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THEARTOFWOODWORKING

HOMEWORI$HOP
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W O R K S H OGPU I D E I
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SCRIBING I
F i t t i n gt h e e n do r e d g eo f a p i e c eo f m o l d i n go r t r i m
s q u a r e layg a i n sat w a l lt h a t i s n o t p l u m bc a n b e d i f - I
f i c u l t .T h es i m p l et r i c ks h o w na t r i g h tm a k e st h e t a s k
s i m p l eB . u t tt h e b o a r da g a i n stth e w a l la n d h o l da I
p e n c iw l i t h i t s e d g ea g a i n stth e w a l la n d i t s p o i n t
c o n t a c t i ntgh e f a c eo f t h e w o r k p i e c eS.t a r t i n gat the I
t o p o f t h e m o l d i n gs, l i d et h e p e n c i dl o w nt h e w a r r ;
t h e m a r kt h a t i s s c r i b e do n t h e w o r k o i e c w e ill oro- I
v i d ey o uw i t ha c u t t i n gl i n et h a tw i l l e n a b l ey o ut o f i t
the pieceperfectlyin place.Youcan alsousea log- I
builder'sscribe(page42) for this task.Scribinghas
n u m e r o uasp p l i c a t i o nisn,c l u d i n h gelping to fit base- I
b o a r dt o a n u n e v e nf l o o r .
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CHECKING
ANDTRUING
A CARPENTER'S
SOUARE
T o c h e c kw h e t h ear c a r p e n t e rs' sq u a r ei s t r u e ,t a p ea s h e e to f
I
p a p e rt o a p i e c eo f p l y w o o ad n d ,h o l d i n go n eo f t h e a r m so f t h e
s q u a r ea g a i n sat n e d g eo f t h e p a n e l d, r a wa p e n c i a l l o n gt h e o t h e r
I
a r m ,m a r k i n ga l i n ea c r o s tsh e p a p e rT. h e nt u r n t h e s q u a r eo v e r
anddrawanotherline,asshown
!
at right.Thetwomarked
lines
shouldbeparallel,
lf not,thearmsarenotperpendicular I
to eachother,
Truethesquare asshown below.
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Totruea carpenter's
square, beginbymarking a straight line
between theinsideandoutside cornersof thesquare. lf the
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angleformed bythesquare isgreater
than90', youwillneed
to movethetwoarmscloser together:
Place thetip of a center
Cent.erpunch I
punchonthelinenearthesquare's outside corner andtapit
wrtha ball-peenhammer.lf theangleis lessthan90', spread
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thearmsapartbytapping onthelinenearthesquare's inside
corner(right).
Truinga square mayrequire severaltaps,but
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checkyourprogressaftereachattempt.
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THEARTOFWOOD\,VORKING
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 THE ART OF WOODWORKING

FTNTSH
CARPENTRY

TIME-LIFE
BOOKS
ALEXANDRIA,VIRGINIA
ST.REMYPRESS
MONTREAL.
NEWYORK
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THE ART OF WOODWORKING wasproduced by THECONSUIIANTS t
ST. REMY PRESS
Karl Marcuseis a self-employedcarpenterand contractor I
PUBLISHER KennethWinchester in Montreal.He hasworked as a home renovatorin many
PRESIDENT PierreLdveill6 countriesand is now completingrestorationofhis century-
old home.
I
SeriesEditor PierreHome-Douglas
SeriesArt Director FrancineLemieux Giles Miller-Mead taught advancedcabinetmakingat Montreal I
SeniorEditor Marc Cassini technicalschoolsfor more than ten years.A nativeof New
Editor
Art Directors
Jim McRae
Normand Boudreault,Luc Germain,
Zealand,he hasworked asa restorerof antiquefurniture
t
SolangeLaberge Scott Sdruttner is a carpenterand home builder in Fairbanks,
Designers
PictureEditor
H6lEneDion, Michel Gigudre
ChristopherJackson
Alaska.A frequentcontributor to FineHomebuiWizg,he has
beenbuildingstaircases andteachingaspiringcarpenters for
I
Writers Andrew Jones,Rob Lutes,David Simon closeto 20years.
ResearchAssistant Bryan Quinn I
Contr ibuting I IIustrators GillesBeauchemin,RolandBergerat, fosephTruini is SeniorEditorof HomeMechankMagazine.
Michel Blais,)ean-GuyDoiron,
RonaldDurepos,RobertPaquet,
A formerShopandToolsEditorof PopularMechanic$ he has
worked asa cabinetmaker,home improvementcontractor I
Maryo Proulx, JamesTh6rien and carpenter.
Administrator
ProductionManager
NatalieWatanabe
MichelleTurbide
I
SystemCoordinator
Photographer
Administrative Assist
ant
Jean-LucRoy
RobertChartier
Dominique Gagn6
Finish carpentry
p. cm. - (The Art of woodworking)
Includesindex.
r
Proofreader
Indexer
GaretMarkvoort
ChristineM. Iacobs
ISBN0-8094-9s20-l
1. FinishcarpentryI. Time-LifeBooks.II. Series. I
THs640.Fs631994

Time-Life Booksis a division of Time Life Inc.,

694'.6-dc20 94-13533
CIP
I
a wholly ownedsubsidiaryof
THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY t
For information about any Time-Life book,

TIME-LIFEINC.
pleasecall l-800-62I-7026,or write:
ReaderInformation I
Presidentand CEO JohnM. Fahey Time-Life CustomerService
Editor-in-chief lohn L. Papanek P.O.Box C-32068
Richmond,Virginia
I
2326r-2068
TIME-LIFEBOOKS I
@ 1994Time-LifeBooksInc.

Vice-President,
President
Directorof Marketing
Iohn D. Hall
Nanry K. fones
All rights reserved.
No part ofthis book may be reproducedin any form or by I
ExecutiveEditor RobertaConlan any electronicor mechanicalmeans,including information
ExecutiveArt Director Ellen Robling storageand retrievaldevicesor systems,without prior writ-
ten permissionfrom the publisher,exceptthat brief passages
I
may be quoted for reviews.
ConsubingEditor iohn R. Sullivan
ProductionManager MarleneZack Firstprinting.Printedin U.S.A.
Publishedsimultaneouslyin Canada.
I
TIME-LIFE is a trademarkof Time WarnerInc. U.S.A. t
R 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 r
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CONTENTS
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I 6 INTRODUCTION 84 DOORS
I 86 Anatomv of a door
12 FINISH CARPENTRYBASICS 8 8 Toolsand door hardware
I 14 Finishcarpentrytools 90 Frame-and-panel doors
t 16 Basiccuts 95 Door jambs
100 Hanginga door
I 20 MOLDING r07 Locksets
I 22 Molding styles
I 23 Baseboard II4 STAIRS
30 Chair and picture rails 116 Anatomyof a staircase
I 33 Crown molding 118 The stringers
I I23 Treadsand risers
38 PANELING I28 Newelposts
t 40 Panelingstyles I32 Handrails
I 42 Tongue-and-groovewainscoting 136 Balusters
46 Frame-and-panelwainscoting
t 52 Paneledceilings I4O GLOSSARY
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56 WINDOWS 142 INDEX
I 58 Basicwindow trim styles
I 59 Installingwindows 144 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
6I Picture-framecasing
t 69 Stool-and-aproncasing
I 75 Making a window sash
I 81 A glazingbar half-lapjoint

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INTRODUCTION

I GrantTaylordescribes
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DOORS
I $ makecustom,high-quality hardwooddoorsfor a living,but no matterhowmany
A doorsI see.I alwaysmarvelat the craftmanshio involved:Thewaya door mak-
I er canbringout thewoodgrainby usingquarter;wn boards,for eximpie,or how
themortise-and-tenon joinerymakesa joint thatwon'topenup for 100yearsor
I more.But there'ssomethinselsebesides the craftmanship tirat alwavsstrikesme.
It doesn'tmatterwhetherit'ia thickoakdooron a medievai Englishcastleor a mod-
ern stained-glass assembly with a delicatearchingsash.In someway,all doorsare
magic,offeringusthepossibiltyof mysteryor theunexpected, justbeyondtheturn
oftheknob.
I buildmy doorsmuchasdoorbuildersof old worked,Forstarters, I uselocalwood
_
I__::__".-_ thathasbeencut andmilledbywoodmenI know Whenthefelledtreesarelyingin
freshstacks, I climboverthelogsandselectprimepiecesfor milling.Thoserough
boardsarelaterdroppedoff at my shop-a stonestructurethat I built myselfin
ruralNewHampshire-whereI carefully mill themto revealtheiruniquegrainpat-
terns.I selectthefinestsoecimens andthendrv themin a solarkiln that I alsocon-
structed.Afterproperaginganddrying-a process thatgivesoptimumstabilityto
the wood-I finallybring into my shopa pieceof woodthat probablyhasbeen
touchedby only a coupleofpeoplesinceit stoodasa treein theforest.
Cherryandoakaremy favoritewoods,andtheygrowwonderfullystrongin the
areawhereI live.Theirgrainpatternsareinvariablyspectacular, andno matterhow
manytimesI assemble a door-typically I workfrom customdesignplans,soevery
oneis unique-thereisalways a thrillwhenI pullthernilledboardsout of theplan-
er andmarvelat theDatternthat is revealed.
ThoughI usemanytraditionalhandtoolsto assemble my doors,I relyon pow-
er toolsto gettheprecisionmy clientscometo expect: Tolerances of %' inchin door
piecessuchasstiles,rails,andpanelsarecolnmonin my shop.
I amproudof whatI produce,andit'sneverboring.Therangeof stylesthatpeo-
plelook for in customdoorsalwayskeepsme on my toes,alwaysdoingsomething
interesting.WhetherI'm workingwith a localblacksmithto fabricatesomewrought-
iron hir-rges dooror figuringout thecomplicated
for a Tudor-style geometryof cut-
ting centerovalsin a doorthat'stakenmea weekto complete,I neverhavea dull day.
TheonlythingI find disagreeable iswhentheprocess comesto an end.Thesedoors
aresomethingI havepouredmy heartinto, somethingI've sweated overto make
beautiful.I justhateto seethemgo.

