jambs. To make thegauge, cut a square piece of %-inch plywood or hard-wood, then saw a different-sized rabbet in each of thefour edges. Each rabbet width should correspond toa typical reveal width- in this case, % inch, %e inch,% inch, and %o inch. Mark the widths on each side.Do not make your reveals too wide, otherwise you willhave to drive the nails near the edge of the casing,which will risk splitting it. For a %-inch jamb, a revealof % inch is about right. To use the reveal gauge, buttthe appropriate rabbet against the jamb and slide itdown the jamb with a pencil (page 61).

63

WINDOWS

r-) Installing the side casingI Delermine the lensth of the side cas-ing pieces and miter ttieir ends as you didthe head casing. Set the pieces in place;if either miter joint fits poorly, correct thefit as described starting on page 66. Onceyou are satisf ied with the fit, spread a lit-tle glue on two of the contacting mitersand posit ion one piece of s ide casing inplace. Start ing at the top, nai l the casingto the jamb and wall studs frghf). Do notdr ive any nai ls near the bottom for now;you may need to adjust the casing slightlyto f i t the si l l casing. Repeat for the otherside casing.

Q Installing the sill casingr-,1 Measure the gap between theside casings and cut the sr l l casingto f it. Again, it may be necessary tof ix the miters (page 66). Spread alittle glue on the miters, position thes i l l cas ing , and na i l i t to the jamband the rough sill (below). Then fin-ish nai l ing the side casings in place.

IIIIIIIttIIIIIIIrtIIIIIItIIIIIIr

64

WINDOWS

IItTItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItItIII

Cross-nailing the mitersTo comp le te t he i ns ta l l a t i on , d r i ve a

n : i l i n i n t h o p d o o n f t h o c i d o e e c i n o n p : r

the top so that the nail penetrates the headcasing (right). Repeat at the remainingthree corners of the casing. Thrs step wi l lhe lp ensure that the jo ints do not open wi thseasonal movement.

M()DIFIED PICTURE-FRAME CASING

lnstall ing a butted sil l casingYou can s imp l i f y t he i ns ta l l a t i on o f p i c -ture- f rame casing by us ing but t jo ints atthe bot tom, instead of mi ters. As shownin the i l lust rat ron at le f t , modi f ied p ic ture-f rame casing involves mi ter jo ints at thetop, but you can cut the bot tom ends oft he s ide cas ins so r ra re Then c rosscu tbo th ends o f t he s i l l cas ing to span a l i t -t le beyond the side pieces. For decorativee f fec t , you can cu t a sha l l ow m i te r a teach end o f t he s i l l cas ing . Then s imp lybut t i ts th icker edge up against the s idecas ings and na i l i t i n p lace .

65

WINDOWS

C()RRECTING PO()R.FITTING MITERS

Closing a gap at the toeTo close a gap at the toe of a miter, placethe wedge 5 or 6 inches from the end ofthe cas ing and make the cu t . As shownat r ight, the saw wi l l shorten the heel ofthe miter. Test- f i t the joint and repeat,i f necessary, moving the wedge % inchcloser to the board end.

Cfosing a gap al the heelYou can fix a gap in a miter joint by adjust-ing the cutt ing angle on the power mitersaw. But instead of resett ing the saw'sangle, it is simpler to change the angle ofthe workpiece on the fence. To close agap at the heel of the miter, set the cas-ing against the fence with the toe of themiter extending slightly beyond the fence.( ln this case, an auxi l iary fence has beenattached to the regular fence to help l ineup the cut.) Then slip a thin wedge betweenthe cas ing and the fence 1 or 2 inchesfrom the end of the board. Now make thecut (represented by the dotted line in thei l lustrat ion at lef t) . Test- f i t the loint andrepeat the cut, i f necessary, moving thewedge % inch farther away from the endof the casins.

IIIIIIItIIttIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIr

66

WINDOWS

IIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIItttIIIIIIIIII

Back-cutting a miterlf a miter joint is open along its entire length (inset),Iry the solu-trons described on page 66. lf the joini is stil l open, remove somestock from the the back edge of one of the pieces. You can dothis by repeating the corrective cuts on the power miter saw with

a second shim placed under the casing to raise it slightly abovethe saw table, or by back-cutting the miter with a sharp utilityknife, always cutting away from your body (above). You can alsouse a block olane. as shown below.

Back-planing a miterTo back-cut a miter using a block plane, secure the casing in a vise so themiter is roughly paral lel to the work surface. Holding the plane at an angleto the back edge of the miter, make a series of light cuts (abovd.

67

WINDOWS

Tr imming proud casingA mi ter lo int may f i t wel l , but one of themat ing p ieces may be proud, or ra isedsl ight ly above the level of the other . Toremedy the problem, gent ly pare downthe proud p iece wi th a chisel (above).

Avoid sanding, which wi l l leave a poorsu r face fo r f i n i sh ing o r pa in t i ng , andwh ich i s much more d i f f i cu l t t o do onmolded casing. To avoid damaging thep ro f i l e o f i n t r i ca te mo ld ing , you canins ta l l a sh rm beh ind the p iece tha t i srecessed as an a l ternat ive to chisel ingthe proud p iece.

llj Jl tlil ilt dl llil ijll llil lt lll llli ,1 l,i ilj lll Jr llll ltrl1HO? TI?An auxiliary table forthe power miter sawAn auxi l iary trable makesit much easier to l ine uVotraight and bevel culs, Use'/o-tnch

Vlywood for Lhe tableand secure t t , in Vlace wiLhdouble-f ace d Nap e, l ' / akeEhree kerfs acrooo Nhe aux-i l iary Lable: one 90" anqlecuL and a 45" cuton ei lher eide. Touee lhe Lable, al iqnNhe cult inq markon your worK?teceluot to Lhe wast eside of the aVVro-priatre kerf andmaKe the cut.

IrtIIIItIIrtttIttIIIIIttIIIIrtII

68

STO OL-AND.APRON CASING

INSTALLING ST()OT.AND.APRON CASING

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

T

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

t

A lso known as "traditional" windowA casing, stool-and-apron casing ismore difficult to make and install thanpicture-frame casing. However, its useof the butt joint allows different mold-ings to be combined for contrastingeffect. The stool is cut to fit the windowopening with two "horns" that extendbeyond the side casing, typically by thesame amount that the stool protrudesfrom the face of the casing. This can beanywhere between lu to'l inch, depend-ing on the profile of the molding youare using. Lumberyards sellstool capsfor assembly-line window installation,but you can easily make your own stoolusing a router. To balance the windowthe head casing also extends past the sidecasings. The head casing can also includedecorative rosettes (page 73),

A window sill, or stool, is fastened to the wall studs with a finish nailer. Cut to fitthe window opening the stool features horns that extend past the window frame.

1 Marking the hornsI Shape the outside edge of the stool and cut i t to length.Mark the center of both the stool and the rough window si l l .Then. mark the po in ts on each s ide o f the w indow where the

wal l meets the stool hbove). These wi l l be your l ines for cut-t ing the inside edges of the horns. Extend both horn l ines tothe front edge of the stool with a try square.

69

WINDOWS

tIIttIIttI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

r

r) Marking and installing the stoolZ- to f in isf ' marking your cutt ing l ines for the horns, adjusta compass to the widest gap between the front edge of the roughsi l l and the drywal l . Holding the stool against the wal l with thecenter marks a l igned, se t the compass po in t a t the edge o fthe wall and scribe a line for each horn (above, /eff). To deter-mine how much stock you need to tr im from the inside edge ofthe stool, keep the same compass sett ing and mark a l ine alongthe lengh of the stool, running the compass point along the frontedge of the rough sill (above, right), Cut out the horns as well asthe waste str ip from the inside edge of the stool. Then nai l thestoolto the studs. l f the window jambs are f lush with the wal l ,instal l the side casing (step 4). Otherwise, mount a modif iedjamb extension (step 3).

Q Installing a modified jamb extensionr-, , Bui ld a modif ied iamb extension(page 61) with no botfom piece. Fi tthe extension over the window jambs(r ight) and shim i t in place, makingsure tha t i t i s cen tered in the open-ing, square, and level. Then narl theextension to the iambs.

/ t J

WINDOWS

I

tII

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

lnstalling the side casingMark the reveal around the iamb

extension (page 62) to match the revealbetween the stool and rough s i l l . Thencut the s ide casings to length, sawingboth ends square, Insta l l the s ide cas-ings as you would for picture-frame cas-ing (page 65), nailing them into the win-dow jamb and studs (above). Space thenai ls 6 to 8 inches apart .

R Install ing the head casingr- ,1 Cut the head casing to the samelength as the stool , center i t on the s idecasing p ieces, and nai l i t in p lace ( /ef f ) .

Dr ive the nai ls in to both the head jamb

and the rough header every 6 to 8 inches.

7 l

WINDOWS

4i Install ing the apron and returns\ , f Once the s too l and cas ing a re i nplace, complete the window by insta l l ingthe ap ron benea th t he s too l . S ta r t bymeasur ing the d is tance between the out-s ide edges of the s ide casings and cut theapron to your measured length, sawing45' bevels at both ends of the apron. Toconceal the end gra in, g lue on matchingend pieces, known as returns. Make themon the power mi ter saw by cut t ing a 45 'bevel in a p iece of scrap mold ing wi th thesame p ro f i l e as t he ap ron , t hen cu t t i ngoff a narrow wedge of stock at the end ofthe piece (above, left). Nail the apron intothe rough sil l and the wall studs (aboye,rieht). lhen slue the retrrrns to the ends' ' O ' / t '

nf thc :n rnn (naop 67)\ P v b v v ' / '

iti U Ji ][ iiii lll '1fi lli d u i l t ] i i $ i l , ,I

5HO? Tt?Atemporary braceto hold window a?roneTo free uo bolh vour

I

I

I

I

t

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

*l

hand,s for nai l inq a windowaVron in place, uee a brace , \board l ike Lhe one ehown aLrighL. Cut, lhe board from t,hinocraV otock el iqhLly lonqer Lhanthe distance between the apronand lhe f loor, and wedge i I t iqhr lybelween lhe aVron and Lhe f loorunt i l t t bowo ol iqhLly

WINDOWS

IIIIIIIItI

I

I

I

tIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItt

MAKING AND INSTALLING ROSETTES

r) Securing the blank to the jigL lnstall a rosette cutter in the drill pressand set the machine's dr i l l ing speed fol low-ing the manufacturer 's instruct ions. Placea blank in the dr i l l ing j ig and lock i t in placeby c lamping a no tched ho ld -down b lockover iI tight).

1 Making a dr i l l ing i igI Size blanks for the rosettes (page 58)so that they are sl ight ly wider than thecasing, and their outside edges wi l l a l ignwith the ends of the stool. You can alsomake the blanks thicker than the casing.To cut the rosettes on the drill oress.make a dr i l l ing j ig to secure the blanks.Center a blank on a %-inch plywood baseand butt stop blocks of the same thick-ness around three sides of the blank andscrew them to the base. Screw down twomore blocks as hold-downs at a angle tothe corners formed by the stop blocks,Mark the center of the j ig and set i t onthe dr i l l press table. Instal l a brad-pointbi t , al ign the j ig 's centerpoint direct lyunder the bit (lett), and clamp the jig tothe tab le .

73

WINDOWS

t) Cuttins the rosettes<'

r .J Turn on the dr i l l and lower the qui l lunt i l the cutter l ight ly contacts thewood. Cont inue cutt ing unt i l the rosettehas the desired profile (above). Installthe rosettes with the end grain on thetop and bottom after nai l ing the sidecasings in place (page 71); then cut thehead casing to fit between the rosettes.

ilIl llll llll llll llll llll lll] illl lll fiil rlll lllr l]lt rllJ llll lrl lll1 illl5HO? Tt?A ohop-made rooette auf,lerYou can cuL roaeltee by modifying a drill preoo fly cuf,ler wilh abeadinq blade from a Lable eaw e moldinq head, Noich lhe fly cut-ler arm l,o accommodaNe bhe beadinq blade,locatin4 Lhe cuLlerabout l inch from the end of the arm.Make sure il fits securely in lhe notchso i t cannoL ohi lA durinq uee. Dore aho le th rouqht rhe arm and use abo lL ,washer, and nu|lo faslen the bladein place, iIo flal f ace loward

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIttIIIIIIIIIIIIItI

74

MAKING A WINDOW SASHI

I

I

tIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

ASSEMBLING THE SASH

Median rail

9pline

Paired with a shop-made mortising jig, a router cuts a mor-tise in one of the stiles of a window sash. The jig ensures thatthe mortise is centered on the edge of the stock. A matchingmortise will be cut in the end of the adjoining rail and a splinewill reinforce the joint between the two pieces.

1 Planning the iobI The window sash shown above consists of two vert icals t i les , two hor izon ta l ra i l s , a med ian ra i l , and two mul l ionstha t d iv ide the sash ver t i ca l l y . The p ieces are connected bycope-and-st ick joints cut on a shaper. The joints between thest i les and rai ls are reinforced by spl ines. To size your stock,make the st i les equal to the height of the opening for the sash.For the rai l length, take the width of the opening and subtracttwice the st i le width. Then add twice the depth of the copingcuts you wi l l make (step 2), l f , for example, the width of thewindow open ing is 32 inches , the s t i les a re 3% inches w ide ,and the depth of the coping cuts is % inch, each rai l should be26 inches long. You can also make the bottom rai l wider thanthe other pieces to accommodate handles. To determine thelength of each mul l ion, take the height of the opening and sub-tract the width of the three rails. Then add four times the depthof the coping cuts. Divide the total by two.

75

WINDOWS

r) Making the coping cutsL es shown above at lef t , the loinery for the rai ls and st i lesis done by matching cutters on the shaper. The coping cutteris used on the ends o f a l l ra i l s and mul l ions . The s t i ck ing cu t -te r shanes the ins ide edses o f the sash n ieces . To se t thehe igh t o f the cop ing cu t te r , f i r s t ins ta l l the s t i ck ing cu t te r inthe shaper and adjust i ts height so the top of the cutter is lev-e l w i th one o f the sash p ieces se t face down on the tab le .Make a cut (step 5) in a test piece the same thickness as the

sash stock. Then insta l l the coping cut ter and rub bear ing onthe shaper and but t the cut end of the test p iece against thecut ter to set i ts height . For the coping cuts, posi t ion the fences l i gh t l y beh ind the rub bea r i ng and bu i l d a cop ing l i g (page90). Use the i is to feed both ends of the ra i ls in to the cut ter(above , r i gh t ) , I o cope the end o f t he med ian ra i l and mu l -l i ons , shape a w ide p iece and r i p t he w id ths you need on thei e h l p c a r n r / < t a n ? )

IIIIIIIIIIttIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Q Ripping the median ra i l and mul l ionsr- ,1 Once you have made the coping cutson two w ide boa rds fo r t he med ian ra i land mu l l i ons , pos i t i on t he tab le saw r i pfence for cut t ing the median ra i l - typ ical -ly one- th i rd the width of the st i les. Feedthe board into the blade with a push stick(rghf) . Reposi t ion the fence for the mul-l ions and cut them f rom the other boardrne same way.

