Charging for Short Runs of Custom Moulding
Thoughts on how to price custom short moulder runs when the customer supplies the rough stock. June 24, 2007

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

Eliminating Wood Problems -- An Industry Review: 10 Ways of Eliminating Wood Problems
Gene Wengert explains why eliminating wood problems begins and ends with monitoring and controlling the moisture content (MC) in wood -March 18, 2000

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

Troubleshooting problems when moulding MDF
A detailed discussion of challenges in getting a smooth finish when putting profiles on MDF material. February 13, 2001

Straight-line vs. gang rip
Which is better suited to this moderate operation? June 24, 2002

Entry Level Equipment for Making Mouldings
A woodworker ponders what to buy for a first foray into producing small runs of custom mouldings. February 10, 2009

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

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

Moulding on a Curved Wall
Installing trim work along a curved staricase. February 28, 2004

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

Compound Curves: Circle Applied to a Cylinder
Problem: Create a curved molding shaped like a Frisbee wrapped around a drum. May 23, 2011

Making Fluted Pilasters
Detailed tips on efficient fluting, including images of a shop-made jig. October 5, 2004

Flattening a Long Plank: Planer Versus CNC
CNC wins the argument, but we have fun getting there. December 6, 2012

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

Accurate Miter Cuts on Very Large Beams
A wide-ranging set of suggestions for making fine miter cuts in 6-inch deep members. July 12, 2012

Multimedia Installations -- Hardwoods and Tile, Stone, Marble, Metals and Glass
Complementary materials enhance hardwood installations. December 4, 2001

Square Hole Production
Woodworkers brainstorm about how to machine decorative square holes in a wood faceplate. May 8, 2012

Math Question: Dimensioning Angles
Cabinetmakers chime in on methods for determining the size of an angled plane. February 8, 2005

Is Making Custom Moulding a Viable Business?
Can you make money doing short runs of custom mouldings? Experienced shop owners share business tips. March 26, 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

What's Involved in Starting Up a Moulding Supply Business?
Here are some business issues to think about if you're considering starting to both manufacture and install large volumes of custom trim. April 20, 2007

Ellipse jig
Making your own jig for ellipse-based arcs. (From WOODWEB's Cabinetmaking Forum) March 5, 2003

Medieval Woodworking, Architecture, Social Power, Space Shuttles, and Hand-Carved Wood Waffle Irons
Excellent adventure or bogus journey? You had to be there. March 20, 2012

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

Large-Dimension Ipe Exterior Woodwork
A woodworker puzzles over some troubling issues with a 12-inch by 3-inch Ipe rail cap detail. July 30, 2009

Wood Gate Lumber and Joinery Choices
Pros discuss lumber choices and joinery details for fancy custom garden gates. September 7, 2011

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

Competing with Site-Built Builtins
Can a shop get simple built-ins done for the cost field crews can build them at on site? April 24, 2006

Floating Bookshelves Without Brackets
Creative ideas for supporting shelves. February 28, 2004

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

Tooling Up to Run Mouldings
Pros give advice on how to choose and use equipment for producing mouldings.

Curved Stair Railings 101
A first-timer seeks advice from the old hands on fabricating and installing a curved banister. October 4, 2005

Routing Circular Mouldings for a Plinth
Advice on router table jigs for creating a round moulding at the base of a column. 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

Warping, Bowing and Cupping of Moulding Batches
Expert input on what could make fresh runs of moulding move in unwanted ways. October 2, 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

Lathe and Shaper Setups for Fluting and Reeding Columns
Jigs and rigs for fluting and reeding columns or posts using a lathe, shaper, or router. April 24, 2006

Radius countertop edge
Making a radiused wood edge without resorting to segments. January 3, 2003

Allowing for Springback in Laminated Railings
Pre-bent railings "uncoil" after unclamping. What's the solution? May 4, 2005

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

Short Run Patch and Match Pieces for Custom Crown Moulding
Suggestions for ways to match the look of old existing crown in a few small areas. August 15, 2011

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

Whether to Rip and Re-Glue Window Stool Stock
For a 6.5-inch-wide window stool, how should stock be handled to minimize cupping of the piece in service? May 6, 2009

