Fabricating and Installing Curved Baseboard
Suggestions for this curved baseboard situation include using flexible stock, or clamping and laying up thin layers of MDF before profiling with a router. July 12, 2012
Question
I need to make the base as seen in the image below. What would you suggest? It’s a paint grade application.
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Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor W:
Build your sub-base, glue and clamp three runs of .25 MDF, cut to height, run a router with an ogee bit, prime, and deliver!
From the original questioner:
Matching the mill of the molding (the top part) seems the tricky part. Then again, the fudge and caulk approach should work.
From contributor W:
Or just make the moulding with the same bit!
From contributor A:
I agree with building three layers of material around to make the curve. I would cut a pair of templates to describe the proper curve and use them as a clamping guide. Depending on the material you choose, you may want to tighten the radius of the templates slightly to account for a little spring-back once the glue sets up. I suspect that routing the top profile into the curved base would be difficult to set up in a way that eliminates any accidental router wobbling that will bungle the profile. In the past, I have used PVC for the molding in an application such as this, since it machines easily and will readily bend to a substantial curve.
From contributor K:
If matching the profile is the problem I would make the base of your cabinet and cabinet base molding taller so that the existing wall base board can die into the flat. Then your profile doesn't matter. This makes the cabinet a separate entity.
From the original questioner:
Brilliant idea to make the cab base higher. Now I just have to find a way to sell that idea to the homeowner since he's been staring at the CAD drawings for at least a month.
From contributor K:
Raising the height of the cabinet base to allow the existing molding to die into it is a traditional look. The additional height adds importance to the cabinet and separates it from the wall. Running the base board around a cabinet is a modern approach and ties it to the wall.