)tickin7 cutter eet

76

WINDOWS

IIIIIIIIIIIItIttIIItIIIIIIIIItII

f, Making the sticking cutsl- , l To make the st icking cuts, adjust the shaper 's fence tomake a fu l l cu t in the edge o f the s tock ; the cu t te r shou ldjust touch the widest point of the workpiece. Also instal l com-mercial hold-downs on the shaoer 's fence and table to securethe s tock dur ing the cu ts and prevent k ickback and chat te r .

Then, make the s t i ck ing cu ts in the ins ide edges o f the ra i l sand st i les, feeding the stock at a steady rale (above) and usea push s t i ck to f in ish the cu ts . Repeat th is p rocess fo r them e d i a n r a i l a n d m u l l i o n s b u t t h i s t i m e s h a p i n g b o t h e d g e sof the o iece .

Setting up the sticking cutterOnce al l the ra i ls and mul l ions are Dre-

pared, remove the coping cutter and rubbearing from the shaper and install a stick-ing cutter set. The one shown features astraight cutter, which should be the samewidth as the tongue left by the coping cuts.Th is se tup w i l l shape the ins ide edge o fal l the sash pieces and cut rabbets to sup-port the glass. Butt one of the rails againstthe brt to set the height of the sticking cut-ter (left); the tip at the top of the cuttershould be al igned with the l ip, or quirk, atthe top of the coped end.

77

WINDOWS

Strengthening the corner jointsReinforce the joints between the sti les

and the top and boi tom ra i ls wi th spl ines.Star t by rout ing mort ises for the spl ines inthe ends of the ra i ls and the ins ide edgesof the st i les (page 75) . The spl ine shouldf i t the mort ises snugly and be shor ter thanthe combined depth of the two mating mor-t i ses . You can cu t a l l t he sp l i nes f r om as inp le hoa rd To do the i ob on the tab lesaw, screw a wooden extension to the mitergauge . Ensu re t ha t a l l t he sp l i nes w i l l bethe same length by mark ing a referencel ine on the extension. Al ign the end of theboard with the l ine and hold its edge againstthe extension to cut each spline (/eff). Formaximum strength, cut the spl ines so thei rg ra in w i l l r un i n t he same d i rec t i on as t hegrain of the ra i ls .

IIIIItIItI

I

I

I

I

I

I

tIIIIItIIIIIIIII

7 Gluins the mul l ions to the rai ls, -/ Glue up the frame in two steps. Start by gluing the rai ls andmull ions together, as shown above, then add the st i les (sfep 8).Test-f i t the pieces, marking reference l ines across the jointsw i th the mul l ions to he lp you a l ign the par ts dur ing g lue-up .

For the ra i ls and mul l ions, apply g lue to the contact ing sur facesof the boards. Assemble the p ieces and insta l l a bar c lamp tosecure the mullions to the top and bottom ratls Gbove); use woodoads to orotect the stock

Keferencelrne

:l

Keferenceline

7B

WINDOWS

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

aIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Gluing the st i les to the rai lsInser t the sp l ines in the ra i l s and app ly g lue to the jo in ts

between the ra i ls and st i les. Spread g lue in the mort ises andonto the spl ines, Turn the window over and secure the st i les inp lace w i th ba r c l amps (above ) . A l i gn a c l amp w i th each ra i l ,ensur ing that the ends of the st i les are f lush wi th the edges of

INSTALLING THE GLASS AND GLASS-STOP M()LDING

the rai ls. Use wood pads to protect the stock. As soon as theclamps are t ight, check the assembly for square by measuringthe sash from corner to corner in both direct ions. The two diag-onals should be equal. l f not, readjust the clamping pressuresl ight ly unt i l the sash is square.

1 Making glass-stop moldingI Glass-stop mold ing wi l l ho ld the g lassaga ins t t he rabbe ts i n t he w indow sash .To p repa re t he mo ld ing w i th a rou te r ,insta l l a decorat ive mold ing b i t in the tooland mount i t in a table. Shape both edgeso f a w ide boa rd l ong enough to y i e l d a l lt he mo ld ing you w i l l need , t hen r i p t hemold ing st r ips f rom the stock. Use threefeatherboards to support the workpiecedur ing the cut : two c lamped to the fenceon er ther s ide of the b i t and one c lampedto the table. Feed the board into the cutterwh i l e keep ing i t f l ush aga ins t t he f ence :f i n i sh t he pass w i th a push s t i ck . Repea tto shape the other edge (left). Cut themo ld ing o f f t he boa rd on the tab le saw ,then saw r t t o l eng th , mak ing 45 ' m i te rcuts at the end of each o iece.

79

WINDOWS

r) Install ing the glass and the moldingI Set the sash and s lass on a worksur face, then p lace the mold ing in posi -t i on . Bo re a p i l o t ho le eve ry 6 i nches ,i n s e r t a f i n i s h i n g n a i l i n t o e a c h h o l e ,and dr ive i t home. To use a brad dr iver ,as shown above, adjust the jaws againstt he sash and the na i l , t hen t rgh ten thelock ing nu t . Ho ld ing the sash s teady ,soueeze the iaws to set the nail.

lil ili lllj il, dl llil li|J ilil tlli lrii llil ill lli ilii l;il dli tlj ib5HO7 Tt?lnotal l ingthe molding wibh a hammerl f you are uoinq a hammer Lo nai l qlaee-eNop moldinq inplace, prolec|the qlaoo by placin4 a piece of cardboardon it ae you drive each nail, as shown here.

I

tIIIIIItIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIrI

I

IBO

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIrI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

A GLAZING BARHALF-LAP TOINT

Tlrc glnzing bar half-tnp joint showrr at right fornrs a stronger ' '

bortd thnn the cope-and-stick joint for corutecting the nuillion andrnedian rail of a divided window snsh. The pieces, called glazing bars, are

.ioined by ntitered half-laps. Rabbets are cut along the back edges of thebars to nccontmodnte the glass and glass-stop ntolding. The ends ofthe bnrs are joined to the roils and stiles with cope-and-stick joints.

MAKING A GTAZING BAR HALF-LAP J()INT

' l Molding the glazing barsI The l o rn t i s made i n t h ree s tages : S ta r t by cu t t i ng t heproper prof i le in to the g laz ing bars, as shown above; next , cutrabbets in to the opposi te s ide of the bars to hold the g lass andmold ing st r ips (s tep 2) ; f ina l ly , produce the mi tered hal f - lap(steps 3 to 5) . For the f i rs t s tage, insta l l a p i lo ted round-overb i t i n a rou te r , moun t t he t oo l i n a t ab le . and a l i gn t he fencew i th t he b i t ' s p i l o t bea r i ng . The s tock shou ld be w ide enoughso tha t mak ing a pass on each s ide o f t he ba r w i l l l eave a %-inch -w ide l i p be tween the cu ts . Suppo r t t he wo rkp iece du r i ng

the operat ion wi th three featherboards: Clamp one to the tableopoosi te the b i t and two to the fence on each s ide of the cut-ter . ( ln the i l lust rat ion, the featherboard on the out feed s ide ofthe fence has been removed for c lar i ty . ) Feed the bar in to theb i t un t i l you r f i nge rs app roach the cu t te r , t hen use the nex tp iece as a push s t i ck o r move to t he o the r s i de o f t he t ab leand pu l l t he wo rkp iece th rough the cu t . Repea t t he pass onthe other s ide of the bar (above). Prepare an extra bar to helpset uo the cut in s teo 3.

8 1

WINDOWS

r) Cutting rabbets for the glass panesI lnstall a dado head on your table saw slightly wider than thedesired rabbets. The tongue remaining after the rabbets are cutshould measure at least % inch. Instal l a wooden auxi l iary fenceand mark the rabbet depth on it-the combined thickness of theglass and the molding str ip, Posit ion the auxi l iary fence over thedado head, ensuring that the metal fence is clear of the cutters.Turn on the saw and slowly crank up the dado head unt i l i t formsa rel ief cut to the marked I ine. Turn off the saw and mark thewidth of the rabbets on the leading end of the glazing bar. Buttone of the marks against the outer blade of the dado head, thenposition the fence flush against the bar. Use three featherboardsto support the workpiece as in step 1, adding a support board toprovide extra pressure for the featherboard clamped to the table.(Again in this il lustration, the featherboard on the outfeed side ofthe fence has been removed for c lar i ty.) Feed the bars by hand(left) unlil your fingers approach the featherboards, then use thenext workpiece to f in ish the pass. Complete the cut on the f inalworkpiece by pul l ing i t f rom the outfeed stde of the table.

I

tI

tIIIttI

I

I

I

I

I

tIIIIIIIIIIItI

I

tI

Making the miter cutsRemove the dado head and instal l a crosscut blade. Adiust

the blade angle to 45" and attach a wooden extension to themiter gauge. To set the blade height, hold the extra glazing baron the saw table so the tongue you cut in step 2 is flush againstthe extension. The top of the blade should be levelwith the low-er side of the l ip. Make a test cut and adjust the blade heightuntrl the cutting edge just scores the lip (inset). Then mark themiter cuts on both sides of the bars; at their widest points, the

Vs should be the same width as the stock. To make the cut, holdthe tongue of the bar flat against the miter gauge extension andal ign one of the marks with the blade. Butt a stop block againstthe end of the stock and clamp it to the extension for subsequentcuts. Clamp the workpiece to the extension and feed the glazingbar into the blade whi le holding i t f i rmly in place. Rotate thepiece and make the same cut on the other side of the V. Repeatthe process to cut the V on the opposite side of the bar (above).

82

WINDOWS

IIIrltItIIIIIIttIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

f, Gutting the half-lapsr, l Reinstal l the dado head in your table saw and adjust i t tothe width of the bar 's l ip. Set the cutt ing height to one-half thestock thickness. You wi l l be cutt ing a half- lap in the bottom ofone glazing bar, then making an ident ical cut in the top of the

Cleaning up the V-cuts0nce a l l the mi te r cu ts have been

made, use a narrow chisel to pare awaythe waste. The width of the channel at thebottom of the V should equal the width ofthe l ip. Holding the chisel bevel s ide up,pare away the waste (left) until the bottomof the V is smooth and flat. Work carefullvto avoid tearout.

mating piece. Set up the cut by al igning the middle of the V-cutwith the dado head, whi le holding the bar f lush against the mitergauge extension. Keep the workpiece f lat on the saw table andflush against the exiension as you cut the half-laps (above).

,,IL

IIII

,.,1

ri-1

{,

. . i ' Ti ' i i

; " .1, i , ; ', r l , l

tt

ItIIIIItI2IItrIIIIIIIIIIIt

proper door, like a properchair, may go unnoticed most

of the time. It will swing easily,close with a satisfying thud, andrest squarely in its opening. Its sryleand weight will complement itssurroundings. But like a smilingface, a well-built, well-hung, andwell-framed door meets friendsand strangers with an unspoken,but warm-hearted welcome.

For all its workaday nature, adoor and its surroundings are nosimple things. The door, frame, andtrim must be both sturdy and dec-

DOORS

environment of an interior dooris less harsh, a lifetime of use stilldemands care in construction.

Once a door is selected or built,i t st i l l must be hung. In manyways, hanging a door is the mostdemanding chore of the finish car-penter. Techniques vary widely, butthe job typically comprises severaldistinct steps, each of which mustbe tackled with careful attention todetail. Normally, a carpenter willframe the rough opening for adoor, which should equal the widthof the door plus the thickness ofthe side fambs and an additional

A length of head casing is fixed over a doorand set against a rosette corner block. Framing

a door with decorative molding serves animDortant esthetic function in a room.orative. This chapter reveals the

anatomy of a door and shows justa few of the many sryles in use. Starting on page 90, you will seehow to build one of the most elegant and popular designs, aframe-and-panel door. Building a door is a challenging task, butthe result-a door that is uniquely suited to its settings-isone of woodworking's most gratifring accomplishments.

Doors, of course, serve both interior and exterior uses.Exterior doors have great structural demands placed uponthem; the differences in heat and humidity inside and out-side alone require that an exterior door be built of heaviermaterial than an interior door, that its design be suited to itsuse, and that the joinery be of the highest quality. While the

1-inch space for shims that areused to plumb and straighten the jambs. Door jambs (page95) are made from %-inchstock;exterior door jambs shouldbe l- to l%-inchthick. Once the jamb is plumb and level inthe opening, it is nailed in place. Next, the door is installedwith butt hinges mortised into the door edge and the hingejamb (page 100).For very heary doors, the hinges are screwedthrough the jamb into a wall framing member called thetrimmer stud. Finally, the casing, or door trim, is installed(page 112) to conceal the rough opening and act as a gusset,tying the jamb to the trimmer. Each phase of the door-hang-ing process is shown in detail in this chapter.

A leaf of a brass butt hinge is fastened to the edgeof a frame-and-panel door. Once the other half isscrewed to the door jamb, the door can be hung.A pin will hold the hinge leaves together.

f) oors can be broadly divided intoLJ nvo groups: exterior and interior.While their styles may be similar, theconstruction differs. Exterior doors aretlpically 1% inches thick and B0 incheshigh, although in older homes doors areoften 82 to 84 inches high. The widthvaries with location. Front doors are usu-ally 36 inches wide. Back doors and oth-er entry doors can be as narrow as 32inches. Interior doors range from 24 to36 inches wide and are tlpically 80 inch-es high and l% inches thick.

Most doors in North America areeither frame-and-panel, solid-core, orhollow-core. In frame-and-panel doors,a framework of stiles, rails, and mullionssupports solid wood panels that float ingrooves milled in the inside edges of theframework. Mortise-and-tenon jointsare commonly used to assemble theframework. Cope-and-stick joints areanother option, but they must be rein-forced with splines to withstand stress.

Solid-core doors consist of a plvwoodveneer glued over a particleboird core.Hollow-core doors have a lightweightinterior, usually cardboard. As shownon page 87, there are many door styles tochoose from.

Hanging a door involves buildingand installing a jamb to fit the roughopening. Rough openings are tlpicallyframed by king studs on each side with

CrippleeLud

Kinqstud

Hinge

TrimmereLud

HingeJamD

thima

a trimmer stud attached inside the kingstuds. A header rests on the trimmersand constitutes the top of the roughopening. When you build your jamb,allow Z inch of clearance between thejamb and the header and trimmers toallow for shimming. The anatomybelowshows a typical rough door opening anda door with the jamb, and the casinginstalled on one side.

Headjamb

TRIM STYTESEloaked cornerCaaing pieceabutt aqainetcorner blocka

MiteredcasingCornerajoined withmiter jointa

tsutted caaing)ide caeinqbutta aqainathead piece

Simple or complex, the casing visually "com-

pletes" a door, covering gaps between thejamb and the wal l . l t a lso blocks drafts andprotects the rough opening and jamb fromdamage. Three common designs are shownabove. As a rule, molded casing should bejoined at the corners with miters or buttedagainst plinth blocks. Flat casing can bejoined with either butt or miter joints.

ANATOMYOFADOORttI

I

I

tIIIItI!