Finger-Jointing Moulding Stock
A discussion with pictures of using finger-jointing equipment to make long stock for running mouldings. November 19, 2008

Managing Quality Control and Defect Cutting
How can a millwork shop achieve good defect grading on various jobs with different specifications and standards? April 4, 2011

Creating Custom Curved Moulding Profiles with a CNC Router
Any good CNC router can create mouldings, using either a ball-end cutter or a custom-ground bit. In this thread, pros provide a few pointers on the process. November 25, 2005

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

Making Curved Baseboard Cap Moulding
Popular vote winner: rip it into thin strips and re-laminate it on the curve you want. June 26, 2009

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

Curved Stairway Trim Job
Where chair rail meets moulding. February 28, 2004

Dadoing techniques
Using a router to make dados. June 24, 2002

Trimming real wood edgeband
Tricks for avoiding tears. April 17, 2002

Raised panel wainscot
Making wainscot onsite. November 24, 2002

Radius Limitations when Machining Curved Mouldings
Very tight curves introduce shape distortions in moulding profiles. March 4, 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

Choosing Wood for Exterior Turned Details
Woodworkers debate the pros and cons of various wood species as compared to plastic or modified wood. December 28, 2014

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

Repairing Defects in Solid Walnut Slabs
If you can't make your patches disappear, do 'em up in style and make 'em look good. January 26, 2008

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

Corner Joints for Rope Molding
Cuts won't match up, unless you have left-hand and right-hand versions. May 4, 2005

A Small Power Feeder for a Router?
It can improve control and precision, especially for climb-cutting. February 25, 2005

Tapered Stop Flutes
The search for a simple, efficient method. December 26, 2004

Aluminum Delaminating from Wood Substrate
A decorative aluminum element separates from its wood backing — probably because they move differently. November 29, 2014

Mixing Rock Maple & Soft Maple
Their colors will blend and match, if you're careful. October 1, 2005

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

Seeking Lightweight Materials for an Oversize Moulding
Pros suggest alternatives to wood for a 15-inch-wide cove moulding installation. October 28, 2014

Machining Curved Base and Crown for Applying Over Bullnose Cornerbead
Shaper operation tips for making a challenging custom moulding. December 2, 2006

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

Constructing a Curved Pedestal Base
Advice on how to construct a complex curved pedestal. February 17, 2011

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

Tablesaw Techniques for Short, Thin Rips
Pros discuss power-feeder setups and push-stick refinements for tricky rips of small pieces. June 23, 2006

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

Laminating Curved Stock for Stain-Grade Mouldings
Tips on sawing and sanding thin laminations, and advice on clamping forms and cauls. November 26, 2007

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

Thin Louvered Closet Doors
Ideas for an unusual door project. February 16, 2006

Curved Raised Panels
Woodworkers discuss ways to fabricate curved raised panels for the interior of an archway, with photo examples. December 2, 2006

Grain standards for radius mouldings
Standards methods for joinery of radius mouldings, with exposure of end-grain in mind. June 6, 2001

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

Fence Construction: Spindles Penetrating a Rail
Thoughts and drawings on constructing a tricky picket and rail wood fence detail involving some complex joinery and assembly. July 13, 2010

Crown moulding on a radius
Upside down, backwards, and bent; lots of ideas for making crown flow sexily around an inside curve.

Split Log Fireplace Mantels
Tips and techniques for log peeling, seasoning, and installing for a split-log mantelpiece. February 17, 2006

Fabricating an Elliptical Arch
What's involved in creating an elliptical archway trim package? June 23, 2006

Mimicking the Appearance of Circle-Sawn Lumber
How to add "faux" saw marks to wood. May 5, 2007

Cedar Wood for Closets
Rumors versus fact about the bug repellency of the traditional cedar-lined closet. May 20, 2011

Curved Closet Poles
Ideas for fabricating curved closet poles from wood or metal. May 28, 2010

Flexible Crown Molding
Pros discuss product choices and finishing methods. May 4, 2005

Wide Belt Sander Tracking Marks
Troubleshooting wavy, snakelike sanding marks left by a wide belt sander. December 21, 2010

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

Moulding Calculator Spreadsheet Program
A free downloadable Excel spreadsheet that calculates the price per foot to charge for mouldings. December 16, 2000