GrontTayloris theownerof Lamson-TaylorCustontDoors,a

two-person shopin SouthAcworth,NewHantpshire.Taylor
hasbuih cltstomdoorsfor hotrses NorthAmerica.
throughout
 INTRODUCTION

Ion Eakeson
MAKINGTRIM
ANDMOLDING
J waked in and I knewwithin two minutesthat this wasa quality-builthouse.It
I wasa modestsplit-level-no vaultedceilings,no spectacular centerpiece.
In fact
"outstanding."
therewasnothing Eventhe trim wassimpleand unobtrusive,but a
closelook aroundthe windowsshowedprecisemiteredanglesandno signof nails.
It wasthe trim aroundthe bottom of the wall that saidthe most:tight cornersand
carefullyconstructedreturns.Veryfewpeoplebotherto do that today.
Tiim andmoldingswereoncethemostobviouspart of both furnitureandhouse
interior finishing.Thereweresimplemechanicalreasonswhy mostof it hasdisap-
pearedtoday.Thebeautyandcreativityof moldingdesignswasan outgrowthof the
needto hide constructionjoints aswell asjunctionsbetweendifferentmaterials.
Modern materialshavechangedall that.With drywallreturnson windowsand
taperedcorners,manymodernhousesnow usetrim onlyto hidethedoorframesand
the intersectionbetweenwallsand floors.
Wecanbemoanthe sterilizedlook of particleboardfurnitureandbox-likehous-
es-or we canseethe absenceof joints asliberatingmolding from its mechanical
needto hide something,allowingits shapeand placementto be determinedsolely
by our estheticdesires.
Makingyour own moldingsis oneof themostsatisfyingwaysof lettingyour cre-
ativity showin your woodworking.Althoughrouterscaneasilydecorateedgesand
with a bit of work evenmakefull moldings,it is the tablesawoutfittedwith a three-
blademoldingheadthat canreallyproduce.In my experience thekeysto successin
makingmoldingor trim on a tablesawarevery simple:
. Usevery sharpknives.
. Usewood that is eitherflat or easilypressedflat on the table.
. Usefirm hold-downsthat preventvibration.
. Advancethe wood just fastenoughto preventburningbut just slowlyenough
"waves"
to avoid on the faceof thewood.
Honing your molding knivesfor that very cleancut is easierthan it may seem.
Nevertry sharpeningthe curvedend:Youwon't getall threeto match.Layeachknife
flat on a very flat sharpeningstoneand grind the entiresideof the knife,the same
lengthof time for eachone.Youwon't makeit much thinnerbut you will honethe
cuttingedgeand keepall threebladesexactlythe sameshapeand lengh.

lon Eakeshas beena cabinetmakerand customreno-

vator in Montreal, Canadafor more than 20 years.
He is known primarily for his teachingthrough books,
videos,radio, and the TV showRenovationZone.
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I INTRODUCTION
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ScottSchuttneron the
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BI.]ILDING
STAIRS
I , learnedstairbuilding thewirymostof us do-fron-rbooksancltrial anclerror.
Honever, thebooksof 30yearsagousuallycoverecl suchsubjects eitherrvithrudi-
I l-nentary abruptness or arcaneterminologv. Neitherapproach satisfied nreanc'lI
haveconreto understaud that thereis r.noreto considerthantheclbviolrs
I of delivering peoplefromoneelevation to another.
fr.rnction

A gracefirl staircase isoneof themostprominentarchitecturirl features in a home

I anda showcirse of a u,oodworker's talents. Thecareandpatience thatgointobuilding
stairsmtrybeon displavfor 100yearsandnot easilyremodeled or repaired.A staircase
I mustbemaderocksolid,asit will serve asrrplilyground, slide,anciracervay for cl-rilclren.
A stairbuilder mustbearvirre thirtusers become physically attunedto tl-restairs.Our
I legsquicklypick Lrpa rhythmfor trsetof stairs,rvhichafteroneor trvostepsallorvs
r"rs
to negotiate therestwithouta1l-absorbing attention.
\\hen facedwiththeseconceurs, it is notsurprising thatnor,ice carpeuters shvalvay
fl'ombr-rilding arstairway. A minormiscalculation canresultin onestepbeingout
of synclvith the restandevenif not discernable visually,it mayresultin a stumble
for theul-rwarv.
But not to ivorry.AlthoughstairbLril<1ing requires thoroughplanninganclatten-
tion to detail,in mostcases thenath is straightfbrrvard andthecarpeutry, although
clr.rllerrgirrg,
rreed rrotbeintirnid.rtirrg.
TohelpensLlre success I ahvays drirwii precisely dimensioned, side-r,iew sketchof
q1F m-, thestairsandincludeall detaiissuchastreadthickness, floorcoverir.rgs, landings,
androughframingwhilepayingcloseattention to thefirstandlaststepsincethisis
t ; s . #
wheremostmistakes arelikelyto occur.And initially,I planverticaldistances
&
.s*r refbrence to Jitishedfloor andtreadsurfaces andmakeadjustnrents fl'omthere.
with
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bdFGT;d
I alsokeepin mindbuildingcodesthatdictatelimitsfor theriseandmn, rvidthof
stairs,sizesof handrails, andheadroomcleariurces
il*" essarily prescribe greatstairsbut theyrvillkeep,vou
to nalrea t-elv. Codesdo not nec-
fi'ombuildingdisastrous ones.
As a stairbuilder in Alaska,I am askedto usea widevarietyof materiirls
I binedintonranyeclectic stvles,rangingfrom rustictreadsirndcirrriases
com-
usingsplit
sprucelogsto grandstirircirses lvith miterednosir.rgs, volutes, trndgoosenecks.
I no tr'voeverlookthesame,theirconstruction fbllowsthestrmeprocesses.
\\4ri1e
It'sirlnays
a lot of fun andtheendresultturnsout to be usefirlfor somuchnrorethturmerelv
I enabling peopleto goupstairs or down.
''* dr
I .. . - ,.:,,.r'.-t
:.;*lP
I ScottSclrtrtttrer
is theatrtltoro.l'Bosic
StairltuildirrgtrttrlotlrcrboLtks
I arrdorticles bS,71,, Thrrrttort
Press.Hc livcsttrttloperotesItiscttttrpa-
rry,HenrtwLtodlluildersorttl \,Vootlworkitrg,
itt r..airbortks,Alosko.
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FINISHCARPENTRY
BASICS r
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()FA H()USEINTERIOR
ANATOMY t
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Crown molding
(paqe 33)
Windowcasing
(pa4e 61)

Picture rail
(paqe 3O)

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Rosette
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Frame-and-
panel door
(paae 90)

Ealuster Door trim

(pa4e 136) (pa4e112)

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Plinth
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FINISHCARPENTRYTOOLS
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r Power miter aaw

For croaecuttin4and
I miterinqmoldingand
trim; can croagcut
I etock up to 5 % inchea
wideand miter atock
I up to 3 % inchea wide.
Model ahownfeaturea
a 10-rnchbladeand
I a laeer beam for
lininqup cuta
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5liding compound
t miter saw
Makee miter, bevel,and
I compoundcuta rn mold-
inq and trim. Can croaa-
cut and bevelatock up
I to 12 inchea wide,and
Molderlplaner makemiter and com-
I Flaneaand millabaaeboard,chair rail, poundcuta in etock up
toB%incheawide.
crown moldinq,and other typea of trim
Featureaan B %-inch
I in etock up to 10 inchea wide;worka like
a thickneaa planer with profiled knivea bladet.hat rune alonq
a alide and an electric
I brake to 6top the bbAe
epinningquicklywhen
t the triq7er ie releaeed

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Coping aaw
I 9mall frame aaw uaedto cut copediointe in
crown moldinqand other trim with iurved pro-
I filea:modelahownfeaLureea 4%-inch throat