ItIItIItIIIIIIIIItI

DOORS

IIItttIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

DOOR STYLES

=z^=:-/_==:

Frenah)uitable for indoor and outdoor uae

9olid-core9uitable for indoor and outdoor

Frame-and-panelSuitable for indoor aid outdoor uae

Ola sa- a n d- wood- pa neledOnlv auttable for outdoor uae

Victorian screenOnlv auitable for outdoor uae

Board-and-battenSuttable for tndoor and outdoor uae

-ii----.-

ll[

o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o

o o o o o

o o o o o o

TOOLSAND DOORHARDWAREII

rIIIIIIIIIItIrIIIItI

IIIII

Rosette cutterUsed in conjunction

Port'able

with a drill preee to cutroaettee: available with awide selection of cutterato create varioua patterna

Lock-face templateAdjuotable template used for rout-in4 lock mor1iaea; automaticallyoelf-centerinq, the ji7 comea witha tem/ate quide for a router

eleatric planer -

Fowered by a 3- tolO-amp motor, rotarycuttei turns at 12,OOO to23,OOO rpm to plane eurfacea:can be aei to cit bevela from 15" inone direction to 40'in the other

Butt gaugeA metal templatestruck with a hammeror mallet to acore hinqeoutlinea; available in vanouaaizea for atandard hinaea

Hinge-mortiaing jig

Hinge-moriiaing eyetem

Adjuatable vettiaal viee5prin4-loaded jawe holddoora edae-up for mortia-Adjuatable templatee

and raila used for routinq inq or planin1; may beuaed freeatandin4 orattached to floor or

door hin4e mortiaee: adjuetofor two- or three-hinqe oetupeand for 3-by-5 to 4-by-4 hinqea bench. Holde up to

2-inch-thick atock

Plumb bobFear-ahaped wei4hteuapended on a cord tocheck whether a framingmember ia perfectly ver-tical, or plumb

Adjuatable template jiq clampeto doors and doorjambe to

Door jamb jigUaed for inatallina doorjamba. )toak ia faatenedto vertical leae and adiuatablehead rail of ji1; ji7 ia then inaerted inrou1h door openin7 and tacked to walla

II

tI DOORS

tIIIIIIIJIItIIII

IIIrIItI

tt

tt

EntryIoakeetFeatureabell han-dlea anda Keyeaentry lock

Flairhandle

Door entry handleTwo-piece door enLryaet: eeparate lock cytin-der provtdee additionaleecurtLy. Available in awide range of atylee

PrivaaylockaetOrbit-etylehandle withprivacy lock

9pring-activated door etopUaed to prevenL screen doora fromopentna Loo far: brackeLs are ecrewedl.o door and door caoin7

Glaee handlesTypically uaed wiLhFrench dooro

La|ch ptaLe ie ocrewed to doorjamb, allowinq door to be locked ahut

- t

IButt.hin6eKectan7ular plain-bearinq htn7e l;yptcally uaed for hanqtn4 sl,andard doore: wetqhL taaupported by Lhe htnqe knucklea. Heavter doore ehould be hunq on commercial ball-bear-inq hinqee. Vartoue Ltp Lypea are available; ehown from left to ri4ht are ball, eteeple, but-ton, and Lwo decoraLive deet4ne. )ee pa4e 1OZ for a char| of aLandard htnge otzea.

89

FRAME -AND - PANEL- D O O RS

A shaper is itrvoluable .for making li"ame-and-panel doors.Fitted with cope-and-stick cttter sets, it will prepare the stiles

and rnils for assentbly, ctrtting grooves lbr the "floating" panelsthat lill the frame and carving a decorotive molding along the

insitle edges of the Jionte at the same tinte. Then, ecluippedwith n panel-raising bit, the shaper can fornt bevels on the

ponel edges, as shown in the photo at right. The large shop-nurde featherboard clantped to the shaper's fence protects the

user Jront the cutter nnd holds the panel Jlat on the table.Step-by-step instructions for building a six-panel Federal-style door nre provided below and on the followingpages.

MAKING A FRAME-AND-PANEL D()()R

1 Making cope cuts on the ra i lsI As shown on page 86, a six-panel door features two sti les, atop and bottom rail, two median rails, and three mullions. Cut yourstock to s ize, then insta l l a coping cut ter set and guard on theshaper. To feed the ra i ls , bui ld the coping j ig shown in the jnset .

The jig consists of a plywood base, a miter bar screwed to theunderside of the base, a 2-by-4 support board fastened flush withthe back edge of the base, and a plywood backup board screwedto the support board. To prevent tearout on the ra i ls , the backupboard should support the workpiece for the full width of cut. Screw

two toggle clamps to the support board. Next, mark the tonguelocat ion on one of the ra i ls , centered on the edge of the board.Posi t ion the j ig on the shaper table, set the one of the ra i ls onthe j ig and adjust the cut ter height to a l ign the cut ter wi th thetongue mark. Then c lamp the ra i l to the 1 ig, a l ign ing the boardend wi th the end of the backup board so the cut ter wi l l shapethe ent i re edge. Now make the cut , pushing the j ig across thetable. Repeat the cut on the other end of the rail (above), thenmake the cuts on both ends of the remain ine ra i ls and mul l ions.

IIrIIIItIIIIIIIIrIItIItItIIItIII

90

DOORS

IIIIIIIIIIttItIIIItIIItIIIIIIIIt

Q Making the stick cutsr../ Adjust the fence to shape the entire edge of the stock. Alsoinsta l l commercia l or shop-made hold-downs on the fence andshaper table to secure the stock through the cuts and prevent

r) Adjusting the stick cutterL Once a l l t he cope cu ts a re made ,replace the cope cutter with the matchingst ick cut ter set . This setup wi l l shape thep d o p s n f i h p c , t i l p q , m r r l l ; ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ r - ^ ; r ^

. . . - . . t u | ) , o i l u I c | )

wi th a decora t ive pro f i le wh i le cu t t inggrooves to accommodate the tongues andpanels. To set the cutt ing herght, butt theend of one of the coped rai ls against thest ick cutter, then adjust the height of thespindle so the groove cutter is level withthe tongue on the rail (/eff).

k i ckback . Shape bo th edges o f t he med ian ra i l s and mu l l i ons ,feeding the stock across the table with both hands (above), butshape only the inside edges of the sti les and top and bottom rails.

O

Hei7ht adjuot-ment wheel

DOORS

Routing mortises in the stiles and railsReinforce the joints between the stiles and rails with splines.

To determine their locat ions, test-assemble the str les and rai lsand mark the center of the joints between them. Take theassembly apart and secure a st i le edge-up on a work surface.Use a router fitted with a mortising bit and a template guideto cut mort ises for the spl ines. To guide the tool , bui ld the j igshown above, made from a piece of %-inch plywood with a slotin the middle and two 2-by-4 jaws screwed to the bottom ofthe temolate to straddle the stile. The slot should be the size

of the groove you wish to cut plus the diameter of the templateguide you wi l l at tach to the router. Clamp the j ig to the st i le,then set the cutting depth to cut a 1%-inch-deep mortise in thest i le. Turn on the router and make the cut, guiding the tem-plate guide along the insrde edges of the jig slot (above, left).Repeat the cut at the other end of the stile, at both ends of theother st i le, and at the center of median rai ls. Next, secure therai ls end up and rout grooves in their ends the same way(above, right).

tIIItIIIIIIIItIIrIItIItttItIIIII

f, Test-fitting the jointr . , f Once al l the grooves are cut, makesplines that f it the mortises and are short-er than the combined depth of two mortis-es. The grain of the spl ines should run inthe same direction as the rails. Test fit oneof the joints before glue-up (r ighi l . fhejoint should f i t together smoothly withoutb ind ing . l f the f i t i s too t igh t , t r im thespl ine and test- f i t the joint again. Final ly,make reference marks on all the rails andstiles to help you assemble them properlyduring glue-up (page 94).

92

DOORS

IIIItIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIItI

Raising the panelsTo help you size the panels, assemble

the door s t i les , mu l l ions , and ra i l s andmeasure the openings. Add % inch to eachd imens ion to a l low fo r the % inch a longthe edge of the panel that wi l l f i t into thegrooves. Cut the panels to size; your stockshould be no thicker than the stock usedfor the stiles and rails. lnstall a oanel-rais-ing b i t and match ing rub bear ing in theshaper, and adjust the fence even with therub bearing. Then adjust the cutter heightso the raised edges of the panels wi l l pen-etrate the grooves by % inch when thepanel is cut on both sides. Clamp a widefeatherboard to the shaper fence to shieldyou from the cutter and hold the panel flaton the shaper tab le . Feed each pane lface-up in to the cu t te r , us ing your le f thand to keep the workpiece flush againstthe fence (righil. fo prevent tearout, shapethe pane l ends f i rs t , and then the s ides .Once one s ide o f the pane l has beenshaped, turn it end-for-end and repeat onthe other edge. Then turn the panel overand reoeat the series of cuts.

I Testing the fit of the panels/ Once you have shaped the first panel,fit it into one of the grooves in a stile (/eff,).The pieces should fit together snugly, withthe panel extending % inch into the groove.l f not, adjust the cutt ing height, repeatthe cuts and test the f i t again. Once youare satisfied with the fit, raise the remain-ing panels.

93

DOORS

Assembling the doorLay out all the pieces of the door close

at hand so that you can assemble the doorquickly before the glue begins to set. Startbuilding the door by setting a stile edge-upon the f loor. Apply glue in the mort ises inthe stile and its adjoining rails as well as onthe splines. Do not spread any glue in thepanel grooves. Insert the splines in the stilemort ises and f i t the rai ls in place. Use thereference marks you made earlier to helpyou assemble the pieces properly, Tap thetop ends of the rails lightly with a mallet toclose the joints. Now, seat panels betweenthe st i les and rai ls. Cont inue in this fash-ion , app ly ing g lue in the sp l ine groovesand on the spl ines and f i t t ing the piecesin place (left)until the door is assembled.

IIIIItttIIItIIIIItItIIIIIIIrIIrI

Clamping the doorLay four bar clamps on the f loor, one

for each rai l . Caref ul ly lay the assembleddoor on the clamps so the bars of the clampsare al igned with the rai ls. To protect yourstock, place wood pads the length of thedoor between the clamp jaws and the dooredges. Tighten the clamps just enough toclose the joints. Then clamp the door fromtop to bottom along the mul l ions. l f you donot have a clamp that is long enough to spanthe door, use two clamps, posi t ioning themso that their tai lstops contact each othernear the middle of the door. Use shorterwood pads to protect the door from theseclamp jaws. Install three more clamps acrossthe top face of the door, al igning the barswith the top, bottom, and middle rai l . Finishtightening all the clamps until glue squeezesout of the joinls tight). Then use a try squareto check that the corners of the door aresquare ; ad lus t the c lamping pressure , i fnecessary. Once the glue has dried, use apaint scraper to remove any remaining adhe-sive. When the glue has cured, sand andf inish the door.

94

DOORIAMBS

IIIIItItIIItIIIIIIIrItIIIIIItIII

If you will be hanging several doors, acommercial door jamb jig could prove

to be a worthwhile ptn'chase. Its frame-work of ntetal legs and rails will keep a

jantb square ond hold it in position in therough opening while you set it level and

plumb, and fasten it to the trimmer stud.

MAKING AND INSTALLING A DO()R JAMB' l Bui ld ing the iambI Select s t ra ight-gra ined Z- inch- th ickstock for your jamb. Rip the stock as wideas the th i ckness o f t he wa l l , t hen cu t t heside and head jambs to length. Make theside jambs s l ight ly longer than the heightof the door so they extend roughly from thef loor to the header. Tr im the head jamb tothe width of the door o lus %' inch to a l low%z inch of clearance on the door's latchside and Xu inch on i ts h inge edge. l f youwi l l use dado jo ints to jo in the head ands ide j ambs , as shown a t l e f t , add thedepth of the dadoes to the length of thehead jamb. Once you have cut the dadoes,f i t the end of the head jamb into one oft he s ide j ambs and sc rew the p iecestogether . Repeat for the other s ide jamb.

Final ly , cut a spacer, or spreader, to thew id th o f t he j amb 's open ing . Th i s boa rdwi l l be set on the f loor between the s ide

lambs to keep the assembly square as i t rsbe ins i ns ta l l ed .

DOORS

r) Setting the jambI tacXa bracing board diagonally acrosseach top corner of the door opening tokeep the edges of the jamb flush with thewal ls. Posit ion the jamb in the opening,butt ing i t against the braces, and placethe spreader on the floor between the sidejambs. Tap shims between the side jambsat both ends of the head jamb to centerthe assembly in the opening; insert theshims in pairs from opposite sides of thejamb. (Shims are tapered wedges of woodthat are usual ly sold in smal l bundles athardware stores and lumberyards.) Thenuse a carpenter's level to check the headjamb for level (left)and shift the assemblyslightly if necessary. In the process, oneof the side jambs may be raised off thefloor. lf so, measure the gap and trim theopposite side jamb by the same amount.Reposition the jamb in the opening, center-ing and level ing i t again. Both side jambswil l now be on the f loor. Nai l the jamb tothe rough opening through the shims intothe tr immer studs. Set the nai l heads.

IIIIIItIItIIItIIIIIIIIIItIIrItII

Q Checking for plumbr, l Tap shims between the side jambsand the wall at both ends of the soreader.Then check the jamb for plumb. To set upthe p lumb bob, mark the center o f thehead jamb at one edge, then transfer yourmark to the spreader. Tack a small f inish-ing nai l into the edge of the head jamb sothe p lumb bob cord w i l l hang d i rec t l ybelow the center mark. Susoend the bobfrom the nail so the point of the bob hangsjust above the spreader. Tap the shimsbeside the spreader in or out to al ign thecenter mark direct ly under the bob. Drivef i n i s h i n g n a i l s t h r o u g h t h e s i d e j a m b sand the shims to secure the side jambsat the bottom of the opening.

96

DOORS

IIIIIIIIIIIItIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIt

Squaring the side jambslnsert three addit ional oairs of shims

behind each side jamb, posit ioning themat the hinge and lock strike plate locations.The shims should be wedged in t ight ly.Although the side jambs are plumb, theymay be slightly bowed from top to bottom.To ensure the jambs are straight, press astraightedge against the jamb to f latten itas you nai l through the shims (r ight) . lnthis case, straight 1-by-4 stock is used; a6-foot- long carpenter 's level wi l l a lsowork fine.

f, Trimming the shimsr-,1 0nce you have shimmed the jamb,cut the shims off f lush with the wal l usinga ut i l i ty kni fe. Hold the end of the shimand slice across it repeatedly (left) unlilthe waste piece can be broken off easily.

97

DOORS

INSTALLING D(l(lRSTOPS

IttIItIIIIIIIIIIItIIItIIIIIrIIII

1 Laying out the doorstopsI Doorstoos can be installed after the dooris in place or, as shown at lef t , once thejamb is ins ta l led . Mark a gu ide l ine fo r thedoorstops with a combination square and apencil. Adjust the combination square to thethickness of the door and butt the handleagainst the door-opening edge of the latchjamb. Start ing at the top of the jamb, holdthe penci l against the end of the ruler andrun the square down the jamb to mark theline (left). Before marking the hinge jamb,?dd'Aa inch to allow clearance for the hingesand prevent the door from binding when itis closed.

r') Preparing the doorstopsI You can use either flat or molded stockfor the doorstops. The pieces can be joinedat the corners with butt joints, miters, orcoped joints. In this example, flat stock isbeing joined with miter joints cut on a chopsaw; you can also use a miter box and cutthe pieces with a handsaw. Adjust the sawfor a 45" cut and butt the first piece againstthe fence. Clamp a guide board to the sawtable to secure the stock flush against thefence and make the cut (right). Miter bothends of the head-jamb doorstop and thetop end of the side-jamb doorstops. lf youare using molded stock, make sure theflat edge will butt against the door whenit is closed.

