Flexible Stock for Curved Mouldings

Brief advice on using synthetics and composites to make custom curved mouldings. December 6, 2008

Question
I was watching a This Old House episode a while back and Tom Sylva had some material that he used to run through a W&H molder to make a curved molding for a staircase. Does anyone know what that material is?

Forum Responses
(Architectural Woodworking Forum)
From contributor M:
Ultra-flex. It's hell on the knives, though.

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From contributor J:
Yeah, that flex stuff is brutal on knives and a real mess to clean up. The chips stick to everything including inside the collection hoses. Just ripping the stock on the table saw will convince you that you're in a real mess.

Why not pick from their extensive molding catalogs or send them a wood sample and have them cast it? Curved caps and moldings are no problem and are cast per your radius sample.

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From contributor C:
I have used Azec (cellular PVC) for a number of molding jobs. It mills easily, and can be heated (with a heat gun or blankets like electricians use for conduit) to form into compound curves. The surface finish isn't great though, but a bit of sanding helps tremendously. It works just fine with hss knives, and is available in sheets as well as dimensional stock in 18' lengths.