Who Are You? Thumbnail Biographies of Forum Members Ever wonder who you're interacting with on WOODWEB? In this thread, forum posters give a brief history of their lives in the woodworking trade. June 16, 2014
Elliptical Moulding Jigs and Tricks Simple curves are hard: elliptical shapes require a high degree of skill and experience. Here's a long discussion with photos from some seasoned old hands. April 12, 2013
AWI certification Is membership or certfication with AWI worth your while?July 29, 2003
Troubleshooting Moulder Tear-Out Tweaks to the knives, the feed rate, the drive belt set-up, or the bed board may help eliminate moulder chatter and tear-out. August 29, 2005
Custom Architectural Woodwork on the CNC A request for ideas for making some custom quarter-round mouldings turns into an extended discussion of custom techniques and the value of hand labor versus computerized production. February 19, 2008
Durable Wood for a Screen Door A craftsman's question about screen door materials kicks off a long discussion about the qualities of various wood species, old growth and second growth. October 4, 2005
Moulding prices Pricing product in a small, start-up moulding manufacturing operation. October 9, 2002
Fabricating Radius and Curved Mouldings Here's a detailed discussion comparing two approaches to creating curved and arched mouldings: the CNC route, or the dedicated moulder and shaper setup (which may involve templates). July 13, 2010
Custom Fabricating Louvered Shutters A long and chatty thread about whether, why, and how to build your own louvered wood exterior window shutters. April 24, 2006
Scroll Cutting Rafter Tails Cutting a scroll detail on the end of big, heavy rafters requires some tooling ingenuity. February 25, 2009
Router Table Add-ons With a router lift, precision fence, and some customizing, a router table can "kinda-sorta" stand in as a poor man's shaper. November 26, 2006
Shaper and Moulder Choices Observations on the relative capabilities of shapers and moulders. January 9, 2006
Designing a Raised-Panel Wall A design discussion of full-wall-height raised-panel wainscot delves into issues of ideal proportioning versus matching existing elements. March 20, 2007
Ways to Machine Radiused Casings Woodworkers discuss various methods of making curved mouldings, including CNC and moulder techniques as well as ways to join segments. December 2, 2006
Square Hole Production Woodworkers brainstorm about how to machine decorative square holes in a wood faceplate. May 8, 2012
Making Arched Window Casing Trim Steam bending is impractical — laminating small strips into an arch shape for moulding stock is the way to go. April 24, 2009
Mitering Curved to Straight Mouldings When an arc joins a straight line, some thinking and fussing are required to get a close match. Here, finish pros discuss the fine points. August 24, 2005
Radius Shoe Molding Determining radius of cabinets in order to match molding. July 20, 2004
Arched Door Casing Against a Curved Wall Pros discuss a complex trim problem: The intersecting circular arcs resolve to an ellipse, but that doesn't make it easy. October 4, 2005
Delamination of Bending Plywood Construction methods don't appear to be the problem in this example. More likely is a manufacturing quality issue. February 13, 2013
Moulder Tearout Problems with Hickory Hickory is notoriously difficult to machine. Here's a discussion on how to deal with tearout while making hickory crown moulding. February 19, 2006
Machining Knotty Alder Rustic alder mouldings are in demand because of energetic marketing. But the material is extremely rough on knives, machines badly, and has a high waste factor. July 3, 2006
Layout Software for Wainscoting There may not be a software application out there dedicated to wainscoting layout, but several cabinet design programs can readily accomplish it. November 8, 2008
Archway Casing Size Esthetics A discussion with photo examples of trim proportioning for arched windows and doors. March 26, 2010
Eliminating springback problems Determining the radius to aim for when creating a curve with vac-laminated plywood. September 23, 2003
Curved Staircase and Rail Discussion The Furniture-Making Forum takes on an architectural question: bending and laminating wood for curved stair projects. July 25, 2005