98

DOORS

IIIIIIIIIIIItIItIIIIIIIIIItIItII

Q Install ing the head-jamb doorstopr-,f Once all the doorstops are cut, installthem on the jamb. Start with the head-jambdoorstop. Align the edge of the piece withthe l i nes marked on the s ide j ambs andtack it in place with f inishing nails (right).

Make sure the mi tered ends are fac ingdown. Do not dr ive the nai ls f lush, as youmay have to reposition the doorstops oncethe door is insta l led. The head- jamb piecewi l l be s l ight ly askew because of the Xu-inch offset between the two suidelines onthe s ide lambs.

Installing the lock-jamb doorstopAl ign the doorstop wi th the guidel ine

on the jamb, butt i ts mitered end againstthe end o f the head- jamb doors top andtack the piece in place (left). Make surethe miter jo int is t ight. Do not instal l theh inge- jamb s top un t i l you have cu t mor -t i ses fo r the h inges and hung the door(page 100).

99

HANGINGADOOR

A chisel pares away the waste froma hinge mortise in a door jamb.By using a chisel that is the same

width as the mortise, you can tapthe chisel with a mallet to score

a series of cuts across lhe morliseand around its outline. Then push

the chisel bevel-side up to shearoff the waste wood and clean up

the bottom of the cavity.

tIIIIIrIIIIItIItIItIIIItIIIIIItI

CUTTING THE HINGE MORTISES ()N THE JAMB BY HAND

Chiseling out the hinge mortisesThere are no f i rm rules for locat ing doorhinges, but on an 80-inch inter ior door,they are typically positioned 7 inches fromthe top and 1 1 inches from the bottom of thedoor. lf you choose to use a third hinge,locate i t midway between the other two.Mark the loca t ion o f the h inges on theh inge jamb, a l low ing fo r % inch o f c lear -ance between the door and the head jamb.You can use a router and a shoo-madetempla te j ig to cu t the h inge mor t i ses(page l0l), or a commercial hinge mortis-ing system (page 102). To do the job byhand, you can use a butt gauge to scorethe hinge mort ise out l ines on the jamb.Al igning the gauge stops sets the deviceautomat ica l l y in p lace d i rec t l y over thebottom hinge mark. Now str ike i ts facewi th a hammer . Reoeat to ou t l ine theremaining mortises on the jamb. Then usea chisel to cut the mort ise, as shown inthe photo above.

100

DOORS

()N THE JAMBI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tIIIIIIttIIIIIII

ROUTING THE HINGE MORTISES

ROUTERTEMPTATE JIG

r') Routing the mortisesI ltlarV,the hinge locations on the doorjamb (page 100) and clamp the jig to thejamb, al igning the cutout with one of themarks. Butt the jig fence against the door-open ing edge o f the jamb. Ad jus t therouter 's deoth of cut to the combinedthickness of the template and the hingeleaf. Then turn on the router and, holdingit f i rmly in both hands, cut the mort ise,keeping the base plate flat on the jig andthe template guide flush against the edgesof the cutout (righil. Move the router insmall clockwise circles until the bottom ofthe mortise is smooth. Reposition the jigand rout the second mortise the same way.lf the hinges you are using are rectangular,square the corners of the mortises with achisel ; for hinges with radiused corners,the mortises can be left rounded.

1 Making a router template jigI To rout out hinse mortises on a doorjamb, use the template jig shown at leftw i th your rou ter , a s t ra igh t b i t , and atemplate guide. Make the j ig from twopieces of %-inch plywood; the templateshould be wide enough to support therouter. Outline the hinge leaf on the tem-plate and cut it out, compensating for thetemplate guide and adding the thicknessof the fence. Fasten the fence to the tem'plate, countersinking the screws.

1 0 1

DOORS

ROUTING HINGE MORTISES ON A DOOR

tI

I

I

tII

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

tttI

ttI

I

I

I

I

I

I

Routing the mortisesHinge mort ises on a door can be cut byhand (page 100), or routed with the aid ashop-made lig (page 101) or a commercialmortising system, such as the one shownat left. The system can also be used to routthe mort ises on the door jamb. Althoughthe door shown wi l l be hung with only twohinges, the j ig features three adjustablemort ise templates connected with metalra i l s . In th is ins tance, the center h ingetemplate is only being used to hold the j igtogether. Assemble the j ig fol lowing themanufacturer 's instruct ions, then securethe door edge-up with a pair of vertical vis-es or shop-made door bucks (page 104).Mark the hinge mort ises on the door edgeand set up the j ig, al igning the templatesover your marks. Adjust the size of thetemplates for your hinges, making sure tocompensate for the template guide you willuse with your router. Tack the j ig in placewith the duplex nai ls provided ( inset).Install a %-inch straight bit and a templateguide in the router, turn it on, and cut eachmor t i se by runn ing the gu ide a long theinside edges of the templates (left). Squarethe corners of the mort ises with a chisel .

To make sure a dooropens and closes free\,

wi thout b inding onthe jamb, its latch edge

should be beveled slightlytoward the side that con-

tacts the doorstops. Aportable planer, like theone shown in the photo

at right, can be set tothe desired bevel angle,enablingyou to prepare

several doors quickly.

r02

DOORS

IIIIIIIITIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIt

M(lUNTING A D()OR

1 Drill ing pilot holes for the hinge screwsI Once a l l the mor t i ses are cu t in thejamb and the door , pos i t ion each h ingeleaf in place. Mark the screw holes withan awl. then bore a pilot hole at each loca-Iion (above), making sure you hold the drillas vertical as oossible.

STANDARD HINGE SIZES

DOOR THICKNESS

1%" - lYB"

1 % ' 1 T r "

More than 1%"

Door width

Up to 32"More than 32"

32' - 36',3 6 ' - 4 8 'More than 48"

Up to 43"More than 43"

Hinge height

3Y2' - 4'4 ' , - 4y2 ' ,

5u5" (Heavy-duty)6u

5" (Heavy-duty)6" (Heavy duty)

The chart above will help you choose hinges of appropriate height for yourdoor. To determine correct hinge width ( the combined width of the twoleaves and the pin), first subtract the backset-the gap between the edgeof the hinge and the door face-from the thickness of the door, then multi-ply the result by two. The typical backset is % inch. The calculat ion for a1%-inch{hick door, for example, would be: (I%' - y4') x 2 = 3". Hinge sizesare expressed in height first, then width.

103

IIII

DOORS

DOOR BUCKSDoor bucks serve as an inexoensivealternat ive to commercial vert icalvises for securing a door on edge forp lan ing or cu t t ing h inge mor t i ses .The one shown in the illustration canbe assembled quickly from plywoodscraps. The dimensions provided willsuit most doors.

To make the j ig, start by cutt ingthe jaws and feet f rom %-inch ply-wood, and the base from %-inch ply-wood. Screw the feet to the undersideof the base flush with its ends. Thenf ix the jaws to the base, driving thescrews from underneath. Countersinkall your fasteners. Be sure the edgesof the jaws al ign; leave a l%-inchsoace between them so the buck willhold any door of standard thickness.

Door bucks are usual ly used inpairs to secure a door edge up. Setthe bucks on the floor a few feet apart,then slrde the door between the jaws.The base will buckle slightly under theweight of the door, pulling the jawstogether to grip the door and hold itin place (right, bottom).

% " x B " x 1 9 "

I

I

I

I

I

I

tIIIItItIItttI

I

I

tIII

I

r104

DOORS

IIIIIIIIIIIIttI

tIIIIIIItIIIIIIII

Mounting the hinge leavesRemove the pins from the hinges and

separate the leaves. Posit ion one leaf inthe mortise in the door edge and screw itin place (right). Be sure to drive the screwheads f lush with the hinge leaf . Fastenthe other leaf to the jamb. Repeat at theremaining mort ises.

Hanging the doorOnce al l the hinges are instal led, i t is

time to hang the door temporarily. This willenable you to check i ts f i t and bevel thedoor edge, as shown in step 5. Working witha helper, if possible, lift the door into posi-tion so the hinge leaves on the door andjamb engage. lf you have to work alone,hold the door upright and slide a few shimsunder its bottom edge. Bracing the door onthe shims, join the top hinge leaves togeth-er. Then pivot the door to join the bottomhinge leaves. Sl ip each hinge pin part ial lyin place (left) Io lock the leaves together.

105

DOORS

/ Markingthe bevel-T Doors typically require a 3' to 5" bev-el on the latch edge to close properly.Stand on the doorstoo side of the doorand pu l l i t shu t . l f the jamb was s izedproperly, the front edge of the door will hitthe edge of the jamb, preventing the doorfrom closing ful ly. To mark the bevel, holdthe door against the jamb and use a pen-ci l to scr ibe a l ine down the face of thedoor where it meets the side iamb (left).

IIIIt

IttttIII

tI

tttIIIIItIIIIIItI

f, Beveling the door edger./ You can use a portable power planer tobevel the edge of the door (page 102), buIa lack plane wi l l a lso work wel l , Remove thedoor from the opening and secure i t latch-edge up. Transfer the bevel mark on theface of the door to the end. Then, startingat one end, guide the plane along the dooredge (right), walking next to the piece untilyou reach the other end. Hold the tool atthe same angle as the marked bevel angle.Cont inue unt i l you have cut to the l ine, thenrehang the door. The door should contactthe latch-jamb stop when you close it. Nowinstall the lock-jamb doorstop (page 99),butt ing i t against the door and the head-jamb stop. Check the f inal f i t of the door;there should be sl ight gaps between thedoor and the jamb. You can use the thick-ness of a dime and a nickel to measurethese gaps. Pass a dime along the lock jambto check for the X-inch margin between thehrnge lamb and the door. Use a nickel tomeasure the required %,-inch space at thetop and along the other side. l f necessary,remove the door again and plane down anyspots where the gap is insuff ic ient.

r06

LOCKSETS

ttItIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItItIIIIII

INSTALLING A PRIVACY L()CKSET

1 Positioning the locksetI Locksets usually come with a template for marking the holesyou will need to drill for the latch assembly and doorknobs. Startby marking the height of the knobs on the door-typical ly 36inches off the floor. Then tape the template over your mark. Use

With the latch assembly fastened to theedge of the door, the doorknobs are fittedin place. The knob cover plate will thenbe screwed to the assemblv to comoletethe lo cks et inst allation.

an awl to mark the doorknob point on the face of the door (above,leftl-eilher 23/e or 2% inches from the door edge, dependingon the model of lockset-then the centerpoint for the latch assem-bly hole on the door edge (above, right).

') -.j

' L'-/2\ - v

- - t a '

\ ' ) t L / |

107

DOORS

r ) Dr i l l ing the hole for the doorknobsL lnsta l l a hole saw in your e lect r ic dr i l l ,re ferr ing to the template for the correctd iameter . The hole saw shown at r ightfeatures a center pilot bit. Set the point ofthe p i lo t b i t in the awl mark you made insteo 1. then bore in to the door unt i l thepilot bit emerges from the other side. Keepthe dr i l l perpendicular to the door through-ou t . Now move to t he o the r s i de o f t hedoor, inser t the center p i lo t b i t in the smal lopening you pierced through the door, andcomplete the hole. Dr i l l ing the hole in twosteps wi l l avoid spl in ter ing of the wood.

J Boring the latch assembly hole<'

r . - f Replace the hole saw wi th a spadeh i t . e o : i n r p f p r t n t h p t p m n l e t p f n r i h p

appropr iate b i t d iameter . Set the t ip ofthe bit in the awl mark and bore the hole,keep ing the d r i l l pe rpend i cu la r t o t hedoor edge (below). For a narrow door, youcan c lamp wood b locks on the faces ofthe door on each s ide of the hole to pre-vent the wood from splitt ing. Stop dril l ingwhen you reach the handle hole. Somelocksets requi re th is hole to be dr i l ledbeyond the end o f t he doo rknob ho lefor c learance.

IIItIIIIIIIIttI

tIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

108

DOORS

IIIItIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItI

,{ 0utlining the latch assembly faceplate-T Slide the latch plate assembly into theho le you dr i l led in the edge o f the doorand se t the facep la te f lush aga ins t thedoor edge. Holding the faceplate squareto the door edge, trace i ts out l ine with apencil (right).

f, Installing the latch assemblyr. , f Use a chisel to cut a shal low mort ise within the out l ine youmarked in step 4. Start by scoring the out l ine of the mort ise,then pare out the waste (/eff)to a depth equal to the thicknessof the latch assembly faceplate. Using the chisel with the bevelfacing down will help you control the depth of the mortise. Stopperiodical ly and test- f i t the faceplate in the mort ise. Cont inueunt i l the faceplate si ts in the mort ise f lush with the door edge,then mark the screw holes with an awl. Dri l l a oi lot hole at eachmark. Final ly, s l ide the latch assembly in the hole and screw thefaceplate to the door edge (above).

109

DOORS

Latch jamb

4i Marking the height of\J the latch hole on the door jambFasten the doorknobs to the door, first fit-ting them to the latch assembly, as shownon page 107, then screw them togetherthrough their cover plates. Close the doorpartially so the latch is resting against theedge of the latch jamb. Outl in ing the holefor the latch on the lamb is a two-stepoperation: Mark the height of the hole first,as shown at left, then the width (step 7).Use a penc i l to mark l ines on the jambalong the top and boitom of the latch(left) and a combination square to transferthe marks across the face of the iamb.

IItIIIIItIIItIIIIItIIIIIIIIrIIII

I Marking the width of the latch hole/ Use a measuring tape to determinethe locat ion of the latch on the door edge(righil. f ransfer your measurement to thej a m b , m e a s u r i n g f r o m t h e l a t c h - j a m bdoors too and mark ver t i ca l l ines on thelamb that intersect those you marked instep 6. The l ines wi l l form the out l ine ofthe latch clearance hole.

t 1 0

DOORS

IIIIIIIIIIIIIttIIIItIIIIIIIIIIII

Cutting the latch clearance holeYou can use an electric dri l l f i tted with

a spade bit or, as shown at right, a chisel toform the latch clearance hole. The exacts ize o f the ho le i s no t c r r t i ca l , s ince thes t r i ke p la te w i l l cover most o f i t , bu t i tmust accommodate the la tch when thedoor is closed. To use a chisel , f i rst scorethe out l ine of the mort ise, then clear outthe waste (ilghil,fesltit the latch period-ical ly by closing the door.

( , ( /

1trike plateton0ue

Installing the strike plateA l ign the s t r i ke p la te over the la tch

h o l e a n d m a r k i t s o u t l i n e w i t h a p e n c i l( le f t ) . fhen chisel a mort ise wi th in theout l ine to a depth equal to the st r ike p lateth ickness. 0nce the p late is f lush wi th thejamb , ho ld i t i n pos i t i on and mark t hescrew holes wi th an awl . Bore a p i lo t holeat each mark and screw the strike plate tothe jamb. To check the insta l la t ion, c losethe door, The face of the door should restf l ush aga ins t t he doo rs tops . l f t he doo rdoes not c lose proper ly , you can adjustthe f i t by bending the st r ike p late tongues l i gh t l y i n o r ou t .