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Although it is not as quick to useas a miter
I saw, the commercialmiter box shown at right
is a good alternative. The jig comeswith its
I own handsaw and can be adjustedto make q
cut at any angle between0o and 90o.For ease
I of use,the legscan be attachedto a plywood
base,which is then clamped to a work surface.
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A slidirrgcorrrpoturdsnwis set te to nliter a lerrgthof molding.It is a good iden
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lo ntoLutttlrc saworrn portnltleniter startd,whichenables yott to work at a
hcigltt. Tlrc nrodelshowrtfeatu'essLtpportarrttsthnt carrbe adjust-
cortt.fbrtoblc
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lortgworkpieces.
ed to extctrd4 .lbelort encltsideof tlrc bladeto accorturrodate
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PREPARING
ST()CK
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R i p p i nognt h et a b l es a w
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l f y o ua r eu s i n gr o u g hl u m b e fr o r y o u rf i n i s hc a r p e n t rpyr o l e c t s , t h e b l a d e ,h o l d i n gi t f i r m l ya g a i n stth e f e n c e( a b o v e .S) t a n d
s t a r tb y j o i n t i n go n ef a c eo f e a c hb o a r da, n dt h e na n e d g e .N e x t , s l i g h t l tyo t h e l e f to f t h e w o r k p i e caen ds t r a d d l teh e f e n c ew i t h
I
r i p t h e b o a r dt o w r d t h m , a k i n gt h e s e c o n de d g ep a r a l l e l ttoh e y o u rr i g h th a n d ,m a k i n gc e r t a i nt h a tn e i t h ehr a n dr s i n l i n e
jointededge.Setthe stockfacedownon the sawtableandadlust w i t ht h e b l a d e O . n c ey o u rf i n g e r sa p p r o a cthh e b l a d eg u a r d ,
I
t h e b l a d eh e i g h ta b o u tZ i n c ha b o v et h e w o r k p i e c eP. o s i t i o n u s ea p u s hs t i c kt o c o m p l e t e t h e c u t . ( C a u t i o nB: l a d eg u a r d
t h e r i p f e n c ef o r t h e w i d t ho f t h e c u t ,t h e nf e e dt h e s t o c ki n t o partiallyretracted for clarity.)
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t Crosscufting on thetablesaw
I T o c u t t h e b o a r dt o l e n g t h h
, o l di t f l u s h
a g a i n stth e m i t e rg a u g ea, n d a l i g ny o u r
I c u t t i n gm a r kw i t ht h e b l a d e .P o s i t i o tnh e
r i p f e n c ew e l l a w a yf r o mt h e e n d o f t h e
I s t o c kt o p r e v e ntth e c u t - o f fp i e c ef r o m
j a m m i n ga g a i n stth e b l a d ea n d k i c k i n g
I b a c k .H o o kt h e t h u m b so f b o t hh a n d s
o v e rt h e m i t e rg a u g et o h o l dt h e s t o c k
I f i r m l ya g a i n stth e g a u g ea n df l a t a g a i n s t
t h e t a b l e ,t h e nf e e dt h e b o a r di n t ot h e
I blade (right).(Caution:Bladeguardpar-
tiallyretractedfor clarity.)
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I Makinga mitercut
A d j u s t h e s a wt o t h e d e s i r e d m i t e ra n g l e .
t Onthe modelshownat left,turn the table
l o c k i n gh a n d l ec o u n t e r c l o c k w idseep, r e s s
I t h e l o c k i n gl a t c h a
, n ds w i n gt h e t a b l el e f t
o r r i g h tu n t i lt h e p o i n t e irn d i c a t etsh e
t a p p r o p r i a at en g l eT. u r nt h e h a n d l ec l o c k -
w i s et o l o c kt h et a b l e .S e ty o u rw o r k p i e c e
I o n t h e t a b l ea n da l i g nt h e c u t t i n gm a r k
with the tableslot.Themodelshownfea-
I t u r e sa l a s e rb e a mt o h e l py o ul i n eu p t h e
c u t t i n gm a r k .H o l d i n tgh ew o r k p i e cf eirmly
I a g a i n stth e t a b l ea n d f e n c e ,t u r n o n t h e
s a wb y s q u e e z i ntgh e h a n d l et r i g g e a r nd
I b r i n gt h e s a wd o w ns l o w l y( / e f f ) .O n c e
t h e c u t i s c o m p l e t e dr ,e l e a steh e t r i g g e r
I a n dl i f tt h e h a n d l eu n t i lt h e b l a d ec l e a r s
t h ew o r k o i e c e .
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M a k i n ga b e v ecl u to n
a s l i d i n gc o m p o u nsda w
Adjustthe sawto the desiredbevelangle.
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0 n t h e m o d e ls h o w n l, o o s e nt h e b e v e l I
c l a m pl e v e rt,i l t t h e b l a d ea s s e m b tl yo
the left,andsetthe bevelto the required I
a n g l eT . i g h t e nt h e c l a m pl e v e rS
. e tt h e
w o r k p i e caeg a i n st th ef e n c e a, l i g n i n tgh e I
c u t t i n gl i n ew i t ht h e b l a d ea, n ds e c u r e
i t i n p l a c eu s i n gt h e v i s ek n o b .T o m a k e I
t h e c u t ,g r i pt h e h a n d l ea n ds l i d et h e
b l a d ea s s e m b lfyo r w a r dS. q u e e zteh e I
t r i g g eirn t h e h a n d l eb, r i n gt h e h a n d l e
downa , n ds l i d et h e s a wb l a d eb a c kt o I
cut the workpiece(/eff).
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M a k i n ga c o m p o u ncdu to n
a s l i d i n gc o m p o u nsda w I
A d j u s t h e s a wt o t h e d e s i r e db e v eal n d
m i t e ra n g l e sO . n t h e m o d e sl h o w ns, t a r t I
by settingthe bevelangle(above).To set
t h e m i t e ra n g l e l, o o s e nt h e t a b l el o c k i n g I
h a n d l ea n ds w i n gt h e t a b l et o t h e l e f to r
r i g h tt o t h e d e s i r e da n g l eS. e tt h e w o r k -
p i e c ea g a i n stth ef e n c ea, l i g n i nygo u rc u t -
I
t i n gl i n ej u s tt o t h ew a s t es i d eo f t h e b l a d e . I
C l a m pt h e w o r k p i e cien p l a c eu s i n gt h e
viseknob.Makethe compoundcut (right)
a s y o uw o u l da b e v e cl u t .
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I FINISH CARPENTRYBASICS
I
I
WOOD F()RFINISHCARPENTRY
SPECIES
I
qUATITY FINISHING
w00DsPEcrEs STRENGTH WORKABITITYGTUING
I Ash Fair Fai Fair Accepts stainswell;requires
heavyfiller
forpainting
I
Basswood Poor Good Good Accepts stainswell
I Beech Fair Fair Fair Accepts stainswell;requires
thin
fillerforpainting
I Birch Good Good Fair Accepts stainswell;requires
thinfiller
for painting
I Cedar, Poor Good Good Oilstainrecommended
Western
red
I Gherry Fair Good Fair Accepts stainswell;notsuitable
for painting
I
Cypress Fair Good Fair Oilstainrecommended
I Douglas-fir Fair Good Good Oilstainrecommended
Elm Good Good Fair Accepts stainswell;requires
heavy
I fillerforpainting
Gum, Fai Good Good Accepts stainswell;requires
thinfiller
I sweetred for painting
Hemlock Fair Fair Good 0il stainrecommended
I
Hickory Good Difficult Fai Accepts stainswell;notsuitable
I for painting
Mahogany Fair Good Good Accepts stainswell;notsuitable
I for painting
Maple,
hard Good Difficult Fair Accepts stainswell;requires
thinfiller
I for painting
Maple,soft Fair Fair Fair Accepts well;requires
stains thinfiller
I for painting

t Oak,red Good Good Fair Accepts stainswell;requires

fillerforpainting
heavy

I Oak,white Good Good Fair Accepts stainswell;requires

fillerforpainting
heavy

I Pine,
ponderosa
Poor Good Good Accepts
finishes
well

I yellow
Pine, Poor Fai Fair Accepts finishes
well
Redwood Fair Good Good 0il stainrecommended
I Spruce Poor Good Good Accepts
finishes
well
I Teak Good Difficult Poor 0il stainrecommended;
forpainting
notsuitable

I Walnut Good Good Good Acceptsstainswell;notsuitable

forpainting
t
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I r9
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 I
""1
I

G,T

-J*.49

fi ""
.}-
S*'..,=,-
** f\i
4t"
*
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I MOLDING
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t
" the Greeksa.ndRo- nickingwallsand paneling,
I T
I mans,proportlonwas and picture rails provide a
in the designof everything handywayto hangart with-
t theybuilt. Forvisualappeal, out marringwalls.
their structuresreliedon a Theadventof themolding
I logicalandharmoniouspro- machinein the 19thCentury
gressionof architectural ele- made it oossibleto mass-
I ments,one atop the other, producethis functionaland
from plinth to cornice.Some decorativematerial.Today,
I 2000 yearslater,furniture For woodworkerswith a lot of molding to install, you canbuy the mostpopu-
makersof theGeorgianperi- thefinish nailer is a handy alternativeto a hammer. lar profilesof crownmolding
I od usedsmall-scale versions Here, the nailer securesa length of crown molding to the andbaseboard at virtually any
of the sameelements to dec- ceiling.Poweredby compressed air, the nailer drives home hardwarestore.Soecialized
I oratethe interiorsof their small-gaugefinishing nails without splitting the wood. millwork shoosstotk a wider
patrons'homes. rangeof profrles,and some
I Today,molding is a broadterm that encompasses all inte- will custom-grindspecialknivesso that an antiquepattern
rior trim appliedto wallsandceilings,suchasbaseboard, chair canbe reproduced. But moldingis alsoeasyto makein the
I rail,picturerail,andcrownmolding.An exampleof eachtipe shop(page24).All you needis a tablesawwith a tilting arbor
is illustratedin a typicalhouseinterioron page12.Thischap- anda moldingheador a table-mounted Z-inchrouter-and
I ter presents instructionsfor makingand installingthesedif- a bit of imagination.If you plan to producea greatdealof
ferentkindsof molding. molding,a shaperor a molder/planer like the one shownin
I Whetherit is the angulartrim of an Arts and Crafts-style thephotoat left maybea worthwhilepurchase.
home or the formal corniceof a Victorianparlor,molding Installingmoldingcanbe a simpletaskonceyou havemas-
I serves a functionalaswellasa decorativerole.Baseboard (page tereda fewbasicprinciples(page26).Uselongerpiecesfor the
23),for example,is designedto covergapsbetweenthe wall main roomsso that therewill be fewerjointsin theseloca-
I and the floor, while crown molding servesthe samepurpose tions.Saveshorteroiecesfor insideclosets andlessconsDicu-
alongtheceiling.Chairrails(pagej0) preventchairbacksfrom ousareasof thehome.
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I Combiningfeaturesof thethickness planerand theshaper,a molder/planer
milk a lengthof chairrail. Themachineworksmuchlikea planer,except
I that it canbefined with custom-ground knivesthat mqtchthedesired pro-
The model shown at left hasthepowerand capacityto turn out custom
I fiIe.
baseboards, chairrails,and crownmoldingquicklyand accurately.

I 2l

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 I
MOLDING STYLES I
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t
Ranch-atyle
baeeboard with I
4uarter-round ahoe
molding (page 24) t
Euilt-up
baseboard I
(pase25)
Colonial- I
atyle baaeboard
t
Custom
oingle-pieae
baeeboard
t
(pase 27)
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Formal corniae
(pase 56) I
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Crown molding
(pase 33)
Crown and flat
molding
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I
t BASEBOARD
I
tl ,{ lsoknownasskirt,baseplate, mop- Baseboard is installedwith a ham-
.C-Lboard,or iustplainbase, baseboard mer,a nail setand finishingnails,or
I is the mostcommonform of molded with an air-powered finishnailer(page
runningtrim usedin finishcarpentry. 2i). While the naileris a moreexpen-
I Baseboards servea dual purpose:they sivealternative, it makesinstallation

r visuallyanchorthewallto thefloorand
theyalsocoveranygapsbetweenthose
quickandclean.It is preferable
nailingwhenworkingwith hardwood
to hand-

two surfaces. molding,whichis moreproneto split-

I Baseboard comesin two basictvoes:
single-pieceor built-up.Standard single-
I piecebaseboard is usuallybetween3
and 12incheswideandis soldin a vari-
I ety of moldedprofiles;it canbe made
easilywith a tablesaw,router,or shaper.
t While single-piece baseboard maybe
easierto install,it is morelikelyto cup
I than built-up molding.The simplest
form ofbuilt-uobaseboard isbase-and-
I shoe(page2a),whichfeatures a mold-
edshoethatprovidesa visualtransition
I betweenthe wall andfloor.
tine than softwood.Baseboard mold-
ing"istypicallynailedir.rplaceafterthe
wallshavebeenoaintedand the finish
floor installedand sanded. Thenthe
shoemoldingis nailedin place.If the
floor is to be installedafterthe base-
board,leavea spaceunderthebaseboard
for the floor; usescrapsofthe flooring
to helovou determinethe sizeof the
gap.Ai with all molding,baseboard can
be stainedor painted;thisis bestdone
afterall themoldinghasbeencut to size,
but beforeit is installed.
The last pieceof baseboardto be
installedin a room often endsat a door
casing.Here a U-shaped,shop-nnde jig
calleda preacheris usedto nreasurethe
piecebeforeit is nailed irt place.The jig
slipsoverthe baseboard and restsagninst
the casing,allowirtgyou to mark the
buseboard to lertgthwitlr precision.