Choices for Sanding Moulding Hand-sanding mouldings is tedious and time-consuming. Here's a set of suggestions for mechanizing the process. July 23, 2005
Running Tight Radius Trim on a Moulder Short-radius curved mouldings are tricky to run on a moulder (a CNC or lathe works better). It can be done, though — here are photos and advice. May 17, 2011
Jigs for Elliptical Moulder Work Aftermarket jigs let you do complex curved work on the moulder, especially if given additional shop modifications. May 21, 2007
Tallying Moldings Suppliers round off piece lengths in different ways. Are you getting the quantities you ordered? May 29, 2005
Shaping with a Table Saw Lacking the machinery to run a large moulding, a woodworker spends a few hours using his table saw to cut the curve. May 28, 2010
New turn on rosettes Could cutting rosettes on a lathe reduce tearout problems? July 22, 2003
Fluted Round Wood Columns Round, fluted wood columns are easy to buy. But if you want to make your own, here's some advice. May 21, 2007
Can Large Solid-Wood Panels be Stable? A high-end customer asks for enormous solid wood glued-up panels. But is there any practical way to avoid major warping? November 28, 2011
Finger-Jointing Moulding Stock A discussion with pictures of using finger-jointing equipment to make long stock for running mouldings. November 19, 2008
Entry-Level Tooling for Moulding Manufacture A finish carpenter and cabinetmaker/installer gets advice on the gear he needs to make his own mouldings (and stock for sale). February 15, 2015
Radius Bead A craftsman asks for advice on cutting a bead profile into an arched bookcase front, and hears the details of several alternative methods. October 4, 2005
Machining Curved Crown Moulding Pros describe how they manufacture small runs of crown moulding to curve around outside corners. November 8, 2008
Casing a Double-Curved Door Arch How do you make and install moldings for an arched doorway set into a curved wall? Very, very carefully. April 24, 2006
Variable Angle Chamfers in a Production Job Shaper? Router? Table saw? A woodworker wants to know the best equipment choice for machining large quantities of beveled flat stock at various angles with high accuracy and ease of adjustment. June 4, 2012
Live Edge Fireplace Mantel Advice Practical details for making a large-dimension rustic mantelpiece with a natural log edge. January 18, 2011
Steam Bending Leopardwood and Lacewood An informative thread on steam bending versus lamination of curved pieces, and on the different properties of Leopardwood and Lacewood. April 4, 2011
Making Templates from Existing Mouldings Moulding shop pros discuss how to scan and import profiles of existing mouldings in order to make exact drawings or manufacture new knives. November 10, 2006
A multi-faceted challenge An architectural woodworker gets ideas for making a too-wide handrail intersect gracefully with an octagon-shaped newel cap. December 17, 2003
Crafting a Curved Range Hood Buying is easier than building if you want a curved range hood. But here are some tips on building it anyway.August 16, 2012
A Wood Mantle for an Existing Stone Fireplace A discussion of design values and installation issues for a new wood mantle to be installed onto an existing cobblestone fireplace chimney. October 3, 2011
Fireplace Surrounds in Perspective General advice on building and/or installing fireplace surrounds for a first-timer. It's nice work if you can get it. February 18, 2007
Machining Small Radius Molding The problem: holding a small, curved piece of brittle wood fixed while machining a small moulding profile into it. Here, pros offer various solutions. December 20, 2005
Milling Rosettes Information on rosette cutters, and other advice on techniques for machining rosettes. June 23, 2006
Eliminating Burn Marks when Routing Flutes Tips on router techniques to prevent burning at the end of flutes, and on tools and methods for removing burn marks when they do happen. December 28, 2005
Moisture Issues with a White Oak Lay-Up Woodworkers consider the potential problems with moisture movement of panels made with oak resawn to 1/8-inch thickness and laminated onto 1/2-inch solid oak cores. September 23, 2008
Selling small quantity custom profiles Dealing with customers who don't comprehend the work and cost involved in the manufacture of custom knives. June 6, 2001