DOORS

INSTALLING BUTTED DOOR CASING

O Installing the plinthsI Cut two pl inths sl ight ly thicker andwider than the casing you plan to use, andhigher than the baseboard you plan toins ta l l on the wa l l . The p l in th shown a tr igh t i s cu t f rom 1- inch- th ick s tock andbeveled on one corner. Align the bevelededge of the pl inth with the reveal l ine andfasten it to the wall and jamb with a ham-m e r o r a f i n i s h n a i l e r g u n . T h e p l i n t hshould rest f lush on the f in ished f loor. l fthe flooring has not yet been installed, seta piece of f loor ing under the pl inth duringinstal lat ion to provide the required clear-ance. Repeat to instal l the pl inth on theother iamb.

1 Marking the revealI Before installing casing around a door,remove the door to give yourself enoughroom to work. Casing normal ly overlapsonly a portron of the jamb edge, leavingpart of it exposed. This exposed portion isknown as the reveal. On %-inchlhick jambslike those shown, the reveal should be %to %u inch. Make sure the casing wi l l c learthe hinges. To mark the reveal, use a shop-made reveal gauge (page 63) or a combi-nation square. With the square, adlust tt tothe desired reveal width. Then, butting thesquare's handle against the top of the hingejamb, hold a penci l against the end of theblade and run the square and the penci ldown the jamb to the f loor to mark thereueal (left). Repeat the process on the oth-er side jamb and across the head jamb.

IIIrItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIt

t12

DOORS

Q Installing the head casingr. , l Cut the head casing so that i t wi l lextend sl ight ly beyond both side- jambcasings. Al ign the casing with the reveall ine on the head jamb and na i l i t to thewall and jamb (right).

ItI|ltIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIrIIIItI

Installing the side casingsCut the s ide cas ings to f i t snug ly

between the plinths and head casing. Setone of the pieces in posit ion, al igning i tsedge with the reveal line on the janb (left),and nai l i t in place. Repeat to instal l thesecond side casing. Now set al l the nai ls.

n3

IIIIIIItIIItIIIItIItrIIIIr3II

II

n a simple level, a run ofstairs is nothing more

than a conveyance from onefloor to another. Functional-ly, a well-built staircase seemsself-effacing-climbed or des-cended without thought orattention. But esthetically, astaircase may capture muchattention. Precise joinery andample use of fine woods help astaircase transcend rough car-pentry and rise into the cate-gory of fine woodworking.

The elaborate stairways oftenassociated with grand entrance

STAIRS

A simple jig consisting of a 1-by-4 clamped to a carpen-ter's square is used to mark the rise-and-run-the

width of the treads qnd risers-on a staircase stringer.

risers close the vertical sDacesbetween the treads (page 123).The staircase is anchored at thetop and bottom by newel posts(page 128); the balusters (page1j6), or vertical posts betweenthe steps and the handral (page132), are doweled or dove-tailed into the treads and nailedto the handrail.

Because poorly designed andexecuted stairs are accidentswaiting to happen, buildingcodes govern many aspects oftheir construction. For exam-ple, handrails should not be

halls, featuring curved handrails, goosenecked newel posts,and spiraling treads and risers belong to a bygone era. Crafts-men who specialize in this tlpe of work arc ararc breed. Buteven a simple straight-run staircase,like the one shown on page116, can become the focal point of a home-and a challeng-ing but feasible project for anywoodworker. This chapter willshow you how to get the job done, from design to installation.

Simple or complex, all staircases are built in much the sameway: from the ground up. All you need is an opening in thefloor above and a solid floor below The staircase featured in thischapter also features a landing about halfiuay between floors,which should be made and incorporated into the wall framingbefore the stairs are designed.

The steps ofthe staircase--called the treads-rest on notchedboards called stringers or carriages (page 118). Astaircase oftypical width, about 36 inches, will usually need three stringers,one on each side with a third in the middle. Boards called

more than 34 inches above the treads. In some areas, wide stairsmust have a handrail on both sides. Codes also carry stipulationsgoverning headroom; 6 feet 8 inches is usually the minimum.Be sure to check with your local building code before embark-ing on a staircase.

A basic principle of staircase design is the so-called 17 /. -nch

rule. The combined width of one tread and height of one ris-er should equallT'/'inches. For the typical stair, this can meana tread width of 10 inches and a riser height of 7 % inches,but depending on the needs of the stair's users, some varia-tion is allowable.

As professional stairbuilder Scott Schuttner mentions inhis introductory essay on page 10, consistency is important.All the treads in a staircase must be the same width and all therisers the same height. Even a slight deviation-while not eas-ily discernable by the eye-will not go unnoticed by the per-son using the stairs.

A staircase can be as simple as a straight run of steps thqt lead intoa cellqr or as elaborate as the structure shown at left, with hardwoodtreads and risers, turned balusters, and a graceful curved handrail.

1 1 5

ANATOMY OF A STAIRCASE

Floating handraillnetalled on wall aide of ataircaae;may be required by buildinq code.Attached to wall by metal brack'eta acrewed into wall etude.

BalusterlneLalled betweenhandrail and treade oneide of starrcaae awayfrom wall. Two balueteroare needed for eachtread; ueually equidie-

HandrailFrta atop balueters: bottom isqrooved or doweled to accepLl n n a n f b a l t t a f e r a

tant. Typtcal lenqthis 31 to 39 inchea.

Cloaed at'ringerUeually a 2-by-1O or 2-by-12 thateug0ort6 the enda of the treadaanid rreere alonq a wall; off,enmortiaed to accommodate thetreada, risera, and wedgee.

Tread1tzed accordinq Lo local buildin4 code; ueually aminimum of 1 '/a inchea thick and 36 inchee long.Tread width (unit run) and riaer heiqht (unitriee) ahould equal 17% tnchea.)upported ateach end and at the middle bv a atrinaer.

RiserCloaea verttcal epacebetween two treadg; uou-ally no wider than 7% rnch'ea. End fit6 into mortiaetn cloaed atrtnqer; otherend is beveled to fit fluahaqainet open aLrln4er,

Tread noainqKounded edqeof tread over-hanqa rreerbelow.

Fit into mortteein cloeed etrinqerto aecure treador riaer; ueuallymade of hardwood.

Center atringerUaually a 2-by-1O or2-by-12 that provideaadditional eupportto etaire wider thanabout.SO inchea: onnarrower ataira, twoatrinqere are uauallyadequate,

Open atringerUeually a 2-W-1O or 2-by-12 that eup-porto Lhe enda of the Lreade and riEerEaway from a wall; the edqee f,hat buLta4ainotthe rieera are ofren beveled toconceal f,he end qrain ofthe rieere.

KickerTart of house framin7 aervinq to anchorbottom enda of strinqere; etrin4ere arenotched to fit around kicker.

1 1 6

III

STAIRS

lrorrr..otNc THE R''E-AND-RUN AND THE 'TRTN'ER LENGTHI

IIIIIIrIII

IIIIII

Determining the key dimensionsTo calculate the length of the stringers, start by measuringthe total r ise-the distance from the f in ished f loor belowto the f in ished f loor o r land tng above. Then d iv ide yourmeasurement by a whole number so that the result wi l l bebetween 7 and 8 inches. l f , for example, the total r ise is105 inches, div iding this measurement by 14 equals 7%inches. The staircase would have 14 7%-inch-high r isers.Next, use this result to determine the total run of the stairs,which is the total number of t reads mult ipl ied by the unitrun. The staircase in our examole would have the samenumber of t reads as r isers, 14. Since Ihe I7% inch ruled ic ta tes tha t the t reads w i l l be 10 inches wtde (17% lessthe r i ser he igh t , o r 7%) , the to ta l run equa ls 14 t readsmult ipl ied by 10 inches, or 140 inches. Once the you knowthe total rise and the total run, you can use the Pythagoreantheorem and a pocket calculator to calculate the lengthof the stringers. The rise, run, and stringer of a staircase forma r ight-angled tr iangle with the total r ise (A) and the totalrun (B) as the shorter sides and the str inger as the longestside, or hypotenuse (C). The Pythagorean formula statesthat the squares of the shorter sides added together equalsthe square of the hypotenuse (A2+82=C'z). ln this case,square the total r ise (105 x 105 = 11,025) and the total run(140 x 140 = 19 ,600) and combine the resu l ts (30 ,625) .Then take the square roo t o f th is f igure to a r r i ve a t thes t r inger length- in th is example , 175 inches .

Dovetail jointAnqled pin at bottom ofbaluater fite into aocket cutin Lread; covered by reLurnnoeinq. Daluatere can alaobe doweled into treada.

Return noeingEnd of tread over'hanginq open atrrn4er;a aeparate piece qluedand nailed Lo treadend to conceal balua-ter dovetaila and end7rain of tread.

Total Riee = A(meaeured from finished floorbelow to finiahed floor above)

Total Run = E(Number of treada multipliedby unit run)

Total length of atringer = C

tt7

THE STRINGERS

t l - h. str ingers, also known as car-I riages, are lhe diagonal pieces that

support the treads and risers. The prin-ciple behind sizing and notching them isa simple one that carpenters have knownfor centuries: For stairs to be ascended ordescended comfortably and safely, anexact ratio must be maintained betweenthe rise and the run-the distance usersmove up or down and the distance theymove forward. This is often exoressed

as the "17 Z-inch rule": The sum ofeachrise-and-run should ecual l7 Z inches.(See calculations on page I 17.)

Stringers can be either open or closed.An open stringer is simply a board withnotches cut to support the treads andrisers; it is usually used on the side of astaircase away from the wall. A closedstrhser houses the ends of the treads andriseri, often with mortises; the wall-sideofa stairway usually has a closed stringer,

IItItIITIIIIIIItIIItIIIIIIIIItII

Most of the notching of the center stringer canbe done with a circular saw, but use a crosscLttsaw to complete the job. Make sure you holdthe saw vertically as you cut into the corners.

MAKING AND INSTALTING THE STRINGERS' l Marking the center stringer

t -I Once vou have determined the unit riseand unit run of your stairs and calculatedthe str inger length, prepare the str ingers.Cut them to length from 2-by-12 stock.Start by laying out the center stringer; youwil l use i t as a template to mark the oth-ers. Set one board face down on a worksurface. To lay out the rise-and-run, attachtwo commercial stair buttons to a caroen-ter 's square, posi t ioning one for the r iseand the other for the run. lf you do not havestair buttons, use the shop-made jig shownon page 115. Then, start ing about 12 inch-es from one end of the board, hold the stairbuttons against one edge of the stock andmark the f i rst uni t r ise-and-run along theinside edge of the arms of the square witha penci l . Sl ide the square along and repeat(/efil, ensuring that the next unit rise-and-run starts exactly where the first one ends.Cont inue marking unt i l you reach the oppo-si te end of the board. Once al l the steosare marked, add cutt ing l ines at 90' forthe top and bottom of the str inger. Alsomark the no tches tha t w i l l f i t a round thekicker at the staircase bottom and theledger board at the top.

1 1 8

STAIRS

IIIIIIIItIIIITIIIIttTIIIIIIIIItI

Q Laying out the open stringerr-J Set the open st r inger board on a work sur face and lay thecut-out center s t r inger on i t , leaving a gap between the edgesof the two boards equal to the width of your r iser s tock. Markthe run edges of the center s t r inger on the open st r inger board.Tn mark the r ise edpes of the st r inper . take a n iece of r iserstock and set i t on end on the open st r inger board, but t ing i ts

face against one of the r ise-edges of the center s t r inger . Marka l ine a long the r iser board f rom the edge of the open st r ingerboard to the run-edge of the center stringer (above). Repeat ata l l the other r ise-edges of the center s t r inger . This second setof cut t ing l ines wi l l compensate for the bevel you wi l l need tosaw in the r ise-edges of the open st r inger .

Cutting the center stringerClamp the s t r i nge r boa rd f ace up

across a pai r of sawhorses and cut a longyour marked lines using a circular saw (left).

When you reach the ends of the board, repo-sit ion it on the sawhorses as necessary. Donot t ry to cut r ight to the corners of cut t ingl i nes w i th t he c i r cu la r saw . I ns tead , f i n i shthe cuts with a handsaw (photo, page 11&.

1 1 9

STAIRS

Cutting the open stringerCut out the open stringer the way you cut the center stringer,

fo l lowing the cut t ing l ines you marked in s tep 3, For the bevelcuts, secure the st r inger s tock end up in a bench vrse. At theouts ide corner of each step, use a combinat ion square and apenci l to mark a l ine aIa 45" angle across the run-edge of thestr inger . Then extend the l ine at a 90" angle down the ins ideface of the stringer. Use a crosscut saw to cut the bevel (above),

s topping when you reach the bot tom of the r ise edge. Removethe waste wi th a hor izonta l cut . Bevel the other r ise-edses ofthe open stringer the same way.

f, Making the wedges for the closed stringer. - ,1 Before you can out l ine the mort ises in the c losed st r inger ,you have to make the wedges that wi l l support the t reads andrisers in the mortises. Use %-inch{hick hardwood for the wedgesand cut them on your table saw. Screw a board to the miter gaugeas an extension and c lamo a stoo b lock to the extension about% inch f rom the b lade. Angle the mi ter gauge so that you wi l lcut wedges that wi l l taper f rom aboul ' /u inch th ick to about %inch th i ck . Ho ld ing you r wedge s tock f l ush aga ins t t he m i te rgauge extension so that i ts gra in is para l le l to the b lade, cutthe wedges (above). Turn the board over after each pass. Youmay need to make a few test cuts and adjust the mi ter gaugeangle unti l the wedges are the right size. (Caution: Blade guardremoved for clarity.)

4l Marking the mortises on the closed stringer\,f The mortises in the closed stringer must takeinto account the treads, the risers, and the wedgesSince the t reads are housed in the c losed st r inger ,start by marking a clearance line along your stringerstock about 2 inches below the top edge. Then,out l ine the center s t r inger on the c losed st r ingerboard, a l lowing enough space so that when thetread mortise is cut it wil l not project beyond theclearance l ine. Posi t ion a p iece of t read stock onend on the board f lush wi th the center s t r ingerout l ine and mark i ts out l ine at each t read locat ion.Repeat with a piece of riser stock. Finally, positiona wedge f lush wi th each t read and r iser out l ineand mark its outl ine (left). Make sure to position

the th in end of the wedge at the jo int between thetread and riser. Extend all vour l ines to the bottomcdoc n f fhp c f r inopr

IrI

tttI

tIIIIIIItIIIIIItIIIIIIIIt

t20

STAIRS

tttI

tIItIIIIrIIIIttIIIItItIIIIII

I Making the closed stringer mortising j igs

/ l t is easiest to rout the mort ises tn the c losed st r inger wi ththe help of a 1 ig. Al though commercia l j igs are avai lable for th istask, you can easi ly bui ld your own. Make one j ig for the mort iseshousing the t reads and the wedges under them, and a separatej ig for the r isers and the wedges behind them. Make the t read-mort is ing j ig f i rs t . Star t by secur ing the st r inger face up on awork sur face and posi t ion ing c leats a long i ts edges. Insta l l a %-inch st ra ight b i t in your router and a l ign the b i t wi th one edgeof a t read out l ine. Screw a board as an edge guide to the c leatsparal le l to the t reads so that i ts edge is f lush against the router

base p la te . Repea t w i t h a second edge gu ide pa ra l l e l t o t heoppos i t e edge o f t he t r ead ou t l i ne . S rnce the f ron t edges , o rnos ings , o f t he t r eads a re rounded , you w i l l need a roundededge guide a long the f ront of the t read mort ise. Adjust a com-pass to the distance between the edge of the router bit and basep la te . Then , ho ld ing the compass po in t a t t he cen te r o f t hetread nosing, draw an arc on the st r inger . Cut the th i rd guide tof i t between the edge guides, sawing an arc equal to the t readnos ing and the rou te r base p la te ou t o f one end , t hen sc rewit in place (above).