I
M()TDING
J()INERY
I
I Door caeing Coped joint (page 27)
Joina cueLom baeeboard, ptcture and chatr
I Butt joint
raile, and cornice moldtn4'at. tnaide corner6;
leea likely to open wtth aeasonal wood move'
Uaedwheremoldinq ment than miter joint, Aleo a cleanerjoinL
I meeto door caetnq: than the miter for cornera that are noL 90'.
aloo oervesto jorn
I two len4theof flat
baeeboardat an 1carf joint
inaidecorner.The )pltcea lenqtheof baee-
I end of the moldtn7 boardand cornicemoldin4
eimplybutte aqatnet toqether alo.n4a lonq watl
I the matinq piece.

t
I
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I
I Miter joint (page 2A)
Forjoinin4 moldin7at outetde
cornerg:can aleojorn eome
I Lypeeof moldingat inoidecor-
nera.Thejoinery hideoend qrain.
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MOLDING t
r
MAKING
BASE-AND-SHOE
BASEBOARD I
'l Millingtheshoeona router table
portion
I
I Maketheshoemolding of the
baseboard from%-inchlhick stock.lnstall I
anedge-forming bit inyourrouter andmount
thetoolin a table; a round-over bitisshown I
at right,butanyothershape canbeused.
Tosupport theworkpiece, usethreefeath- I
erboards: Clamotwoto thefence-oneon
eachsideof thebit-anda thirdto thetable I
in linewiththecutter. Shape bothedges
of eachworkpiece, feeding thestockwith I
bothhands andf inishing thepasswitha
pushstick.Forsafety, it is bestto shape I
longboards thatareat least4 inches wide,
andthenriptheshaped edges offonthe I
tablesaw.
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I
! Relieving thebase0nthetablesaw
4- fo prepare thebaseportionof thebaseboard,
shape oneedge adjusting itswidthto about2 inches, andsetthecutting height I
of a 1-by-4 asin step1. Thenplanethestockto the at % inch.Position
or 1-by-6 theripfencesothecutwillbecentered in
desired Toprevent
thickness. themolding fromcupping andcom- themrddle of theworkpiece. Usetwofeatherboards to support I
pensate foranyirregularities
in thewall,makea reliefcutalong t h es t o c ka n db o t hh a n d tso f e e di t f a c eu p ,w h i l eb u t t i n gi t
thebackfaceof thestock.Installa dadoheadonvourtablesaw. against thefence(above). Finish thepasswitha pushstick. I
I
1,1
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I MOLDING

I
t MAKING
BUILT.UP
BASEBOARD
I Milling a basecap
Tomakethetoppiece-thebasecap-of
I thebuilt-upbaseboard illustrated on page
22, installa decorative edging bit onyour
I (A
shaper. routercandothe too,but job
theshaper enables youto employ larger
I cutters-and therefore thickerstock.lt
is alsoa morestabletoolto use.)Keep
I thestockpressed against thefenceand
thetableusingthehold-downs supplied
t withthemachine. Feedthestockonedge,
usingbothhands(right).To f inishthe
I pass,moveto theoutfeed sideof thetable
andpullthestockpastthecutter.Thebot-
I tomoieceof built-uo baseboard is installed
t h es a m ew a ya ss i n g l e - p i emceolding
I (page26I Thebasecapisthennailed to
boththewallandthebottom piece.
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I
Beforethe routerand shaper,the combi-
t nation plane was the tool of choicefor
shapingmolding. This versatilehand
I toolfeaturesa rangeof interchangeable
cuttersthat canform tongues,grooves,
I dadoes,flutes, reeds,ovolos,and bead-
ings.An adjustableedgeguide ensures
I straight cuts while a depth stop allows
the plane to trim to precisedepths.The
I modelshownat left, the Stanely45
Multiplane, is a venerabledesignthat
t insDiredmany imitators.

I
I 25

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MOLDING I
t
INSTALLING
BASEB()ARD I
P l a n n i ntgh ei n s t a l l a t i o n I
The idealsequence for installing baseboard
d e p e n dos n t h e r o o ml a y o u tY. o u rg o a li s I
Mi1;er t o m a k et h e l o i n e r yi n c o n s p i c u ow u sh e n
Butt
or.coped joint e n t e r i n pt h e r o o m a s s h o w na t l e f t . A t
v i r ! v i , r i b
I
.lotnt d o o rc a s i n g su, s eb u t t j o i n t s a ; t outside
c o r n e r su,s em i t e r sA . t i n s i d ec o r n e r su, s e I
m i t e r sf o r f l a t m o l d i n g( b e l o wo) r c o p e d
j o i n t sf o r c o n t o u r e m d o l d i n g( p a g e2 7 ) . I
S t a r ta t a l o n gw a l l( A )o p p o s i t e thedoor.
W i t hc o p e dj o i n t s .c u t t h e p i e c et o b u t t I
a g a i n swt a l l sD a n d E s ot h e e n dg r a i no f
t h em o l d i n g a l o n gt h e s ew a l l sw i l l b e i n v i s - I
i b l ef r o mt h e d o o r .I n s t a l l t h e molding
a l o n gw a l lB n e x t ,t h e nw a l l sC a n d D . l f a I
w a l l i s l o n g e trh a ny o u rs t o c k ,a s i n E ,
c o n n e cttw o p i e c e su s i n ga s c a r fj o i n t . I
Locate t h e j o i n ta t a w a l ls t u d .F i n i s ht h e
i n s t a l l a t i oant t h ed o o r( w a l l sF a n dG ) .C u t t
a l l t h e m o l d i n g/ - i n c h l o n g etrh a nn e e d -
"snap"
e d ;t h i sw i l la l l o wi t t o i n t op l a c e . I
I
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MI T E R I N
I NGS I DC()R
E NERS
I
N a i l i n tgh em o l d i n ign p l a c e
T o i n s t a lb l a s e - a n d - s hm o eo l d i n ga t a n I
i n s i d ec o r n e rc, u t t h e t w o p i e c e st o l e n g t h ,
miteringoneend of eachboard(page17). I
M a k et h e c u t ss o t h e b a c kf a c eo f e a c h
m o l d i n gr e a c h etsh e c o r n e rt,h e n i n s t a l l I
o n eo f t h e p i e c e sU. s i n ga h a m m ear n d2 -
i n c h( 6 d ) f i n i s h i nnga i l so r a f i n i s hn a i l e r I
l o a d e dw i t ht h e t y p eo f n a i l ss p e c i fe db y
t h e m a n u f a c t u r ef ar ,s t e nt h e m o l d i n g to I
t h e w a l l .D r i v et w o n a i l sa t e v e r yw a l ls t u d ,
l o c a t i n tgh e n a i l s% i n c hf r o mt h e t o p a n d I
bottomof the molding. Theuppernailshould
r e a c ht h e s t u d ,w h i l et h e l o w e or n es h o u l d I
enterthe soleplateattachedto the subfloor
directlybelowthe studs.To locatethestuds, I
usea stud finder(page32). lf youareusing
a h a m m e rs, e tt h e n a i lh e a d sF. i tt h e s e c - I
ond pieceof moldingin place(right)and
nailit to thewallthe sameway.Thensecure
t h e s h o em o l d i n gt o t h e b a s e b o a r(dr n s e t ) ,
t
d r i v i n ga n a i le v e r y1 6 i n c h e s , I
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26 I
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I MOLDING

I
I CO P I NI N
GSI DCEOR N E R S
I 1 Coping themolding
I To installcontoured molding at an
t insidecorner, crosscut bothendsof one
piecesothat it f its snuglybetween the
I a d j o i n i nwga l l sT. h em a t i n p
g i e c ew i l l
buttagainst itsfacewitha copedjoint.
t Cutting this joint is a two-step operation.
Startbymaking a 45' bevelcut onone
I e n do f t h em o l d i n gt h; i sw i l lr e v e at hl e
contour lineontheface.Thenclampthe
I molding faceupona worksurface, pro-
tectingthestockwitha wood pad. Usea
I copingsawfittedwitha narrow bladeto
cutalongthecontour line.Holdthesaw
I perfectly upright(right),bitingintothe
woodontheupstroke. Fora tightf it, hold
I thesawslightly over90', undercutting the
jointslightly, sothatonlythefrontof the
I boardcontacts thefaceof the mating
piece.lf thebladebindsin thekerf,make
I occasional release cutsintothewasteto
letsmallpieces fallaway.
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I Installingthemolding
Nailthef irstpieceof molding to the
I wallasyouwouldflatbaseboard (page26).
Thenposition thecoped endagainst the
I firstpieceto testthefit (left).Smoothoul
anyirregularitieswitha round f ileorfine
I sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. Once
thefit is perfect,nailthecoped molding
I in olace.

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I 27

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MOLDING I
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INSTATTING ATAN()UTSIDE
BASEBOARD CORNER I
1 Determining themiterangle I
I Tofit baseboard at anoutside corner,
themiterangleyouwill
f irstdetermine I
needto cut.Thisstepis essential if the
wallsdo notmeetat 90'; asa result, the I
mitercutswillnotbe45'. (Thisisoften
thecasein olderhomes.) Holda scrap I
board thesamethickness asthemolding
against onewallanduseitsoutside face I
to marka referencelineonthef loor.Then
holdtheboard againsttheadjoining wall I
andmaketwomarkson it: Oneon itstop
edgein linewiththecorner andanother I
on itsfrontfaceperpendicularto theref-
erence markonthef loor(/eft). I
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r) Transferring theangle I
(- Usea trv square to extendthe mark
on thefaceof tf,. ,.rup boardto thetop I
edge.Thenadjusta slidingbevelto the
angleformedbytheendof thislineand I
thecornermarkon thetopedgeof the
board(right). Thisis yourmiterangle.Use I
theslidingbevelto adjustthesawyou
w i l lb eu s i n tgo c u tt h em o l d i n g . I
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28 I
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I MOLDING
I
Il
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I
I Installing
themolding
M a k et h e m i t e rc u t so n t h e p i e c e so f
t di l* iiil iliiff it t$ rhiili ru,ll * il{rut illi$ m o l d i na g n dc h e c kt h e f i t o f t h ej o r n t .
M a k ea n ys l i g h ta d j u s t m e nw t si t ha c h i s -
t 5HO7Tt?
e l o r s a n d p a p eTr .h e ni n s t a ltlh e p i e c e s
w i t ha h a m m eor r f i n i s hn a t l e r( a b o v ea)s
I Store-bought
youwouldat an insidecorner(page26).
R e p e atth e p r o c e stso i n s t a lsl h o em o l d -
cornerpieceo
I CuINinq a miLerjoinl I n go r a b a s ec a p .
ie noLNheonlyway
I t o inetall baseboard
a No u t s i d e c o r n e r o .
I Many Nypesof com'
m e r c i a lb a e e b o a r d
I come with ready-made
c o r n e r V i e c e sf e a t u r i n q
,.-.--\.'\ \