Sourcing Dry-Erase Materials A look at product choices for making dry-erase fixtures, furniture, and accessories. April 29, 2010
Making Molds and Taking Impressions A discussion of materials used to make molds of existing mouldings in order to duplicate a unique original. December 26, 2006
Trimming Defects in Moulding Stock manufacturers describe how they control quality in runs of moulding and how they keep track of productivity. April 15, 2013
CNC-Carved Trim Details Woodworkers discuss how to find or make detailed decorative carvings for pilaster capitals and other trim elements. June 15, 2009
Shaper Heads on CNC Machines A "shaper aggregate" offers a whole new way to do curved mouldings. Here's some introductory info on the technology. August 14, 2007
Double Doors, Flush Bolts, and Door Seals The quest for a double door bottom which incorporates a flush bolt and door seal that aren't visible when the door is closed. May 15, 2014
Cutting a Bead on a Curved Backband Moulding Tips on fine-tuning an elliptical shaper jig so that it will profile a bead correctly on the inside edge of a curved piece. June 24, 2007
Mitering Radius Moulding to Straight Moulding Here's help visualizing and laying out the miter cuts where a curved piece of moulding meets a straight piece with the same profile. April 24, 2014
Fabricating Round Half-Columns Woodworkers describe ways to stave-build, lay up with veneer, or turn columns using solid wood. November 10, 2006
Cutting Clear Acrylic Advice on blades, bits, and procedures for cutting sheet acrylic. January 12, 2009
Large Raised-Panel Assemblies Woodworkers discuss materials, joints and methods for constructing large cope-and-stick panel assemblies (not for doors). November 10, 2005
Fastening Trim to Metal Framing For commercial build-out in a coffee shop, a woodworker asks for tips on installing trim. November 19, 2008
Machining Lock Miters on Large Pieces A millwork fabricator gets advice on how to cut lock-miter profiles into the long edge of very long and wide MDF panels. November 10, 2006
Focusing a Moulding Business Shop owners discuss whether custom small-volume runs or large stock moulding jobs are the preferred path to profitability. June 12, 2005
Fabricating Radius Jambs An architectural millwork pro outlines his process for making radius-curve door jambs. December 26, 2006
Steam Bending Bloodwood Bloodwood is a tough wood to bend. Bent laminations might be a more practical method. January 20, 2011
Wainscot for Stairs and Landings A discussion of how to handle the tricky transitions brought on by stairway elevation changes. February 16, 2006
Routing Aluminum You can rout aluminum with the right bits if you're careful, but the wise course may be to bring this work to a specialty shop. December 28, 2014
Design Drafting for a Tudor Arch Looking like a flattened Gothic arch, a Tudor arch involves a complex interaction of four radius centers. Here's some help with designing one. October 11, 2007
Making Box Beams Look Hand-Hewed It's hard to duplicate the look of an authentic hand-hewn beam, but here are some suggestions. August 24, 2005
Vacuum Bag Versus Clamp Jig for Curved Moldings For a small molding laid up from laminated plies, keep it simple: a curved jig and clamps works as well as vacuum baggin, or better. June 23, 2006
Milling Ipe with a Router Ipe wood is hard, stubborn and toxic. Wear a respirator and use carbide tooling. June 23, 2006
Custom Mouldings for Arched Window Tops Manufactured windows may not have regular, true, or consistent dimensions. The safest bet is to make a template from the actual window. October 13, 2005
Equipment for Square Turnings Certain old-style lathes can some make square turned posts easily, but some complex designs (such as pictured here) are only achievable on a CNC. May 20, 2011
A Lap Joint for Curved Members Ideas for tools and jigs to dado out for half-lap joinery where two curved pieces meet. December 7, 2007
Single-Blade Moulder Advice on running a moulder with just one knife, for the sake of economy on short custom runs. February 12, 2009
Quartersawn mahogany, or is it? An architectural woodworker seeks specifications and industry guidelines for what constitutes truly quartersawn mahogany. March 5, 2000.