Routing the mortises in the closed stringerAlign the tread-mortising j ig over one of the tread-and-wedge

ou t l i nes and c lamp i t i n p lace . P lunge the rou te r b i t i n to t hestock, r id ing the base p late against the edge guides to rout theedges of the mort ise. Move the router in smal l c lockwise c i rc lesto remove the remain ing waste f rom the mort ise (above), s top-

p ing when the bot tom of the cavi ty is smooth. Repeat for theremain ing t read-and-wedge mort ises. Make the r iser-mort is ingj i g t he same way , om i t t i ng t he rounded edge gu ide , s i nce thef ron t edses o f t he r i se rs a re so r i a re . Then rou t t he r i se r -and -wedge mortises.

r2l

STAIRS

Installing the closed stringerOnce al l the mort ises in the closed

stringer have been routed, you can installthe stringers. Staft with the closed stringer.Hold i t f lush against the wal l and fastenit to the wal l , dr iv ing screws into everywall stud. Use screws that are long enoughto reach the studs, making sure to drivethe fasteners below the tread mort ises(righ). fhis way, the screw heads will notbe v is ib le .

IIItIIIIIIIIrIIIItIrIIItI3IrIIrI

' l n Installing the open

I \-,t and center stringersButt the open str inger against the head-board and mark a l ine on the headboardalong the top edge of the notch in thestringer. CUI a 2-by-4 to the width of yourstaircase. Align the board with the markedIrne on the headboard and use lag screwsto attach i t to the header. Check with acarpenter's level to make sure the boardis level as you fasten it in place. The 2-by-4 will serve as the ledger board to supportthe top of the open and center str ingers.Repeat to posit ion and instal l the kickerat the bottom of the str ingers. Once theledger board and kicker are in place, setthe open str inger in posit ion and fastenit to the two boards, driving screws at anangle through the stringer. Repeat to installthe center slringer (left).

r22

TREADSAND RISERSItITIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIrIIIII

IIIIII

Anatomy of a tread and riserAlthough the treads and risers in prefabricated wood stairs are oftensimply butted together and joined with screws, classic stairbui ldinguses sturdier jo inery techniques, as shown at r ight. Tread stock isavai lable pre-mil led; al l you need to do is cut to length. l f you aremaking treads from rough lumber, cut them 1% inches thick i f youare using softwoods and IYo inches thick for hardwood. To preparethe treads for assembly, cut a rabbet along the back edge of eachone (page 124); the result ing l ip wi l l f i t into a groove in the r iserabove. Then rout a groove in the tread's underside near the frontedge to accommodate the riser below. For the risers, cut the groovein the front face near the bottom to accommodate the lip in the treadbelow. Bevel the end that will fit against the bevel on the open stringer(page 120).0nce the treads and r isers are assembled and gluedtogether, cut t r iangular glue blocks to reinforce the joints. Glue andnail two or three blocks at the back of each tread-riser joint, locatingthem near the str ingers. Final ly, make a length of cove molding foreach tread-r iser joint and glue and nai l i t to the front of the joint .The cove molding is strictly decorative.

PREPARING THE TREADS AND RISERS

' l Rounding over the front edges of the treadsI Once your treads are cut to length, you need to shape thefront edge of each one to form the nosing that overhangs the riserbelow. lnstal l a%-inch pi loted round-over bi t in your router andmount the too l in a tab le . A l ign the fence w i th the b i t ' s p i lo tbearing and clamp two featherboards to the fence, one on each

side of the cutter. Start ing with a shal low cutt ing depth, feedthe tread across the table, pressing the front edge against thefence and the pi lot bearing. Make several passes on each face,increasing the depth of cut by % inch each t ime unt i l the edgesare rounded over (above).

t23

STAIRS

r) Cutting the rabbets at theL nac?ofthetreadsMake the joinery cuts in the treads on yourtable saw. Insta l l a dado b lade, adjust ingi ts width to s l ight ly more than % inch. Setthe depth of cut so the resul t ing l ip in thetread wi l l f i t snugly in the groove in the r is-er (see anatomy, page 123). Then attachan auxil iary fence to the saw and cut a relielnotch in it. Use two featherboards to bracethe treads, clamping one to the fence abovethe dado head and another to the table inl i ne w i t h t he b lades . Pos i t i on t he fencefor a cut t ing width of % inch and feed thetread across the table, hold ing the backedge flush against the fence (/efl). (Caution:

Blade guard removed for clarity).

IIIItIIIIIIIIIItIIIIItIIIttIItIr

Q Cutting the grooves in the treadsr.,l Once all the rabbets are cut in the treads, readjust the dadohead to a width of % inch-the thickness of the r iser stock. Setthe cutt ing depth at % inch and reposit ion the fence to locatethe groove llo inch from the tread nosing. Again, use two feath-

erboards to brace the t reads, reposi t ion ing the one on the sawtable as necessary. Feed the t read into the dado head, keepingthe nosing f lush against the fence (above). (Caut ion: Bladeguard removed for clarity).

Featherboard

r24

STAIRS

ItIIIIItIItIIIItIIIIrIIIItIIIIII

/ Preparingthe treads for return nosingT To hide the end srain of the treads atthe open-str ing.r .nJ, cut a piece of stockfrom the end of each tread, leaving a bevelthat will mate with the return nosing (page139)Ihat is appl ied once the stairs areassembled and the balusters are instal led.Clamo a tread astride sawhorses as shown.To out l ine your cut, mark a straight l ine onthe too of the tread 1% inches from theopen-str inger end. Then mark another l ineat a 45'angle starting from the front cornerand intersect ing the f i rst l ine. Use a cross-cut saw to make the cuts, starting with thebevel (right). Repeat for the other treads.

INSTALLING THE TREADS AND RISERS' l lnstalling the bottom riserI Prepare a r iser with no groove in i tsfront face and set i t in posi t ion with thebeveled end flush against the open stringerand the straight end seated in the mortisein the closed str inger. Use f inishing nai lsto fasten the riser to the ooen and centerstr ingers. Drive a wedge into the closedstringer mortise behind the riser to secureit in place (/eft).

125

STAIRS

r) Assembling the remainingL teadsand risersOnce the bottom r iser is in place, theremaining treads and r isers are assem-bled and instal led in pairs. l f you areusing dovetai ls to join the balusters tothe treads, first cut the sockets in thetreads (page 127).To join a tread anda riser, spread glue in the rabbet at theback of the tread and in the groove inthe r iser and f i t the boards together.Then, holding the tread and r iser on awork surface as shown, drive a screwevery 3 or 4 inches through the back ofIhe riser (left).

IrIItIItIIItIIItIIIIIIttIIIlIIII

Installing the treads and risersOnce a l l t he t r eads and r i se rs have

been assembled , ins ta l l them one a t at ime start ing at the bottom of the stairs.Apply glue in the groove in the undersideof the tread and f i t i t over the last r iserrnstal led. Use f in ishing nai ls to fasten theriser to the open and center stringers. Thenscrew the tread to both the open and centerstringer. Counterbore the screw holes sothat you can cover the screw heads withwood plugs. Tap a wedge into the closedstringer under each tread and behind everyriser (right). You may have to cut some ofthe wedges short to f i t adjoining ones inplace. Glue and nail two or three glue blocks tothe unders ide o f each t read- r iser jo in t(nape 1 2.3): locate the blocks near the\ F v b v 1 1 v , ,

s t r ingers . F ina l l y , g lue and na i l the covemold ing in p lace and se t a l l your na i l s .

r26

STAIRS

IIIIIIIIIIIItIttIIIItIIIIIIIItII

PREPARING TREADS FOR BALUSTERS

Cutting dovetail socketsMark the posit ion of the balusters on each tread (page 138)before assembling the treads and r isers. Then clamp the treadend up in a vise. Use a dovetail square and a pencil to outline thesockets on the end of the tread at each baluster locat ion mark(above, lefil.fhe marks should be centered within the outlines.Extend the socket outlines with straight lines across the top faceof the tread abouI3/o inch in from the end of the tread. Mark a line

on the edge of the tread for the depth of cut. Cut the sockets witha router f i t ted with a dovetai l bi t , or use a chisel and a mal let .In either case, clamp the tread face up to a work surface. To cutthe sockets by hand, score the outlines with the chisel and a wood-en mal let , holding the chisel vert ical ly with the bevel facing thewaste. Then pare away the waste in thin layers (above, right),pushing the chisel into the end grain with the bevel facing up.

Drill ing mortisesl f your balusters wi l l be mort ised into thetreads, you can dr i l l the holes after thetreads and r isers are assembled. ln thiscase, the return nosings wi l l have alreadybeen fastened to the treads (page 139).Turn a tenon on the bottom ends of thebalusters (page 137), and mark their posi-tjons on the treads (page 138). Fit an elec-tr ic dr i l l wi th a spade bi t . Holding the dr i l lperfect ly straight, bore a hole at eachbaluster location mark (left), penetratingthe tread sl ight ly deeper than the lengthof the baluster tenon. Locate the holes sothat the balusters wi l l be al iened with thecenter of the newel oosts

t 27

NEWEL POSTS

Q tructurally, newel posts anchor therJ handrail and balusters of a stairway.But they can also serve as important dec-orative elements. Newels can be veryelaborate structures with boxed enclo-sures surrounding metal support rodsand carved wooden caps or simple piecesof solid or glued-up a-by-a stock. And asshown below, wood newels can be

turned on a lathe, chamfered or tapered,with many variations possible for each.However complex or straightforwardtheir design, the strength of a newel postderives from how solidly it is attachedto the stairs.

The newel post at the top of a staircaseis called the landing newel; the one at thebottom is known as the starting newel.

As shown on page 129, the joinery attach-ing each one to the stairs is different fromthat used for balusters. As a general rule,starting newels should be about 4 feetlong. Landing newels range from 5 to 6feet in length. The precise length of anewel depends on how it is fastened atthe bottom. A newel that is bolted to thefloor framing will need to be longer.

IIIIIIIIIIIIItItIIIIItIIIIIIIIIt

it

FOUR NEWET POST STYLES

) (

ChamferedTurned Stop tapered

Instead of a conventional single newelpost, the staircase shown above uses aseries of several balusters arranged ina tight circle to serve the same visualpurpose and to anchor the handrailat the bqse of the stairs.

STAIRS

ttt|rItIIIIIIIIIIttIIItIIIIItIIII

TURNING A NEWET P()ST

Making a newel post on a lathePrepare a 4Joot-long piece of 4-by-4 stockand mount i t on your lathe. l f your machinewil l not accommodate such a long prece,you wi l l need to saw the blank in two. Thebest point to cut the blank is just belowthe square sect ion, or pommel, at the top.Then mount the section below the pommelon the lathe. For the design shown above,use a skew chisel to def ine the oommel atthe bottom of the post, making a V-cut directly above it. Use a roughing gougeto cut away the bulk of the waste from the rest of the blank and turn i t into acyl inder. Switch to a skew chisel or spindle gouge to turn the beads and a spin-dle gouge for the coves (above). For all these cuts, keep the bevel of the cuttingtool rubbing on the stock at al l t imes whi le bracing the blade on the tool rest.Once the bottom part of the post is turned, mount the pommel at the top on thelathe and make a rounded bevel cut at its bottom end. To rejoin the two sectionsof the post, instal l a Jacobs chuck in the lathe tai lstock and bore a dowel holeabout 3 inches in to the ad jo in ing ends o f each p iece . Cut a 6 - inch length o fdowel, apply glue into the holes, and insert the dowel. Press the two sect ionstogether (inset) and clamp. Turn the other newel post the same way.

ANATOMY OF STARTING ANDTANDING NEWELS

Landing newelNotched to fitaqatnat firat riaerand tread of atairabove Iandrn4.

Starting newelErtenda to floor at bottom ofataira; notched to ftt aroundopen-etrrnqer end of boLtomrreer and Lread. Could be madelonqer to exLend throuqh sub-floor and be bolted to floorjotet for added aupport.

r) (

Dowel

tsead

STAIRS

CHAMFERING A NEWEL P(IST

tItIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIItrIIIIII

Using a router and a power mitel sawDefine the square sections at the top andbottom of the newel post by marking linesacross al l four sides of the blank. To cutthe decorative chamfers along the cornersof the post, clamp the blank to a work sur-face and use a router fitted with a oilotedchamfering bit. Stop the cuts at your markedl ines. Once al l four corners are shaped,chamfer the top of the post on a powermiter saw. Set the blank on the saw tableand adjust the blade to a 45" angle. Cutoff a small wedge of wood, rotate the blankby 90'on the table and repeat the bevelcut. Repeat twice more to f in ish chamfer-ing the top of the post (left).

INSTALLING THE NEWEL POSTS

1 Preparing the starting newelI Position the starting newel on the corner of the bottom treadso that the middle of the oost is in line with the dovetail socketsor mortises for the balusters. Use a pencilto mark cutting lines onthe bottom of the post so it will butt against the riser and openstringer. Extend the lines up the inside faces of the post. To deter-mine where to stop these cuts so that the post rests on the floor,measure from the top of the bottom tread to the floor and trans-fer your measurement to the post, marking cutt ing l ines on i tsinside faces. Cut into the post along these lines with a handsaw,stopping the cuts at the first set of cutting lines. Make the remain-ing cuts on your table saw. To set up the saw, set the post on thesaw table and raise the blade to the horizontal cutt ing l ine. Thenalign the front end of the blade with the handsaw cuts you made,butt a board against the end of the post and clamp i t to the r ipfence as a stop block. Final ly, al ign the vert ical cutt ing l ine onthe end of the post with the blade and butt the fence against thestock. Feed the post with both hands, running it against the fenceuntil it contacts the stop block. Rotate the post 90", repositionthe fence, if necessary, and repeat the cut (right). Use a chiseland a mallet to detach the waste piece from the post. Test-fit thepost on the tread; to ensure it overhangs both tread and riser bythe same amount, you will have to trim the tread nosing. This cutis shown in step 3 (page l3l). (Caution: Blade guard removedfor clarity.)

130

STAIRS

III|rIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIt

r') Preparing the landing newelL m" landing newel is prepared the same way as the start-ing newel, except that i t is 6 to 8 inches longer, s ince i t wi l lextend to the open str inger for support . As a result , you wi l lneed to make one additional cut. Measure the cut-out you madein the start ing newel and lengthen the measurement by thedifference in length between the two posts. Mark cutting lineson the landing neweland notch i t as you did the start ing newel

(page 130). Be sure the tops of the newels will be the sameheight when the posts are instal led. Now, measure the gapbetween the landing and the tread directly above it, and trans-fer the measurement to the face of the post that will extend tothe landing (above). Cut the newel with a handsaw. A decora-tive bevel on the bottom of the post will give it a lighter, moref inished appearance.