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

Mantle and Fireplace Surround Minimum Clearances
Advice on how to check whether woodwork around a fireplace meets fire codes. October 4, 2005

Constructing Wood Grilles for Floor Vents
Advice on custom-crafting wood grilles for heating supply and return vent openings. November 23, 2012

Making Curved Casings from MDF
MDF is rough on knives, which makes custom moulding runs costly. January 12, 2009

Window Shutter Dimensions and Angles
Thoughts on the the spacing and angling of louvers in traditional window shutters. June 4, 2012

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

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

Outside Corner Details for Commercial Wall Panels
Tips on turning the corner with wall paneling in a public space. December 20, 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

Marketing for a New Custom Mouldings Business
How to reach customers who want custom runs of moulding. January 22, 2006

Joints for Large Window Casing
Trim installers discuss ways to reinforce the corner miters when casing out a window with wide material. May 6, 2007

Joinery for Wrapping Columns
Quick suggestions for corner joinery for wrapping columns with a Shaker frame. May 6, 2014

Machining Alder
Tips on hook angle, feed speed, and more. February 19, 2006

Veneer Thickness for Laminating Curves
Advice on determining the fattest thickness of Oak veneer that can manage a 24-inch radius bend. August 18, 2009

Fire Resistant Coatings for Millwork
Alternatives for treating wood mouldings in commercial applications where fire codes apply. June 23, 2006

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

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

Machining "Chicago Bar Moulding"
Advice on making a curved bar arm-rest moulding. December 24, 2009

Steel-Rod Reinforced Brace for an Outdoor Gate
Advice on the joinery for burying a steel reinforcing rod within the curved wooden brace in a custom outdoor wooden gate. July 11, 2013

Laying Up a Giant Corbel
One craftsman's suggestion for building up a huge mahogany corbel out of multiple solid wood pieces. February 8, 2008

Machinery for Making Rosettes
Specialized equipment works better than a standard drill press for cutting rosettes. September 27, 2008

Metal Edging for Wall Panels
Suggestions for a satin-finished aluminum panel edge detail. June 23, 2006

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

Pulling Surface Joints Tight
Links to gadgets that can make this sometmes-frustrating issue a breeze. February 8, 2005

Bar Top Wood Movement Issues Explained
Yet another discussion of the reasons that large table or bar-top glue-ups tend to self-destruct. August 22, 2014

Bending Large Pieces
Experienced hands offer tips on bending a thick piece of cherry for a curved rail. June 12, 2005

How to Draw an Oval
Pros share methods for laying out elliptical shapes. May 4, 2005

How I cut a 5-sided beam
Fully illustrated details. October 30, 2002

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

Building interior room doors
Pros share their methods for constructing custom interior doors. June 6, 2001

Passage and entry door construction
Step-by-step descriptions and photos of the process. August 9, 2001

Bending MDF
Woodworkers discuss steam, kerfing, strip laminating, and other methods for bending MDF mouldings and panels. July 30, 2009

Bit Balance and Tool Speed — Routers Versus Shapers
A custom shaping knife for a router has to be carefully balanced, because routers spin faster than shapers. November 19, 2005

Blanks for Curved Mouldings
Two ways to make curved blanks for machining into radiused moulding. May 5, 2007

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

Built-up Crown Molding Configuration
Achieving unique looks with standard crown profiles. May 8, 2004

Pronouncing Exotic Wood Names
Does "Wenge" rhyme with "Ben-Gay"? Well, that depends on who you ask. November 23, 2012

"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

Bleeding Sap from Spanish Cedar
Tips for dealing with sap that seeps from cedar. November 10, 2005

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

Milling Wood Flooring on a Shaper
Extensive advice on how to make hardwood strip flooring on a cabinet-shop shaper. April 19, 2006

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

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

Fabrication de garnitures de fenêtres cintrées
Le cintrage à la vapeur est peu pratique ; la stratification de petites bandes en forme d'arche pour le moulage de pièces est la solution idéale. 24 avril 2009

Scroll Cutting Rafter Tails
Cutting a scroll detail on the end of big, heavy rafters requires some tooling ingenuity. February 25, 2009