t lhe same profileas otraiqht

s e c t i o n s .J o i n e dt o o t r a i q h L
l e n q t h ow i L hb u I I j o i n t s , l h e s e
I cornerooVeedup insLallaLion.
ThesquaretyVe ehownhereis
I madeelightly"proud"of Lheolraiqht
eecNionsfor vieualeffect,
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CHAIRAND PICTURERAILS
r
I
I
f wereusedsim-
hairrailsoriginally third of thewaybetweenfloor andceil-
\, ply to preventchair backsfrom ing, typically3 feetoff the floor. Like I
marringwallsor paneling,but theyhave baseboard, chairrailsarecommercially
recentlyassumed a morepurelydeco- availablein a number of orofilesand I
rativerole.Today,they often serveasa sizes,but theycanbeeasilymade in the
dividerbetweendecorative elementson shoofrom 1-bv-4stock. I
a wall,with panelingor wallpaperusu- ficture rail is a tvpeof chairrail with
allyinstalledbetweenthechairrail and
the floor.
a roundedlip usedto hang picture
frames.It is installed6 to 8 feetoff the
t
Chairrailsaremuchlikebaseboard, floor.Sincepicturerailsoftensupport I
and areinstalledexactlythe sameway, considerable weight,theyarescrewed
exceptthat theyarelocatedaboutone- ratherthan nailedin place.The screw I
holesarethenconcealed by woodplugs.
Dependingon the estheticeffectyou
want to achieve, you canusechairrails,
t
Customchairrailsandcrownmolding
areavailablewith elaborate carvedpat- picturerails,or both in conjunction I
ternsand scrollwork,in a widerangeof with baseboard(page23) and crown
modernandantiauestvles. molding(page33). I
MAKING RAILS
CHAIR
t
1 Milling thereeds I
I tvtat<ing one-piece molded chairrail
typically involves twosteps: cuttingreeds t
onthefaceof thestock,asshown at right,
andthenshaping theedgesbtep2). CUI t
ihereeds onyourtablesawusinga mold-
i n gh e a dw i t ha s e to f r e e d i nkgn i v e s . I
Install theheadandposition theripfence
bycentering theworkpiece facedown I
overthecutters andbuttingthefence
against thestock.Secure theworkpiece I
withtwofeatherboards, oneclamped to
thefenceanda second fixedto thesaw I
table.Bothfeatherboards shouldbe in
l i n ew i t ht h ec u t t e r sC.l a m p a support r
boardat a 90' angleto thesecond feath-
erboard. Make thefirstpasswitha cutting t
height of %inch;donotmakea full-depth
cut in onepass. Tomakethecut,slowly I
feedtheworkpiece intothecutters with
yourrighthand,pressing it against therip I
fencewithyourlefthand(right). Finishthe
cutwitha pushstick.Oneortwopasses I
i s u s u a l lsyu fifc i e nwt i t ht h i sp a r t i c u l a r
orofile:raisethecuttersnomoreIhanYa I
inchat a timebetween oasses.
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30
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I MOLDING
t
lt r) Shaping theedges
I L Onceyouhavemilledthereedsin your
chairrailstock, shape theedges ona router
I table.Installan edge-forming bit in your
router;an ogeebit is shownat right.Then
I mountthetoolin a table.Tosuooort
workpiece forthiscut,usethreefeather-
the

t boards:
fence,
Clamotwofeatherboards
oneoneachsideof thebit,anduse
to the

I thethirdopposite thebitto press thestock

againstthefence.Seta shallow depthof
I cutforthefirstpass.Toshapeeachedge,
slowlyfeedtheworkpiece intothecutter
I (right);
finishthecut witha pushstick.
passes
Makea series of deeper untilyou
t attainthedesired
cuttind
profile, increasing
g e p t h%i n c ha t a t i m e .
the

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I INSTALLING
A CHAIRRAII

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1 Determining theheight ofthechairrail
I I U s ea c h a l kl i n et o m a r ka h e i g hlti n eo nt h ew a l lf o rt h e
molding.Make a markat eachendof onewall,typically 36 inch-
samelevel,asthefloormaynotbetrue.Drive
thewallat oneof themarks
a finishingnailinto
andhookthechalklineonthenail
I esoffthefloor.Aftermeasuring theheight of onemark,usea lev- head.Aligntheotherendwiththesecondheightmarkandsnap
el anda long,straight boardto makethesecond markat the thechalkline(above).
Repeatfortheotherwallsin theroom.
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I 31
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MOLDING
I
I
r) Finding thewallstuds
I
L neally, molding
Todetermine
should benailed
theirlocation,
to the
use
I
wallstuds.
a studfinderandmarkeachpointwitha
pencil(left).Studsaretypically 16 inches
I
apart,center to center. lf youdo nothave I
a s t u df i n d e ry,o uc a nt a pa l o n g
t h ew a l l
witha hammer; a change froma hollow I
sound to a solidsoundindicates a stud.
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t
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t
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Q Nailing themolding in place
r-J Cutthechairrailto len$handfasten I
i t t o t h ew a l l su s i n ga h a m m eorr a n a i r -
powered nailer. Alignthemolding withthe I
c h a l kl i n ea n dd r i v et w on a i l s t oe a c h
i n
stud(right),lf youareusinga hammer, I
setthe nailheads.
I
JZ
I
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I
I
CROVTNMOLDING
I
I f) ootedin classical Greekarchitec- befastened to furringstrips.
Wherethe suffice.A pair of nailsdrivenat oppo-
I\ [ure,crownmoldingroseto promi- joistsrunparallelto
ceiling thewall,glu- siteanglesinto the wall will hold the
I nenceduring lBth-CenturyEngland, ingthemoldingto theceiling will often moldingin placeuntil theadhesivecures.
first appearingon furniture of the
I Georgianperiod.Soonafter,the flow-
ing patternsof thismoldingalsobegan
I to adorntheceilingsof drawingrooms.
Today,single-piece crownmoldingcan
t be installedalongthe wallsand ceilings
of houseinteriors,or it canbecombined
I with other elementsto makebuilt-
up ceilingmoldings,suchas crown-
I and-flat (page22), or a formal cornice
(page36).Whenchoosingcrownmold-
I ing, makesureit is properlypropor-
tionedfor theroom;moldingthat is too
I wide will givethe effectof loweringthe
ceiling.Molding3 or 4 inchesin width
t is about right for an average-sized
B-foot-highceiling.
I Installingcrownmoldingis not much
differentfrom nailing on baseboardor
I chair rails;outsidecornersaremitered
andinsidecornersaremiteredor coped.
t Simpleone-piececrown molding is
nailedthroughthe flatsof the molding Becausecrown molding ispositionedon both the wall and ceiling,cornersmust
I into thewall studs,ceilingjoists,andtop be miteredat compoundangles,and piecesmust be held
"upside
down and
plate,which restson top of the wall backward" when they are cut. The jig shown in thephoto above,however,
I studs.Complexbuilt-up crownmold- allows the molding to be held on the chopsaw exactlyas it will appear on the
ing, suchasa formalcornice,needsto wall and ceiling,requiringno repositioningbeforethe cut.
I
t INSTALTING
ONE.PIECE
CROWN
M()LDING
I 1 Coping molding ataninside corner
I Before installing crownmolding, place
I it in positioa nn , ds n a pa c h a l kl i n eo n
thewallto markthe bottomedgeof the
I m o l d i n gC.o p et h ee n do f o n ep i e c et o
f it against thefaceof anadjoining piece
I asyouwouldbaseboard (page27). SIarI
bymitering theend,thenmakethecoped
I cutusinga coping saw.Inthiscase,secure
theworkpiece in a visein thesameposi-
I tionit willbewhenit is installed. Holdthe
coping sawperpendicular to themolding
I throughout thecut (/efi).

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 t
MOLDING r
I
Installing
thecoped
molding I
T e s t - f i t h e c o p e de n d a g a i n s t h e
adjoining piece
of molding,whichshould I
already benailedin place(/eff).Fine-tune
thefit, if necessary,
byfilingorsanding the I
coped end.Nailthecoped molding to the
wallandceiling asyouwouldbase-and- I
shoemolding (page 27).
I
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r
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t
t
t
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Q Determining themiterangle t
J atanoutside corner
A sw i t hb a s e b o a rtdh,ef i r s ts t e pi n r
installing crownmolding at anoutside cor-
neristo findthecorrect miterangle. Start
I
bydrawing tworeference linesontheceil-
ing.Holding a pieceof molding in place I
against onewallandtheceiling, markone
of thelinesalongitstopedge,extending I
pastthecorner. Repeat fortheadjacent
wallto markthesecondline(right). I
I
34 I
I
I
I MOLDING
I
lr Transferringthemiterangle
to a sliding
bevel
I Drawa linefromthecorner to thepoint
wherethetworeference linesyoumarked
I in step3 intersect.Thenadjusta sliding
bevelsothatitshandlebuttsagainst one
I of thewallsandtheblade alignswiththe
lineyoujustmarked ontheceiling(rghf).
I Usetheslidingbevelto setupyoursawto
cutthemiters.
t
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t
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I
I
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t
I
I
I
I
I f, lnstalling themolding
r - , 1I n s t a ltlh ec r o w nm o l d i n a g sy o u
w o u l db a s e b o am r do l d i n ag t a n o u t s i d e
I corner(page28). Usinga f inishnaileror
h a m m en r ,a i lo n ep i e c ei n p l a c eT. h e n
I position theother(left).lt thefit is not
perfect,
t backcutthemitersslightly
a utilityknife.Onceyouaresatisf
with
iedwith
thef it, applysomeglueto themitered
I endsandnailthesecond pieceof molding
in place.To prevent themiterfromopen-
I ing,nailthrough themiterfrombothsides.
t
t 35
I
 I
MOLDING I
I
INSTALTING
A FORMAL
CORNICE t
I
t
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t
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I
1 Installing nailing
strips t
I A formal cornice isanantique-style
crownmolding consisting
of a box-like I
support assembly (installedin steps1
and2) andthreepiecesof molding I
(installedin step3).Cutthefourpieces
of the supportassembly from%-inch I
stock.Thesepieces areinstalled
thesame
wayasbaseboard (page26),withmiters I
at bothinsideandoutside corners. Start
byscrewing theceiling nailerintothe I
ceilingjoistswiththepieceflushagainst
thewall.Thenscrewthewallnailerto I
thewallsluds(above), leavinga %-inch
gapbetween itstopedgeandtheceiling I
nailerto allowforwoodmovement.
I
r') lnstallingthesoffitandfascia I
L Aipthefasciaandsoffitpiecessothat
whentheyareattached to theceilingand I
wallnailers, thefourpieces willforma
box.Routa decorative lip alongthebottom I
edgeof thefasciapiece, jointhefasciaand
soffitboards withplatejoints,thenscrew I
thefasciato theceilingnailerandattach
the soffitto thewall nailer(right). I
I
36 I
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I MOLDING
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T themolding
Installing
T o m a k et h e w a l l m o l d i n gr,o u ta d e c o r a t i veed g ei n % -
I i n c hs t o c k t, h e ns c r e wt h e p i e c ei n p l a c ew i t h i t s f l a t e d g e
a g a i n stth e s o f f i t .D r i v et h e s c r e w si n t ot h e w a l ls t u d sn e a r
I the molding's top edge,wherethe fasteners will be concealed
b yt h e b e d m o l d i n g n ; a i la l o n g
t h e b o t t o m e d g eN . e x t ,i n s t a l l
t thebed m o l d i n ga s y o u w o u l dc r o w n m o l d i n g( p a g e3 3 ) ,
nailing it tothe w a l lm o l d i n ag n d t h e s o f f i t F. t n a l l yc ,u t a n d
I i n s t a ltlh e c r o w n m o l d i n g
b e t w e e t
n h e f a s c i aa n d t h ec e i l i n g
a r o u n dt h e r o o m ( p a g e s
33-35). N a i lt h e m o l d i n gt h r o u g h
t i t s f l a t s e c t i o n sd,r i v i n gt h e f a s t e n e r isn t o t h e c e i l i n gj o i s t s
and the fascta (above).
I
I
t
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t
t
I 37
I
'
"#fu
{