Making Base Moulding from Engineered Flooring Suggestions for fabricating baseboard moulding out of engineered flooring, even though the face and core are different materials. October 3, 2011
Carving Machines Here's a quick introduction to some of the high-tech, high-volume carving and duplication machinery that is now available. September 20, 2008
Fastening Bamboo Plywood Panels When attaching architectural bamboo panels, splitting is a concern. Drilling, screwing and plugging is a practical solution. December 20, 2005
Elliptical Jig Q&A Before buying, a shop owner gets info on how the device actually works. July 14, 2005
The Look of Hand-Hewn with Power Tools A curved power-planer or planer knife can approximate the look, but for the real thing you need the hand tool (an adze). December 15, 2005
Radius of an arc Formulas for determining the radius of an arc, or "eyebrow"
Curved and Tapered Column Capitals Woodworkers discuss ways to fabricate a custom curved column capital detail. Suggestions include vacuum-bagged veneer and sawn wood options. October 16, 2013
Octagon Columns Determining the width of staves. January 24, 2005
Quartering a Turned Column A trick for quartering a column after turning: Paper in the joint. March 26, 2010
Wood Medallion Accuracy Tip Here's a slick trick for making all the angle cuts work out on a multi-piece medallion. November 28, 2006
Drawing and Cutting Ellipses Drawing ellipses without strings or formulas, making a jig to cut an ellipse, and cutting an ellipse with a router and jig. January 28, 2007
Assembling and Gluing Staved Columns Here's a boatload of advice and ideas about how to put together and glue octagonal columns made with staves. October 23, 2007
Pulling Surface Joints Tight Links to gadgets that can make this sometmes-frustrating issue a breeze. February 8, 2005
Profile Knife Grinders for Replicating Mouldings A discussion of knife grinding equipment and techniques for a woodworker who wants to reproduce historic mouldings for custom work. January 28, 2013
Bending Plastic Pipe Here's information on bending PVC or ABS pipe for use as a curved moulding form. Hot sand does the trick for softening these thermoplastic materials. July 3, 2006
"Pickwick" Beadboard Cutterhead Info How to find router or shaper knives to make the decorative "Pickwick" pattern on the tongue side of wood paneling. June 23, 2006
Boxing Out Columns Quick tips on wrapping columns with a four-sided hardwood box. November 28, 2011
Heating and Bending PVC Trim PVC trim softens at relatively low temperatures. Here are a couple of ideas for how to heat and bend it. June 23, 2006
Are Small Moulders Practical for Small Runs? Here's an extensive and informative run on the hows and whys of buying and using a small moulder to make short runs of custom profiles. October 19, 2013
Safety and Burn-Free Flutes A long discussion about how to make flutes without burn marks at the end, and without injury. February 16, 2006
Machining MDF with High Speed Steel Knives The adhesive in MDF is rough on tooling, but for short runs of custom MDF moulding it may be worth using HSS knives. June 26, 2009
Milling Radius Crown Moulding Advice on how to run pieces of radius crown moulding using a tilting head shaper. January 22, 2006
Routing a Large Radius with a Low-Power Router Advice on how to sneak up on a radius corner rout using a great big bit in a smaller router. Tips on speed control, custom router plates, jigs, and roughing out the piece by hand. February 18, 2007
Planing on edge Processing stock through planer to define parts' widths. January 3, 2003
Flush-Trimming a Curved Corbel Following the curves on this piece is a challenge. Here, architectural trim pros discuss router and belt-sander techniques for working on curved edges. December 14, 2005
Materials Options for Exterior Gingerbread Trim Here's an extended discussion of various natural wood, synthetic, and composite materials and how they hold up in outdoor exposures. November 24, 2007
Routing Flutes Across a Board: CNC Versus Jig Rig This thread has some practical suggestions for routing flutes across the width of a board, and some good arguments for farming the job out to a shop with a CNC. August 5, 2010
Veneering a Half Cone A woodworker gets help with the problem of constructing and applying veneer to a architectural cone shape. February 12, 2010
Bending Douglas Fir Dry After asking for advice, a woodworker successfully laminates a curved 5-inch by 7-inch beam on a tight radius by laying up and bending 3/4-inch-thick plies. October 17, 2012
Why is Wood Flooring Kerfed on the Bottom Face? Speculation, theories, and facts about why wood flooring and some door jamb stock is usually milled with grooves in the underside or back side. October 13, 2008
Tooling for Cope-and-Stick Doors Pros describe machinery and cutterheads for coped mortise and tenon door part machining. August 23, 2005
Producing Stable Part Stock With little time and no system in place, can this shop produce parts that won't move over time? October 20, 2004
Profile Grinding Bent Wood The developer of an innovative method for extreme-bending hardwood explores options for profiling his bent pieces using abrasive wheels. March 12, 2014
Laminating Stock for Arched Casings Here's a wide-ranging discussion of gluing and clamping processes for laying up arched casings using multiple thin laminations. November 26, 2007
Strip Laminating Teak Advice on adhesives and techniques for gluing up Teak strips to make rough stock for a curved moulding profile. June 26, 2009
Glue Choice for Laminating Cedar Polyurethane adhesives are reported to work well for exterior laminated cedar glue-ups. March 4, 2006
Laminating a Curved Exterior Beam Here's a detailed discussion of adhesive selection and clamping methods for a large, curved, laminated beam for an outdoor structure. March 12, 2014