learning together
You got finish carpenters you got rough carpenters and you got retards. I get to Eliot’s place to install 1/4 round molding to hide the distracting gap the old picture molding makes (see photo) but can’t figure out how to make the proper angle cut. So I’m the latter.
Lots of carpentry is on a plane. Not in the sense you are flying while you working, although some are. On fumes and what have you. I mean it’s one flat surface meeting another. Then today I had to figure out how to go to the 3rd dimension. I thought back to the last time I got there…smoking pot in a parking lot with Black Sabbath Vol 4 in the cassette deck. Would an outside miter cut have a solo? Glenn would know.
I”d heard Glenn the Carpenter talk about dimensional wood. Ergo, he must be clued in to the 3rd dimension’s aural properties. But just what is dimensional wood? Would it be a bass solo? I like bass solos.
Dimensional wood is a term used for lumber that is planed and cut to a standardized width and depth – but not length. Think 2X4. That’s missing a measurement that would give it a 3rd dimension – the length. We refer to lumber by its nominal dimensions, which are larger than its actual fractional size. So, it’s a two by four in name only (nominal) because the current standardized size of a 2 X 4 measures 1 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.This turns out not be the key to the 3rd dimension.
Glenn the Carpenter was nowhere to be found, and it was Eliot who poured us a margarita and sat down at the table and said, “Baby steps. This has to be possible.”
I held my hand like the only angle the saw makes and Eliot spun the wood around as I made chopping motions until we figured out the proper way. And now the job is finished.
Was it the corner cut throwing you off? I’m with you, man, it’s tough to visualize. If I recall correctly, you have to make 2 cuts? One to set the angle for the exposed face and one to remove the wood behind it so it fits in the corner? Thinking about it gives me a headache.
Comment by Lyle_s — January 5, 2010 @ 2:12 pm
Don’t tell Eliot but I didn’t cope my inside corners. That’s where you remove the wood with the second cut. It takes forever and we never did it on photo shoots. I just nailed the beejeezus out of it and caulked it in. If it moves it’s because it’s an earthquake and my trim work will not be a problem. It was miters on inside and outside corners. Are you the handy man at your place or did you buy something new enough you don’t have to worry? yet…
Comment by Rolston — January 6, 2010 @ 12:36 am
I saw an episode of This Old House once that had a tool that allowed you to use one piece of molding as a jig for cutting the piece you want to lay up against it. So, you could make a straight cut on the molding for one edge of the ceiling and then the piece you cut with a jig would fit right over the top of it.
Comment by Lyle_s — January 6, 2010 @ 8:57 am
compound miter saw. you’ve got one, jon-0.
i built this squirrely shed for a guy in menlo park. i had to frame a roof that sort of looked like a kite shape.
You just measure one angle, set that miter on the saw, measure the other angle and set that angle on the other miter plane. one chop, shit’s cut. super easy. it took me about four hours to figure out that it was easy. probably the same with crown moulding.
Comment by don lawn — January 6, 2010 @ 2:07 pm
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy141/donnylaundry/yumshed3.jpg
Comment by don lawn — January 6, 2010 @ 2:11 pm
My saw is old and only goes to 45 degrees on one side. That means all right side corners are easy, then you have to turn the wood upside down and face it backwards to get the left hand side. That’s where Eliot came in. With 1/4 round I had to mark the top because top and bottom look the same! It’s tough having the client walk you through your job…
Lyle, I think what you are talking about is coping. I didn’t do that, I mitered all my corners.
Comment by Rolston — January 6, 2010 @ 7:22 pm
I think with quarter round I would be more inclined to go with coping. You could just take an appropriate sized drill bit to the end of a piece of quarter round and get exactly the shape you need to butt up against the other piece of molding. Don’t even need the fancy tool.
Comment by Lyle_S — January 6, 2010 @ 8:32 pm
That shadow effect sells a lot of caulking, Phenoseal, 5 bucks a tube, but it out performs any mitre cut, Jam paint sticks in there and squeeze
Comment by poopies — January 7, 2010 @ 2:55 pm
both you guys taught me something there. I didn’t want to caulk it because I make a mess with caulk. Is Phenoseal sandable?
Comment by Anonymous — January 9, 2010 @ 11:34 am