\,'
t
I
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I
I
I PANE,LNG
I
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I
t
I
I
I i n g . I n 1 6 t h - C e n t u r y E u r o p e , c a l l e d s t i l e s o r m u l l i o n s , a n d
at the end of the Gothic fur- Interiorwallshavebeengracedbyframe-and-panel horizontal ones,called rails.
"waynscottes" Theflexibility offrame-and- Groovesaremilled aroundthe
niture period, wainscotingforcenturies.
I consistedof seasonedplanks panelconstruction allowsfor a widerangeof design insideedgesof theframe,allow-
of Balticoak coveringinterior possibilities,
from theelaborate ornamentalpanels ing the panelsto float freely,
I andcontracting with
walls. In Colonial America,
"wainscot"
oflacobean-stylefurniture to moremoderndesigns, expanding
referred to pine suchasthefull-wall panelingshownin thephoto seasonal changesin humidity.
I boards that stretched from above,madebyPatellaIndustriesof Montreal. This customwainscotingcan
floor to ceiling,addinga rus- transforma plain room into a
I tic warmth to parlors.Today,wainscotingencompasses a wide more formal space,replacingflat, monotonouswalls with
althoughthetermmostfrequently
rangeof wall coverings, exquisitelymoldedpanels.
I panelsinstalled
describes onthelowerhalfof awall. Panelingtechniques canalsobeadapted to cre-
to ceilings
Therearetwobasictypesof paneled wainscoting:
tongue- atea sumptuous lookfor a denor study(page52).Ina pan-
I and-grooveandframe-and-panel. Tongue-and-groove wain- eled---or aframework
coffered---<eiling, of 2-by-4sis sheathed
I scoting(pagea2) is availableat hardwarestoresand inhardwood,withveneeredplywoodpanelssetintotheframes.
lumberyards asready-to-install paneling.
interlocking Made Crownandshoemoldingprovidethefinaldecorative touch.
or paint-grade In anystyle,paneledsudaces cantransformordinaryrooms
t fromstain-grade
and-groove
hardwood softwood,tongue-
panelingcomesin avarietyof profiles.Butyou intorichlycomforting retreats.
t
I
I
I
A moldedcaprail is installedasthecrowningtouchtoframe-and-panel
I In additionto itsdecorative
wainscoting. role,thecaprailhidesthegap
thewainscoting and thewall. Caprail designsrangefrom the
I betyveen
simplechamfered rail shownat left to moreelaboratemoldedchairrails.

I 39
I
 t
I
PANELINGSTYLES
I
t
T()NGUE-AND-GR(1OVE I
WAINSCOTING
(PAGE42)
I
Capratl I
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I
Daeeboard I
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FRAME-AND-PANEt I
WAINSC()TING
(PAGE
46) I
t
I
9ttle
I
Kateed I
floaLtn4
panel
I
I
thoe I
moldinq
I
I
Dotl,om rail
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I PANELING
I

Crownmoldinq

End attle

Median
ratl

DotLom
ratl

Daaeboard

thoe moldin4
 I
I
TONGUE-AND.GROOVEWAINSCOTING
I
*}-
orrgue-and-groove wainscoting con- A SETECTION
OFPANEL
STYLES
I
I sists of interlockins
of a series boards
or panelswith an optionaldeiorative
I
profile.It is themostbasicandpopular
type of interiorpaneling.Traditionally
Daotct onque-
and-groove
I
madefrom softwoodand givena clear
finish,tongue-and-groove panelingcan
t
thiplap
be installedfrom floor to ceilingto cre-
ate a rustic look. It imnartsa more
I
sophisticated
wainscoting
appearance
andstained.
whenusedas
Channel
t
While you can buy tongue-and-
groovewainscoting ready-made, youcan
I
alsomill yourownfiom 1-by-4or 1-by-
6 stockusinga tablesaw.Usea dado
FrofiledLonque-
and-groove
I
headto cut tonguesin oneedgeofthe
boardsandgrooves in the otheredge.
I
Deadedtonque-
Switchto a moldingheadto milla dec-
orativebeadin the front faceof the
and-qroove I
of wainscoting
boardsla selection
filesis displayed at right.
pro-
Chamferedtonque- t
and-groove
Tongue-and-groove wainscoting is
typicallyinstalledfrom the floor to a
I
heightof 36 inches.Compensate for Koundedtonque-
unevenfloorsby cuttingthe boardsa and-qroove I
littleshort.Thatway,thetopendsof the
boardscanall be installedat thesame
I
TroftledLonque-
level;anygapsbetween thebottomends
andthefloorwill beconcealed by base-
and-4roove t
board (page22). If there are nailers
behindthewall-typically 2-by-4block-
I
ing betweenthe wall studs-and you
know wheretheyare,fastenthe wain-
I
scotingto them,Otherwise, anchorfi.rr-
ring stripsto thestuds(page49)andnail
I
thewainscoting to thefurringstrips.
I
I
I
Btttting the edgeof a boardor panel
t
squarelyagainstan out-of-phmtbwall,
brickwork,or a wlll with contoured
I
ntoldingcar be a challenge.The log-
builder'sscribeshown irt the photo
I
at right rnakesafiting the edgeeasy.It
urved steelpirr
I
feoturesan ad.iustnble
and two levelvialsfor ncuu"atelytrac-
ing the wall profile onto thepaneling.
I
I
42 I
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I
t PANELING
I
t MAKING
TONGUE.AND-GR()()VE
WAINSC()TING
I 1
Cutting thegrooves
I O u t l i n et h e g r o o v o en the leading end
I of one board;makethe groovewidthone-
t h i r dt h e s t o c kt h i c k n e s as n d i t s d e o t h
I a b o u l / , i n c h .I n s t a lal d a d oh e a do n y o u r
t a b l es a w ,a d j u s t i n igt s w i d t ht o t h a to f t h e
I grooveand the cuttingheightto the groove
d e p t h .I n s t a lal n a u x i l i a rw y o o df e n c ea n d
I c u t a r e l i e fn o t c hi n i t t o h o u s ep a r to f t h e
d a d oh e a dw h e ny o um i l lt h e t o n g u e isn
I s t e n2 A ' " 'lbi" p nt. ,h e c r r t t i n m
s a r k sw i t ht h e
d a d oh e a da n d b u t tt h e f e n c ea g a i n stth e
I stock.To preventthe workpiece fromtip-
p i n gd u r i n gt h e c u t , c l a m pa s h i m m e d
I f e a t h e r b o atrodt h e s a wt a b l ei n l i n ew i t h
t h e d a d oh e a d .S e c u r ea s u o o o r bt o a r d
I againstthe featherboard for extrapressure.
P r e s tsh e w o r k p i e caeg a i n stth e f e n c ea n d
t the tableas youfeed it edgedownintothe
dadohead(right).Completethe passwith
I a pushstick.Usethe samesetupto cut the Auxiliaryfence
grooves in all the boards.
I
t
I
I
t
Y---Tonque
I
I
I
I
I r) Cutting thetongues Milling
thebeads
I L Outline thetongue ontheleading endof oneboaro, usrng I n s t a lal m o l d i n gh e a df i t t e dw i t h b e a d i n gk n i v e so n y o u r
a groove youcut in step1 asa guide.Lower thedadohead t a b l es a w .A l i g nt h e b o a r df a c ed o w no v e ro n eo f t h e k n i v e s o
I sltghtly sothetongue willnotbottom outin thegroove. Then t h e b e a dw i l l b e m i l l e da l o n g s i dt eh et o n g u eB. u t tt h e f e n c e
a l i g no n eo f t h ec u t t i n gm a r k w
s i t ht h ec u t t e rasn db u t tt h e againstthe board,reposition the featherboard, andclampa sec-
I fenceagainst thestock;alsoreposition thefeatherboard. Feed o n df e a t h e r b o a trod t h e f e n c ed i r e c t l yo v e rt h e k n i v e sM . ake
theboardasyoudidforcuttingthegroove, using a pushstick a s e r i e so f t e s tc u t s i n a s c r a pb o a r dt o d e t e r m i n teh e p r o p e r
I tofinishthepass. Turntheworkpiece around andrepeat thecutto d e p t h ,t h e n m i l l t h e b e a d s( a b o v e )Y. o uc a n a l s oc u t a s l r g h t
complete thetongue (above). c h a m f eirn t h eo p p o s i teed g ew i t ha h a n dp l a n e .
I
I 43
I
 I
PANELING
I
I
INSTALLING WAINSC()TING
T()NGUE-AND.GRO()VE
I
1
Installing the boards I
I at an outsidecorner
Snapa chalklinearoundthe room(page t
3I ) to markthe heightof the wainscoting.
M a k es u r et h e l i n ei s l e v e l - t h ef l o o rm a y t
n o t b e . l f y o uk n o ww h e r et h e n a i l e r sb e -