Installing the newel postsThe newels wi l l be fastened to the

stringers with lag bolts, driven into adjoin-ing sides of the posts. With a helper hold-ing each newel in posit ion on the stairs,work from the inside of the starrcase todr ive two lag bolts through the str ingerand into the oosi.

1 3 1

HANDRAILS

,{ handrail can be the most complexf\ and decorative element of a sfair-case. But it also oerforms the morepedestrian-but vital-task of guidingthe people who climb and descend thestairs. Whether a handrail is as elabo-rate as a curved assembly made fromlaminated strips of wood, or as simpleas the straight example featured in thissection, most building codes govern sev-eral aspects of its construction. Forexampli, a handrail is usually requiredon any staircase with three or moretreads. It is typically screwed or boltedto the newel posts and attached to thetops of the balusters. A rail should alsotypically not encroach more than 3 Zinches into the minimum width of thestaircase. Most codes recuire stairs widerthan 44 inches to have a handrail onboth sides. A handrail alons a wall iscalled a floatinq handrail-iso-called

because it is suspended above the treads,attached to the wall above them (page135). Commercial rails and hardware forfloating handrails generally satisfy build-1n8 COOeS.

This section will show you how tomake and install a handrail along theopen-stringer side of a staircase as well ashow to mount a floatins handrail. Thedesigns shown below can be made on ashaper or router table using 2-by-3 stock.The groove along the bottom of the railis cut on the table saw and houses thetops ofthe balusters.

The handrail shown at right culmi-nates in a spiral-shaped form, known

as a volute, at the foot of the stairs.

IItIItIIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIItIII

AN INVENTORY ()F HANDRAIT DES]GNS

L J Z

STAIRS

IIItItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIII

SHAPING A HANDRAIL

1 Routing the profileI Instal l a bi t with the desired top prof i le in your router andmount the tool in a table. In this example, a round-over bi t isshown. Align the fence with the bit pilot bearing. To support thehandrai l as you shape i t , c lamp a featherboard to the table in l inewith the bi t . Place a shim under the featherboard so that the

pressure is appl ied near the middle of the stock. Feed the rai lupside down, then turn it around and shape the other edge of theIop bbove, left).To form the side profile, replace the bit. In thiscase, a specialized handrail bit is used. Feed the rail acrossthetable in two passes again, this time right side up (above, right).

Cutting the baluster groove in the handrailTo accommodate the top ends o f the ba lus ters , saw a

groove down the midd le o f the handra i l ' s unders ide . Ins ta l la dado b lade, ad jus t ing i t as w ide as poss ib le ; you w i l l l i ke lyneed more than one pass to cut the ful l width of the groove.Adjust the cutting height to aboul % inch, then mark the groovein the center of the leadine end of the stock. The width of the

groove should be equal to the thickness of the balusters. Clampa shimmed featherboard to the saw table in l ine with the dadohead. Al ign one of the groove marks with the inside blade, buttthe r ip fence against the handrai l and feed the stock into thecut. Turn the handrail around and repeat the cut (above).

r33

STAIRS

INSTALLING THE HANDRAIL' l Cutting the handrail to lenghI Once you have shaped the handrai l , posi t ion i t on thetreads, butting an edge against the newel posts at the topand bottom of the stairs. Holding the rai l in place, marklines across its edge at both points where it meets the newels.Depending on the method you select to attach the handrai lto the starting newel post (below), you can make the rails l ight ly longer, s ince you may need to mort ise the bottomend of the rai l into the post. Then adjust a sl id ing bevel sotha t i t s hand le i s para l le l to the ra i l and i t s b lade is f lushon the landing newel (right). Use the bevel's setting to setup your saw to the proper angle for cutt ing the handrai l ,then cut the rai l to length.

Choosing an attachment methodThere are several ways of fastening a handrail to the newel

posts; three methods are shown above. Most finish carpentersrely on one of two options for the starting newel. The tradition-al method involves using a rai l bol t . A clearance hole for thebolt is dr i l led into the bottom end of the rai l and a oi lot hole isbored in the newel; an access hole is also drilled into the bottomface of the rail. The bolt is then driven partway into the neweland the handrai l is s l ipped over the protruding end of the bolt .A special nut is then inserted through the access hole and onto

the bolt, and tightened using a small screwdriver. A wood plugis glued in the access hole to conceal the bolt . The secondmethod involves cutting a mortise in the newel for the end ofthe rai l . The rai l is f i t ted in the mort ise and screwed to thenewel. The best opt ion at the landing newel involves simplybutt ing the end of the rai l against the post and screwing i t inplace. In this case, since the screws are driven into the top faceofthe rai l , the holes are counterbored and the heads are cov-ered with plugs. Screws are shown in the step that follows.

IIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

HANDRAIT ATTACHMENT METHODS

ATTACHMENT OqflON' AT STARTING NEWEL ATTACHMENT METHODAT LANDING NEWEL

Kailboltand nuT.

r34

STAIRS

IItIrIIIIIIIIIIIIIItItIIIIIIIIIII

INSTALLING A FLOATING HANDRAIL

Attaching the handrailMake the floating handrail (page 133), omitting the groove in theunderside, and cut the handrail to the same len$h as the handrailon the open-stringer side of the staircase. The model shown abovefeatures a return that serves as a tactile reminder to the visuallyrmpaired that they are arriving at the top or bottom of the stairs.Locate the studs along the wall side of the stair. Then position the

Q Attaching the handrail to the newelsr-,1 To fasten a handrail to newel postswith screws, hold the rai l in posi t ion anddri l l a clearance hole though the rai l anda pi lot hole into the posts. At the top ofthe stairs, dr i l l counterbored holes anddrive the screws through the top face ofthe rai l . Conceal the screw heads withwood plugs. At the bottom, work from theunderside of the rai l and countersink thescrews (/eff),

f loat ing handrai l against the wal l para l le l to the other handrat land mark the stud locations on it. Screw commercial wall brack-ets to the underside of the rail (above, left) atlhe stud locationmarks at intervals specified by your local building code. Reposi-t ion the handrai l on the wal l , mark the screw holes, bore p i lo t

holes into the wall, and fasten the rail in place (above, right).

135

BALUSTERS

T ike newel posts and handrails, balus-I: ters can be made in a wide varietyofdesigns. Four popular styles are illus-trated at right. Although balusters canbe bought ready-made, they can be fash-ioned easily in the shop. On the follow-ing page are instructions for turningbalusters on a lathe and making taperedbalusters on a jointer.

As shown in the illustration on page138, not all the balusters are cut to thesame length. The baluster at the back ofeach tread is longer than the one at thefront, owing to the slope of the handrail.The square section at the top of thebalusters-if there is one-is typicallythe same length on all of them, but notthat at the bottom. Most balusters arecut to the length of the gap between thehandrail and treads, adding about % inchfor the tenon or dovetail you will use toattach the balusters to the treads. Balus-ters with rounded tou sections shouldbe longer to accommodate the tenonthat fits into the handrail mortise.

INVENTORY OF BATUSTER STYTES

Chamfered

/ \

Turned

Tapered

Turned

IIIIIIIItIIIIItIItIItIIIIIItIIII

r36

STAIRS

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

T

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

MAKING BALUSTERS

Turning balusters on the latheMoun t a ba lus te r b lank on you r l a the and mark o f f t he squa resect ions at the top and bot tom. Def ine these sect ions as you

did for the newel posts (page 129), then use a roughing gougeto t u rn t he b lank rn to a cy l i nde r be tween the squa re a reas(above, le f t ) . Turn any other design e lements, such as beadso r c o v e s , u s i n g a s p i n d l e g o u g e a n d a s k e w c h i s e l . W h e n

tu rn ing re la t i ve l y t h i n sec t i ons , suppo r t t he b lank w i th you rlef t hand to prevent chat ter (above. r ight) . l f you are us ingtenons to j o i n t he ba lus te rs t o t he t r eads , t u rn a %- inch - l ongtenon at the bot tom of each baluster us ing a par t ing tool . Thed iame te r o f t he t enons shou ld ma tch the mor t i ses cu t i n i hetreads (page 127).

Making a tapered balusterMove the guard out of the way for this operationand adjust the jo inter for a % inch cut . Mark of fthe square sect ions at the top and bot tom ofeach baluster b lank and set the b lank on yourj o i n te r , a l i gn ing the mark f o r t he t op squa resection with the front edge of the outfeed table.Butt a wood block against the end of the stockand c lamp i t t o t he ou t feed tab le as a s top .Repea t w i t h t he o the r mark t o c l amp a s topb lock t o t he i n feed tab le . To make the f i r s tpass , bu t t t he end o f t he b lank aga ins t t heinfeed stop b lock and lower the b lank onto theknives, keeping r t f lush against the fence. Feedthe b lank w i th a push s t i ck , us ing you r l e f thand to press the workpiece against the fenceunt i l i t contacts the out feed stop b lock, thenl i f t i t o f f . Make one pass on each s ide of theb l a n k , t h e n i n c r e a s e t h e c u t t i n g d e p t h b y% inch and reoeat the Drocess on a l l four s ides.Con t i nue , i nc reas rng the cu t t i ng dep th un t i lyou obta in the desi red taper .

1 3 7

STAIRS

INSTALLING THE BALUSTERS' l Planning the operationI Bu i ld ing codes do no t p rov ide manyrigid guidel ines governing baluster instal-lat ion, but most codes require them to beno more than 6 inches apart . As shown atr ight, stairs typical ly feature two balustersper tread; for v isual balance, space theman equa l d is tance apar t . The f ron t oneon each tread is typical ly posi t ioned justbehind the nosing. The back baluster isthen positioned halfway between the frontba lus ter and the f ron t ba lus ter on thetread above.

r) Cutting dovetails on the balustersL For balusters that wi l l be dovetai led into the treads, posi-t ion a baluster up against the end of the tread and out l ine thesocket you cut in it on the bottom of the baluster. Then securethe baluster in a vise and cut the dovetai l using a dovetai l saw(above). Use the f in ished baluster as a template to out l ine theremaining orres.

Q Cutting balusters to lengh\, , Fi t the bottom of the baluster into i ts t read and, holding i tperfect ly upr ight against the handrai l , mark a l ine on i t alongthe underside of the rai l (above). Mark a second l ine abovethe f i rst , of fset f rom i t by the depth of the groove in the rai l .Saw the balusters to length along this second marked l ine.

I

tI

I

I

I

ttI

I

I

I

I

I

ttI

tII

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

r

TYPICAL EALU?TERLAYOUT

r38

STAIRS

IIItItI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

tI

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

,{ Fastening the balusters in placeT Once a l l t he ba lus te rs a re cu r rolength, insta l l them one at a t ime. Posi t ionthe ba lus te r be tween the t read and thehandrai l , and dr i l l two p i lo t holes for f in ishnai ls through the top end of the balusterinto the unders ide of the ra i l . Glue the bot-tom of the baluster to the tread. lf you areusing doveta i ls , a lso dr ive a nai l throughthe dovetail and into the tread; for tenonedbalusters, the adhesive is adequate. Thenadd g lue to t he t op end o f t he ba lus te r ,but t i t against the hand-ra i l , and nai l i t rnplace (right). To hide the gaps in the hand-ra i l groove between baiusters, cut woods t r i ps abou t % inch th i ck , ca l l ed f i l l e t s .G l u e a n d n a i l t h e m i n p l a c e .

f, Finishing up the jobr-, f Once al l the balusters are in place,complete the staircase by instal l ing returnnosings to cover the end grain of the treadson the open-stringer side. Make the nosingsby r ipping them from rounded-over treadstock; the width of the pieces should bethe same as the overhang o f the t readnosings from the risers (page 125). Sawthe return nosings to extend to the openstr inger, miter ing the ends to match themiter you cut on the treads. Glue and nai lthe nosings in place and set the nai ls. Toconceal the end grain of the return nosings,cu t end p ieces w i th one 45" ang le andglue them to the nosings ( lef t) . Hold theend p ieces in p lace w i th mask ing tapeunt i l the adhesrve cures .

139

GLOSSARY

A-B.CApron: In stool-and-apron windowcasing, a horizontal piece of windowtrim installed beneath the stool.

Baluster: A vertical post mountedbetween the handrail and treadsopposite the wall side of a staircase.

Baseboard: Decorative trim installedaround the perimeter of a room atthe base of the walls.

Bead: A convex profile, usuallysemicircular.

Bedmolding: A type of crown mold-ing featuring reversed curves; oftenused as part of a formal cornice.

Bevelcut Sawing at an angle fromface to face through the thickness oralong the length of a workpiece.

Built-up baseboard: A type of base-board built up from several elements,such as base-and-shoe baseboard.

Cap rait A molded rail installed atthe top of wainscoting.

Casing: Decorative trim used toframe a window or door.

Chair rait Decorative trim installedon walls, usually about 3 feet abovethe floor. Tiaditionally served to pre-vent chair backs from damaging walls.

Closed stringer: A 2-by-10 or 2-by-12 that is mortised to accept andsupport the ends ofthe treads andrisers of a stairway; usually adjacentto a wall. See open stringer.

Compound cut: A cut through aboard at angles other than 90" rela-tive to the face and edge of stock.

Cope-and-stick joinery: A methodofjoining stiles and rails in frame-and-panel doors and windows. Cutwith a router or shaper, the jointfeatures mating tongues and groovesand a decorative molding along theinside edges of the boards.

Coped joint: A method ofjoiningtwo pieces of molding at an insidecorner. The end ofone board is cutso that it fits precisely against thecontoured face of the mating board.

Countersinking: Drilling a hole thatenables a screw head to lie flushwith or slightly below the surface.

Cove molding: Trim featuring aconcaYe profile.

Crosscufi Sawing across the grainof a workpiece.

Crown molding: Decorative triminstalled around the perimeter of aroom at the top of the walls; alsoknown as cornice molding.

D-E-F-G-H-IDado: A rectangular channel cutinto a workpiece.

Double-hung window: A type ofwindow consisting of two sashesthat slide vertically within a jamb.

End grain: The arrangement anddirection of the wood fibers runningacross the ends ofa board.

Formal cornice: An elaborate typeof crown molding built up from abox-like soffit-and-fascia assemblydecorated with strips of crown andbed molding.

Frame-and-panel door: A doorconsisting of panels containedwithin a framework of stiles, rails,and mullions.

Furring strip: A narrow strip ofwood nailed to wall studs to supportmolding or wainscoting.

Glass-stop molding: Decorativestrips of wood used to hold a paneof glass in a window sash.

Glazingbarhalf-lap joint A methodofjoining the rails and mullions of awindow sash with mitered half-laps.

Glueblock In stairbuilding, atriangular piece of wood glued andnailed under the joint of a treadand riser to reinforce the ioint be-tween them.

Gooseneclc A nearlyvertical pieceof railing connecting a handrail tothe upper newel post of a staircase.

Half-blind dovetait A joinerymethod involving interlocking pinsand sockets; commonly used to ioinbalusters to treads.

Hinge jamb: The side of a doorjamb adjoining the hinge side ofthe door.

l-K-L-M-N-O-P-Qfamb extension: A wooden frameinstalled on awindow jamb to bringit flush with the interior wall.

Joist A horizontal support for a floor.

Kicker: A2-by-4 attached to thesubfloor to anchor the stringers atthe bottom of a staircase.

Kingstud: Avertical framing mem-ber adjoining the rough opening fora door.

Ledgerboard: A2-by-4 attached tothe headboard at the top ofa stair-case to support the stringers.

ItIIIIrtIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItItI

140

IIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

LeveL Horizontal; parallel to thefloor or ceiling. See plumb.

Miter cut A cut that angles acrossthe face of a workpiece; see bevel cut.

Moldinghead: A solid metal wheelinstalled on the arbor of a table sawor radial arm saw for forming mold-ings; holds three identical knives.

Mortise-and-tenon joint: A joinerytechnique in which a projectingtenon on one board fits into mortisein another.

Mortise: A hole cut into a piece ofwood to receive a tenon.

Mullion: A vertical member betweentwo rails of a frame.

Nailer: A 2-by-4 installed horizon-tallybetween wall studs to supportwall paneling.

Newel post A wooden post fastenedto the handrail and treads at the topand bottom ofa staircase.

Open stringer: A 2-by-10 or 2-by-12 that is notched to support theends ofthe treads and risers ofastairway; usually away from a wall.See closed stringer.

Picture rai} Decorative trim installedon walls, usually about 6 feet abovethe floor, for hanging picture frames.

Pilot hols A hole bored into a work-piece to prevent splitting when ascrew is driven; usually made slight-ly smaller than the threaded sectionof the screw.

Pilot bearing: A free-spinning metalcollar on a piloted router bit thatfollows the edge of the workpieceor a template to keep the cuttingdepth uniform.

Plinth: A decorative wood blockinstalled between the side casing ofa door and the floor.

Plumb: Vertical; perpendicular tothe floor and ceiling. See level.

Preacher: A U-shaped jig used tomark the length of a piece of mold-ing that butts against door trim ora plinth.

R-SRabbet A step-like cut in the edgeor end of a board; usually formspart of a joint.

Rait The horizontal member of aframe-and-panel assembly; see stile.

Return nosing: A piece of treadstock nailed and glued to the open-stringer end ofa tread to conceal theend grain ofthe tread and the bot-tom ends of the balusters.

Reveal The gap between the insideface of awindow or door jamb andthe inside edge of the trim installedon it.

Rip cufi A saw cut that follows thegrain of a workpiece.

Rise The vertical distance betweentwo adjoining steps on a staircase;also called unit-rise. See run.

Riser: A board that closes the verti-cal space between stair treads.

Rosette: A decorative wood blockinstalled at the upper corners ofwindow or door casing.

Rough opening: The wall openinginto which awindow or door iambis installed.

Run: The horizontal span ofeachstep of a staircase; also known asunit-run. See rise.

Scarfjoint A method ofjoiningtwo lengths of molding end to endby beveling both pieces.

Sole plate: A horizontal framingmember installed on the subfloorto support the wall studs.

Stair button: A commercial jigattached to a carpentert square tolay out the rise-and-run of a stair-case on the stringers; usually usedrn parrs.

Stile: The vertical member of aframe-and-panel assembly. See rail.

Stool The horizontal componentof stool-and-apron casing that jutsout and forms the sill of the finish-edwindow.

Wall stud: A vertical member form-ing walls and supporting the frame-work of a building.

T-U-V.W-X-Y-ZTop plate: A horizontal framingmember installed along the top ofthe wall studs.

Tread: Forms a step of a staircase.

Treadnosing: The rounded frontedge ofa stair tread.

Volute: A spiral section of a stair-case handrail, usually ending at thenewel post.

Wainscoting: Wall paneling thatcovers the lower part of a wall.

r4l

INDEX

Page references in italics indicate anillustration of subject matter. Pagereferences in bold indicate a BuildIt Yourselfproject.

A-B-C-DBalusters, 136

Chamfering,l3TInstallation, 138-139Tiead preparation, 127Twning,I3T

Baseboards, 12,23Base-and-sh oe, 24Built-up,25Installation,26

inside corners, 26-27outside corners, 2B-29store-bought corner pieces

(Shop Tip),29foinery, 2i,26-29

Bevel cuts, 18Doors, 102,106

Build It Yourself:Doors

door bucks, 104Windows

reveal gauges, 53Butted sill casings, 65Cap rails, 38Carpenter's sqtares, front endp ap er

Trr;'eing, front endp ap erCasings:

Doors, 85,86,112-113Windows, 12

butted sill, 65correcting poor-fitting miters,

66-68picture-frame, 58, 61-65stool-and-apron, 57, 58, 69-72temporary brace to hold

window aprons (ShopTip),72

Ceilings:Paneled,52-55

Chair rails, 12, 30-32Coffered ceilings, 52-55Combination planes,25Compound cuts, 18Coping saws, 15Crosscutting, IZCrown moldings, 12, 30, 33-35

Formal cornices,36-37Doors, 7, 13, 85-86

Beveling, 102,106Binding, 102,106Casings, 85, 86, 112- 113Doorstops,98-99Exterior, 85,86Frame-and- panel, 90- 94Hanging, 85, 86, 105-106Hardware,89

locksets, 107-111Hinges, 103,105

butt hinges, 84mortises, 100-102sizes,103

Inter ior,85,86lambs,95-97

hinge mortises, 100- 102Styles, 86,87

E-F-G.H-IEakes, Jon, 8-9Finish nailers, 14,21Frame-and-panel construction:

Ceilings,52-55Doors,90-94Wainscoting, 39, 40, 41, 46-51

Glass- stop moldings, 7 9- 80Glazing bar half-lap joints, 8l-83Handrails, 132-133

Floating handrails, 135Installation, 134- 135

Hardware:Doors,89

locksets, 107- 1 1 1See also Hinges

Hinges:Doors, 89

butt hinges, 84,89mortises, 88,100-102sizes, 103

I-K-t|igs:

Doorsdoor bucks, 104hinge-mortising jigs, 88jamb jigs, 88,95

Moldingspreachers,23

Stairscalculating rise-and-run, I 15

Windowsauxiliary tables for power

miter saws, 68mortising jigs for routers, 75reveal gauges, 63

|oinery:Baseboards, 23,26-29Paneling

cope-and-stick joints, 46, 47- 48tongue-and -groove, 43

Windows,76,78glazngbar half-lap joints, 8l-83

Log-builder's scribes, 42Lumber. SeeWoods

M-N-O-P-QMiter boxes, 15Miter cuts, 17

Baseboardsinside corners,26outside corners, 28

tIItI

I

I

rIIIIIIIIItIIIItItIIIIIIt

142

IItIIIIIIIIIIIIII

IItIIIItIIIItII

Crown moldings, 34-35Windows

correcting,6G6TMoldings, 8,12,2I-22

Cap rails, 38Chair rails,30-32Crown moldings, 30, 33-35

formal cornices,36-37Fitting

scribing, /ro nt endp ap erGlass-stop moldings, 56, 79-80

installing the molding with ahammer (Shop Tip), 80

Milling, back endpaperPicture rails, 30Rosettes, 58,73-74

shop-made rosette cutters(Shop Tip),74

See also Baseboards; CasingsMortises:

Door hinges, 100- 102Nails:

Finishing, back endpaperNewel posts, 128-129

Chamfering, 130Handrail attachments, 1 34- 1 35Installation, 1 30- I 3 1Twning,l29

Paneling,12Cap rails, 38Ceilings,52-55Frame-and-panel wainscoting,

3 9 , 4 0 , 4 1 , 4 6cope-and-stick frames, 47- 48installation, 49-51raising the panels, 48-49

Tongue-and-groove, 39, 40, 42-43installation, 44-45

Panels:Raised,46,93

Patching compounds, back endpaperPicture-frame casings, 58, 61-65Picture rails, 12,30

Portable electric planers, 88Power miter saws, l5 6B

R-S-T-URailings. See Balusters; Handrails;Newel postsRipping, 16Rosettes, 58,73-74

Shop-made rosette cutters(Shop Tip),74

Routers:Mortising jigs, 75Thbles, 14

Router tables, 14Schuttner, Scott, l0-1 1Scribing, /ront endpaper, 42Shapers, -14Shop Tips:

Moldings,29Windows, 68,72,74,80

Sliding compound miter saws, 15,16, 18

Stairs, lI, 12- 13, 1 14-II5Anatomy, 116-117Rise-and-run calculation, 1 15, 1 17Risers, 125-126Stringers

installation, 122length calculation, 1 1 7making, 118-121

Tieadsbalusters, 127installation, 126making, 123-125

See also Balusters; Handrails;Newel posts

Stool-and-apron casings, 57, 58,69-72

Thble saws, 14, 16-17Taylor, Grant,6-7Tongue-and- groove wainscoting,

39,40, 42-45

Tools:Carpenter's squarcs, fr o nt

endpaperCombination planes,25Coping saws, 15Finish naifers, 14,21Log-builder's scribes, 42Miter boxes, 15Molder/planers, 15,20Portable electric planers, 88Power miter saws, 15, 68Routers

mortising jigs, 25tables, 14

Shapers, 14Sliding compound miter saws,

15, 16, 18Thble saws, 14, 16-17Vertical vises, 88

V-W.X-Y-ZVertical vises, 88Wainscoting. See PanelingWindows, 12,57

Casings, 12butted sill, 65picture-frame, 58, 61- 65stool-and-apron, 57, 58, 69-72temporary brace to hold win-

dow aprons (Shop Tip), 72Double-hung, 59-60Glass-stop moldings, 56, 79- 80

installing the molding with ahammer (Shop Tip), 80

Glazing bar half-lap joints, 8l-83lambs,61-62Rosettes, 58,73-74

shop-made rosette cutters(Shop Tip), 74

Sashes,75-79Wood, 19

Patching compounds, backendpaper

r43

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The editors wish to thank the following

Delta International Machineo,n"r,..Ltil1l:":fftHl:""?*:ttt"tt wer rools u.s.A. Ltd., Norcross, GA;|et Equipment and Tools, Auburn, WA; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord, Ont.; Williams and Hussey Machine Co., Inc., Wilton, NH

MOLDINGAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Delta International Machinery/Porter Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Great Neck Saw Mfrs. Inc.

(Buck Bros. Division), Millbury, M,L; Jet Equipment and Tools, Auburn, WA; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Blair McDougall,Brome Lake, Que.; Richards Engineering Co., Ltd., Vancouver, BC; Sandvik Saws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA;

Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, Ii; Stanle-y Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd.,Concord, Ont.; Walter Tomalty Enterprises Ltd., Montreal, Que; Williams and Hussey Machine Co., Inc., Wilton, NH

PANELINGAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Delta International Machinery/Porter Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Hitachi Power Tools U.S.A. Ltd.,

Norcross, GA; Jet Equipment and Tools, Auburn, WA; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Richards Engineering Co., Ltd.,Vancouver, BC; Shopsmith, Inc., Montreal, Que.; Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT;

Tool Tiend Ltd., Concord, Ont.; Williams and Hussey Machine Co., Inc., Wilton, NH

DOORSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Delta International Machinery/Porter Cable, Guelph, Ont.;De-Sta-Co, Troy,-Ml/Wainbee Ltd., Montreal, Que.; General Tools Manufacturing Co., Inc., New York, NY; Great Neck Saw Mfrs.Inc. (Buck Bros. Division), Millbury, MA; Hitachi Power Tools U.S.A. Ltd., Norcross, GA; Jet Equipment and Tools, Auburn, WA;

Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Putnam Products, Old Saybrook, CT; Record Tools Inc., Pickering, Ont.; Sears, Roebuckand Co., Chicago, IL; Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord, Ont.

WINDOWSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Delta International Machinery/Porter 9able, Guelph, Ont.;De-Sta-Co, Troy,-Ml/Wainbee Ltd., Montreal, Que.; General Tools Manufacturing Co., Inc., New York, NY; Great Neck Saw Mfrs.Inc. (Buck Bros. Division), Millbury, MA; fet Equipment and Tools, Auburn, WA; Marvin Windows and Doors Inc., Toronto, Ont.;Blair McDougall, Brome Lake, Que.; Record Tools Inc., Pickering, Ont.; Robert Sor\ Ltd., Sheffield, U.K./Busy Bee Machine Tools,

Concord, Ont.; Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT;Tool Trend Ltd., Concord, Ont.; Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY

STAIRSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Colonial Elegance Inc., Montreal, Que.;

Delta International MaihinerylPorter Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Great Neck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Division), Millbury, MA; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Record Tools Inc., Pickering, Ont.;

Sandvik Saws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA; Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Skil Canada, Ltd., Toronto, Ont.; Stanley Tools,Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT; Thoroughbred Sawhorses and Equipment, Division of the Ivy Group, Inc.,

Valparaiso, IN; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord, Ont.; Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY

The following persons also assisted in the preparation of this book:

Lorraine Dor6, Graphor Consultation, Genevidve Monette

PICTURE CREDITS

Cover Robert Chartier6,7 Alan Briere

8,9 Marie Louise Deruaz10,11 Charles Mason

30 Courtesy Ornamental Mouldings39 Courtesy Patella Industries, Inc.

114 Courtesy Boiseries Raymond, Inc.128 Courtesy Boiseries Raymond, Inc.

132 Charles Mason

IItIIIIIIIIIrIIII

IIIIIIIIItIIItt

r44

FINISHING NAITS

IIIIIIIIIIIt:

IIIIIIIIItIIItIIIII

WORKSHOP GUIDE

W(|OD PATCHING COMPOUNDS

TYPE

Wood fi l ler

Wax stick

Shellac stick

Shop-made fi l ler

CHARACTERISTICS

Solvent- or water-based; dependingon type, can be t inted with stain orpurchased pre{inted

Wax- and resin-based; avai lable ina variety of colors.

She l lac - and res in -based; ava i lab lein a variety of colors. Sets quicklyto form a hard surface

Sawdust mixed with binder, suchas g lue or she l lac ; can be t in tedwith stain

USES

Fil l ing large holes, gouges,cracks and dents

F i l l i ng smal l ho les , sc ra tchesand cracks

Fil l ing scratches, dents andgouges

Fil l ing nanow cracks, gapsand smal l ho les

COMPATIBITITIES

Compatible with most f inishes;apply either before or after stain

May be incompatible with lacquer;apply af ter f in ish ing

May be incompat ib le wi th a lcohol-or lacquer-based finishes; applyeither before or after f inishing

Compatible with most f inishes

MIttING ELABORATE MOLDINGS

You can use a combinat ion of routerbi ts, shaper cutters, or molding headknives to mi l l an impressive array ofmolding designs on a workpiece-fora fraction of the cost of a specialtv

cutter or a length of custom-mil ledmolding, A decorat ive molding bi t andcore box bi t , for example, can trans-form a board into a chair rai l molding(below, left). A bead cutter and an

ogee curve cutter mounted on thetable saw can create crown molding(below, right).

"Penny" Rat ing: Unt i l the development of cut nai ls at thebeginning of the 19th Century, nai ls were forged individual-ly by hand. The "penny" system now associated with thesize of nails reflected their cost based on the greater metalcontent of larger nai ls. The system is st i l l commonly used,but i t is more confusing than helpful . For sizes up to 10d,you can calculate a nail's actual length by dividing the penny-size by 4 and adding %inch. For example, a 6d nai l is 2inches long (6 divided by 4 plus Y, inch = 2 inches;.

TENGTHDIAMETER

(Gauge number)"PENNY''

RATII{G INCHES SHANK HEAD2d 1 6 % 13v,3d I % 1 5 % I 2 %+o ty, I 5 T25d 1 5 I 26d

I %

t 5 1 0