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

Compound Angles for Wood Range Hood
Joinery for a wood range hood gets into some tricky geometry. February 12, 2009

Portable Bandsaw
Pros discuss options for detail cuts on heavy timbers. May 4, 2005

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

Making Tapered Stopped Flutes
Woodworkers explain how they prefer to machine tapered stopped flutes, and why. July 9, 2007

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

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

Multiple cut crown molding
Handling such installations with accuracy. April 3, 2002

Planing on edge
Processing stock through planer to define parts' widths. January 3, 2003

Thicknessing Stock for Arched Moulding Production
Advice on achieving thickness tolerances in thin rips for gluing up arched moulding blanks. October 19, 2013

Climb Cutting with a Moulder
A shop owner considers the pros and cons of climb-cutting cedar and redwood on a moulder. May 28, 2006

Coupe grimpante avec une moulurière
Un commerçant évalue les avantages et les inconvénients de la coupe en hauteur de cèdre et de séquoia à la moulurière. 28 mai 2006

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

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

Assemblage et collage de colonnes à douves
Voici une mine de conseils et d'idées pour assembler et coller des colonnes octogonales en douves. 23 octobre 2007

Radius Cabinet Job - Project Review
October 27, 2003

Bending 3/16 Solid Wood
Methods for bending wood to fit an arch. October 5, 2004

Flexboard for architectural panels
Stability and strength of flexboard and similar materials. November 24, 2002

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

Crafting a Curved Exterior Porch Railing
Advice on bending, lamination, wood choice, and details for a curved porch rail. October 13, 2009

Joinery for a Complex Victorian Barge Truss
Advice on pegging the mortise and tenon joints on a heavy decorative gable assembly. March 3, 2010

How to Make an Arched Casing
Tips on laying up a segmented or laminated blank for routing into an arched casing. June 24, 2007

Staircase Standards
Standard heights and dimensions for stair parts. January 24, 2005

Normes pour les escaliers
Hauteurs et dimensions standard des éléments d'escalier. 24 janvier 2005

Four Case Histories for Smart Specifying
December 4, 2001

Bleaching, Pickling and Antiquing -- Hardwood Flooring and Millwork
Customized hardwood finishes offer new decorative dimension. December 3, 2001

Machining Custom Crown from Synthetic Trim Material
Advice and feedback about making custom crown molding out of plastic trim materials, to match old trim for a curved porch restoration job. March 20, 2007

Machining Humongous Crown
Thoughts on the problematic practicalities of milling and installing 16-inch-wide crown moulding. September 19, 2009

Mahogany Bar Top Advice
Thoughts on how to build and finish a bar top made of three-inch-thick Mahogany. November 30, 2009

Filling holes in pre-finished moulding
What to use for filling nail holes after pre-finished trim in installed. June 6, 2001

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

Bois durable pour une porte moustiquaire
La question d'un artisan sur les matériaux des portes moustiquaires déclenche une longue discussion sur les qualités des différentes essences de bois, vieilles et secondes pousses. 4 octobre 2005

Normes de grain pour les moulures à rayon
Méthodes normalisées pour la menuiserie des moulures à rayon, en tenant compte de l'exposition du bois final. 6 juin 2001

Remplissage de trous dans des moulures préfabriquées
Que faut-il utiliser pour combler les trous de clous après l'installation de la garniture préfinie. 6 juin 2001

Portes intérieures de bâtiment
Des professionnels partagent leurs méthodes de construction de portes intérieures sur mesure. 6 juin 2001

Floating Glass Shelves
Thoughts on a tricky glass shelving challenge. April 10, 2009

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

Are bone-dry biscuits necessary?
Questions about the dryness and size of biscuits. April 24, 2002

- Spreadsheet Calculation Program -- for Curves, Angles, Compound Miters and Springback
Free downloadable program(s) in both Excel and MS Works, including illustrations that support the formulas.. August 6, 2002

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

Vacuum Bag Glue-Ups with the Form Outside the Bag
For large, bulky curved laminations, keeping the form outside the vacuum bag simplifies the process. September 19, 2009

Gluing and Clamping a Curved Laminated Stair Rail
A discussion of the fine points of glue choice, glue mixing, clamping methods, and allowing for springback. March 18, 2006

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

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