-\n. h i n dt h e w a l la r el o c a t e da,l s os n a pl i n e s
f o r t h e m . l f y o u d o n o t k n o ww h e r et h e
I
I
\\_F n a i l e r sa r e l o c a t e di,n s t a l fl u r r i n gs t r i p s
( p a g e4 9 ) . S t a r ti n s t a l l i n gt h e b o a r d sa t
\ a n o u t s i d ec o r n e r D . e t e r m i nteh e b e v e l I
Nailer a n g l ey o uw i l l n e e da s y o uw o u l df o r b a s e -
location board(page28),Ihen makethe cut along I
linea
the grooved edgesof two boards. To install
I
l t eachboard,alignthe cut edgewiththe cor-
neranddrivea nailthroughthe tongueinto
/ / q the wallat eachnailerlocationline (left). I
/d$ N a i lt h e c o r n e br oarda
edgesaswell.lf you installed
nailthe wainscoting
s l o n gt h e m i t e r e d

to the strips.
furringstrips, I
I
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I
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t
I
I
I
I
I
r) Installing the boardsalonga wall I
L Oncethe two boardsareinstalledat
the outsrdecorner,slipthe grooveof a new I
b o a r di n p l a c e N
. a i lt h e b o a r dt o t h e w a l l
through i t st o n g u em , a k i n gs u r ea l l t h e I
t o p sa r el e v e lC. o n t i n u ae l o n gt h e w a l lt h e
s a m ew a y ,f i t t i n gg r o o v e so v e rt o n g u e s
(right)andnailingthe boardsin place.
I
t
44
I
I
I
I PANELING
I
I C h e c k i nfgo r p l u m b
Q
r . , f H a l f w a ya l o n gt h e w a l l , h o l d a c a r -
I p e n t e r ' sl e v e la g a i n stth e t o n g u eo f t h e
l a s tb o a r dy o u i n s t a l l etdo c h e c kf o r p l u m b
I (right).lf the boardis not perfectlyverti-
c a l , t a p e rt h e g r o o v e de d g eo f t h e n e x t
I b o a r dw i t h a h a n dp l a n es o t h a t i t w i l l b e
o l u m bw h e ni t i s i n s t a l l e dC. o n t i n uteo t h e
I e n d o f t h e w a l l .T o f i t t h e l a s tb o a r d u, se
a l o g - b u i l d e rs' sc r i b et o t r a n s f etrh e p r o -
I f i l e a n da n g l eo f t h e a d j o i n i nw g a l lt o t h e
face of the board (page42).
I
I
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I
P a n e l i nagn a d j o i n i nw ga l l
I T o i n s t a lw l a i n s c o t i nagt a n i n s i d e
corner,butt the groovededgeof a board
I a g a i n stth e l a s tb o a r dy o ui n s t a l l eodn t h e
a d j o i n i nw g a l l ,t h e nn a i li t i n p l a c e( l e f t ) .
I Nailalongthe grooved edgesof the boards
a s w e l l .W o r ky o u rw a ya r o u n dt h e r o o m
I u n t i l a l l t hwe a i n s c o t i insgi n s t a l l e Fd i. n i s h
the job by installingbaseboard (page22)
I and addinga cap rail (page38).
I
t
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 I
I
FRAME-AND . PANEL WAINSCOTING
I
wainscoting con-
I
I rame-and-panel
l.' sistsof a frameof horizontalrails I
andverticalstilesandmullionsenclos-
ing raisedpanels.The framemembers
can be joined in a number of ways, The cope-and-
I
includingdowel,biscuit,mortise-and- stickjoint shownin
tenon,or cope-and-stick joints.This thephoto at right is an
I
sectionshowsyou how to cut thecope- easy-to-cutalternativeto the
I
and-stickon the shaper(page47).The mortise- an d - tenon tra diti on al-
panelscanbe raisedon atablesaw(page in
lyusedframe-and fi,)ili'*r," % "%;lT,^ I
49),burtspecialized routerbits (pagea8) scoting.It alsoaddsa decorativetouch:
-""'i:
andshapercutters (page 109)do a faster
and cleanerjob, and canshapecurved
The router bit that cutsthe groovesfor the
panel and tonguesin the stilesand rails also carves
t
profilesaswell. a molding along the inside edgesof theframe.
Thistypeof panelingcanbeinstalled
I
over the lower portion of a wall, like I
tongue-and-groove wainscoting,or it ()FRAISED
A GALTERY PR()FILES
PANEL
can coveran entirewall from floor to I
celing(page4l). In eithercase, youneed
to determinethedimensions of thepan- I
elingand its variouscomponents. The
framepiecesand panelsmustbe sized Kaiaedpanel
to fit eachwallexactly, andproperlypro- with ovolo frame I
portionedsotheylookrightin theroom. I
Besureto considerobstructionssuchas
doorsandwindows,fireplaces
ing beams.Beforecuttinganywood,
andceil- I
Covedpanel
makea scaledrawingof the room and
experiment with differentdesigns.
t
When installingframe-and-panel I
wainscoting,it is bestto work on one
wall at a time,preparingand installing
the framepiecesand panelstogether.
Oqeebeveled
panel
I
Thewainscotcanthenbe gluedup and
installedasa unit,or built up on thewall
I
pieceby piece.Ifyou follow the latter
method,youwill be ableto compensate Develed
I
for anymistakesasyou go along. panelraioed
from frame I
I
I
I
Kabbeted
I
frame with
moldinq t
I
I
46 I
I
I
I PANELING
I
t MAKING
A COPE-AND.STICK
FRAME
I 'l Cutting
tongues in therails
I andmullions
I S a wt h er a i l sm , u l l i o n as n
, ds t i l e tso
l e n g t hT. oj o i nt h ep i e c eos f t h ef r a m e
I withcope-and-stick joints,startbycutting
tongues at theendsof therailsandmul-
I lions,asshown at left.Install a piloted
coping bit in yourshaper andadjustthe
I cuttingdepthbybutting theendof a rail
against thecutterandsetting thetopof
I theuppermost cutterslightly above the
workpiece. Position thefenceparallel to
I \ \ ) ) themitergauge slotandin linewiththe
edgeof thebit pilot.Foraddedstability,
I screwa boardto the mitergaugeasan
Miter gauqe extension. Feedthestockfacedownwith
l extenaion thegauge, holding theedgeof thework-
pieceagainst theextension andtheend
I against thefence(/eff).(Although a shaper
is usedhere,a table-mounted routercan
I alsobeusedto cutcope-and-stick joints.)

I Adjusting
thesticking
bit
I Replace
prloted
t h e c o p i n gb i t w i t h a
stickingbit.Toadjustthecut-
tingdepth,buttthetongue at theend
I of a railor muntinagainst
thebitand
setoneof thegroove-cuttingteethlev-
I el withthetongue(below).Alignthe
fencewiththeedgeof thebit pilot.
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PANELING
I
I
thegrooves
Cutting
I
profile
anddecorative
Usetwo featherboards to securethe stock
I
C l a m pa s t a n d a rfde a t h -
during
erboard
t h
to
e c u
the
t s .
shaper table oppositethe
I
at a 90" angle
bit; secure
to the
a support
featherboard.
board
Clamp a shaperfeath-
t
i sf e a t h e r -
erboard
board on
t o t
the
h e f
band
e n c e
saw
.M a
by
k et h
curving the bot-
I
tom edgeof a 2-by-4
o f a n g l e ds l o t s i n t ot
and
h e e
cutting
d g e C
.
a
u
series
t the
t
g r o o v ea s n d d e c o r a t i vper o f i l ea l o n gt h e
i n s i d ee d g e so f t h e s t i l e sa n d r a i l s ,a n d
I
a l o n gb o t he d g e so f a l l t h e m u l l i o n sM . ake
each p a s swith the stock o u t s i d e - f ace
I
down, pressing the workpiece against the
fence(lefil.Usea pushstickto complete
I
tne Dass.
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THEPANELS
RAISING
Raising a panelontherouter table I
C u te a c hp a n etlo f i t w i t h i ni t sf r a m e ,
adding %rnchon all sidesforthegrooves. I
Install a piloted panel-raising bit in your
router andmountthetoolin a table.Set I
thedepthof cutat %inchandclamptwo
featherboards to thefence,oneon each I
sideof thebit.Toraise thepanel, feedthe
boardacross thetableoutside-face down, I
keeprng theworkpiece flushagainst the
fenceandyourhandsclearof thecutter I
(right). To minimize tearout, cut intothe
e n dg r a i no f t h ep a n eflt r s ts, h a p i ntgh e I
t w oe n d so f t h ep a n ebl e f o rteh es i d e s .
Testfit thepanelin theframegrooves and I
makeasmanypasses asyouneed,increas-
ingthecutting depthnomorethan%inch I
a ta t i m e .
I
Fanel-raieinqbit
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48 I
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I PANELING
I
t Raising a panelonthetablesaw
Tosettheproper blade angle forraising a
I p a n eol nt h et a b l es a w m , a r ka c u t t i n g
lineonthepanel:DrawaYo-inch square at
I thebottom corner, thenmarka linefrom
t h ef r o n tf a c eo f t h e p a n etlh r o u g thh e
I inside corner of thesquare to a pointon
thebottom edgeX inchfromthebackface
I (insef). Installanauxiliary woodfence,set
thepanel against it, andadjust theangle
I of thebladeuntilit aligns withthecutting
thebladeuntilonetoothjust
t line.Raise
protrudes beyond thefrontfaceof thepan-
el.Makea cut in oneendof theoanel and
I test-fitthecut in a groove. lf thepanelsits
lessthan%inchdeep,move thefencea
I littlecloser to theblade andmakeanother
pass. Tominimize tearout, bevel theends
I of thepanelf irst,thenthesides(rrghf).
t
I
I
INSTATTING
FRAME-AND-PANEL
WAINSCOTING
I
Installing furringstrips
1
I I L i k et o n g u e - a n d - g r o opvaen e l i n g ,
f r a m e - a n d - p a nweal i n s c o t i ncga n b e f a s -
I tenedto nailersbehindthe wall (page44).
l f y o ud o n o tk n o ww h e r et h e n a i l e r a s re
I l o c a t e do r w h e t h e trh e ye x i s t ,y o u w i l l
h a v et o a n c h o tr h e p a n e l i n g to furring
I s t r i p sS. n a pt w oc h a l kl i n e so n t h e w a l lt o
h e l py o ui n s t a ltlh e s t r i p s F . o rf r a m e - a n d -
I p a n ew l a i n s c o t i nogn, es t r i ps h o u l db e
l e v ew l i t ht h e t o p r a i l ,t y p i c a l l3y 6 i n c h e s
I o f f t h e f l o o r .L o c a t et h e s e c o n dc h a l kl i n e
a few inchesabovethe floor.Sawthe fur-
t ringstripsfrom 1-by-3stock;cut onefor
t h e t o p r a i la n dt w o f o r t h e b o t t o mr a i l .
I Determine the locationof the studs(page
3 2 ) a n dn a i le a c hf u r r i n gs t r i pi n p l a c e
I (left),driuingtwo nailsat eachstud.

I
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I 49
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PANELING I
I
r") Installing thestilesandrails
I
I f est-fitthe partsof thewainscoting
andscribe alignment marks forthemul-
I
lionsalong thetopandbottom rails.Bevel
oneedgeof theoutside corner stileasyou
I
wouldfortongue-and-groove
44).Posilion
paneling
thestileat thecornerand
(page
r
s l i d ea s h i mu n d e r n e ai tt;ht h eg a pw i l l
allowforwoodmovement. Tack-nail the
I
stileto thefurring strips, making surethat
theboardis plumb.Holdthemating stile
I
i n p l a c et o m a k es u r et h a tt h em i t e r e d
edges of thetwoareperfectly aligned. Then
I
applysomeglueto theendsof thebottom
railandjoinit to thestile,alsosetting it
I
onshims.
thebottom
Jointheinside
railandtack-nail
corner stileto
it to thefur-
t
ringstrips,
screw
adjusting it if necessary.
or nailtheassembly to thefurring
Lastly,
t
strips(/eff).
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t
Q Setting thefirstpanelin place
r-J Oncethreesidesof theframehave
I
beeninstalled, setthefirstpanelin place
at the outsidecorner(right),makingsure
I
it fitssnuglyin thegrooves cut in therail
andstrle.Donotapplyglueto thepanel
I
grooves; thepanelmustbefreeto move
in theframe.
r
I
50 t
t
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I PANELING
T
t Installing
thefirstmullion
A p p l yg l u et o t h e b o t t o me n do f t h e
I m u l l i o na n dt h e g r o o v ei n t h e b o t t o mr a i l ,
and setthe mullionin place(left).Make
I s r r r e f h c n a n p l s i i s i n t h p o r n n v p s/ - r r t i n

t t h e m u l l i o n ' es d g e C. o n t i n u ien s t a l l i n g
p a n e l sa n d m u l l i o n su n t i ly o ur e a c ht h e

I s t i l ea t t h e i n s i d ec o r n e rS. l i pt h e l a s t
p a n ebl e t w e etnh e m u l l i o na n dt h es t i l e .

I
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I
r
I
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t
I I n s t a l l i ntgh et o pr a i l
f,
r , , A p p l yg l u et o t h e t o p e n d so f a l l t h e
I m u l l i o n as n df i t t h e t o p r a i l i n p o s i t i o n
(right),makingsurethe top endsof the
I p a n e l sm, u l l i o n sa,n ds t i l e sa l l f i t s n u g l y
i n t h e g r o o v er n t h e t o p r a i l .A n e x t r as e t
I o f h a n d sw i l l m a k et h e j o b e a s i e rO . nce
t h e t o p r a i l i s i n p l a c e y, o uc a n i n s t a l l
I b a s e b o a rm d o l d i n g( p a g e2 4 ) a n d a c a p
rail ( n a s e . 3 8 )P r o c e e tdo t h e n e x tw a l l
I a n dw o r ky o u rw a ya r o u n dt h e r o o m ,u s i n g
b u t tj o i n t sa t i n s i d ec o r n e ras n dm i t e r i n g
I o u t s i d ec o r n e r s .
I
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PANELEDCEILINGS t
I
T) aneledceilinqs,alsoknown ascof- facingsto fit insidetheframework,cre- entdimensions. A oanelsizebetween20
I
.[- feredceilingslarean adaptationof ating a grid of boxes.Finally,set a and]6 inchesis typicalfor medium-
frame-and-panel techniques normally veneered plyruoodpanelinto eachbox slzeorooms.
I
usedto decorate walls.In conjunction and installa frameof moldingto hold Youcantry variationson this basic
with fiame-and-panel wainscoting(page thepanelin place. design. Thepanelboxes maybeIeftwhite
I
46),apaneledceilingcanadddepthand Aswith full-wallpaneling(page41), for contrastor crownmoldingcanbe
warmth to a den or study. thesizeof thepanelsshouldbepropor- usedin placeof quarter-roundmold-
I
The illustrationbelowshowshow tionaltothedimensions of theroom.A ing-although this would involvecut-
a paneledceilingis installed.Startwith ceilingof smallpanelsin a largeroom tingcopedjointsat insidecorners.Ifyou
I
a structuralframeworkof 2-by-4san- lookscluttered, whiletheopposite can decideto usestain,it is a goodideato
choredto the ceilingjoists.Coverthe appeartoo heaqu. Determinethe panel applythefinishbeforeinstallingtheceil-
I
frameworkwith I -by-ahardwoodstock, sizeby makinga scaledrawingof the ing, for workingoverheadon a ceiling
suchasoakor birch,thenmakebox-like ceilingand experimenting with differ- canprovetiring.
full of crevices
I
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()FA PANELED
ANANATOMY CEILING I
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a
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I PANELING
t
t A PANELED
INSTALLING CEILING
I
V
I Dtrectionof
ceilinqjoiete
t
t
I Lonq2x4
I
I
I
I
I
I the2-by-4 ftamework
1 Installing
I S n a pa g r i do f c h a l kl i n e so nt h e
I ceilingbased onthesizeof yourpanels.
Startfromthe centerof twoooposite
I w a l l s ot h a ta n ys m a lpl a n e lws i l lb e
located around theedgeof theceiling.
I Remember to account forthewidthof
the2-by-4s asyoulayoutthechalk
I lines.Determine thedirection of the
ceiling joistswitha studf inder, then
I install theframework. Uselong2-by-4s
to spantheceiling perpendicular to the
I joists;alignthepieces withthechalk
linesandfasten themto thejoistswith
I floorrng screws. Useshorter 2-by-4s to
fit between thelongboards andtoe-nail
I themin place(above).
I
I
r) Installing
thehardwood grid
I L Oncethe2-bv-4framework is install-
ed,usea finishnaiterto mountthe 1-by-
I 4 hardwoodgrid(left).Foraddedrigidity,
t install
thelong1-by-4s
thelong2-by-4s.
perpendicular
Although thenailing
to
can
bedonebyhand, makes
a finishnailer the
I workgo muchfaster.
I
I 53
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 I
PANELING I
I
I
Q Installingthefacing
r-,f Wrthrn
eachframe, fourfacing
install
p i e c e so f 1 - b y - 3h a r d w o o sdt o c kt h a t
t
m a t c h e tsh e w o o dy o uu s e df o r t h e g r i d .
Fora moredecorative effect,rip the pieces
I
s o t h e ye x t e n db e l o wt h e g r i db y % r n c h .
F i t t h e n i e r ^ e: st t h e c o r n e r w
s r t h4 5 "
I
bevelcuts
2-by-4framework,
(right), Ihen naii them to the
t
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T
I
thepanels
Gluing in place
O n c ea l l t h e f a c i n gi s i n s t a l l e dc,u t p a n e l sf r o mv e n e e r e dt h ec e i l i n (ga b o v eT)h. ea d h e s i vwei l lh o l dt h ep a n eul n t i y
l ou
I
p l y w o ot o
d f i t w i t h i nt h ef r a m e sA. p p l yc o n s t r u c t iaodnh e s i v einstall
theshoemolding
t o t h eu n d e r s i do ef e a c hp a n eal n dp r e s ist i n p l a c ea g a i n s t sureneeded
(step5).Themolding
fora firmsluebond.
pres-
willsupply
r
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t
I PANELING
I
I Installing thequarter-round molding
fi
r-,1 Securethe panelswith quarter-round
I molding t h e i n s i d eo f e a c h
i n s t a l l eadr o u n d
facingbox.Cutthe molding to len$h,joining
I t h e p i e c e sa t t h e c o r n e rw s i t h4 5 ' m i t e r s .
N a i lt h e m o l d i n gt o t h e f a c i n gw i t ha f i n -
I ish nailer (lefil.

I
I
t
I
I
t A Installing crownmolding
\J Tof inishtheceiling, install crown
I m o l d i nagr o u nidt sp e r i m e t eNra. i li t
to theframework andwallasyouwould
I on a plainceiling(page26), using
coped jointsat inside corners andmiters
I at outside corners.
I
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 I
fu,' />,-
_+is I
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t
r:"r_.
#
i

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I
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I \AIINDOWS
I
I
t
I goodwindowletsallthelight Picture-frame casing(pnge61)
I 1\ andbeautvof theoutdoorsin consists of four piecesof molding:
while keepingthe elementsout. twosidecasings, a headcasing, and
I Althoughtheydo thisin manyways, a sill casing,alljoinedat thecorners
reflectinga widerangeof styles, win- with 45" miters.Stool-and-aoron
I dowsconsist of two basic parts: the casing(page69)alsofeatures two
frameand the sash.The formeris sidecasings, andmayincludedec-
I like a doorjamb,and serves
the same purpose: It is fixed
much
to the
I orativecornerblocks,known as
rosettes (page73).
t studs when the window is installed. In the exampleshownin this
Thesashactually holds the pane of chapter, the headcasingis butted
I glass.The windowscoveredin this againstthe sidecasings, but these
chapterfeaturethe popular double- joints can also be mitered. Themost
I hungsash.As shownon page 59, A mitered
"return"
is glued onto the apron recosnizable element of stool-and-
they containtwo sashes, both of belowa window sill, or stool, to hide the end aproncasing, however, is thestool,
I whichcanslideup anddown. grain of the apron. Stool-and-apron is a or sill,installed at the bottom, which
Oncea windowis installed (page traditional method of casing a window, often juts out from the window.
I 59),gapsremainbehveen thefiame made to match the room'sinterior trim. Whilemanyhomebuilders,par-
and the surroundingframingof The molded casinghides the gaps between ticularly thosein colderclimates,
I studsand headers.Justas sills, the window jambs and the wall. opt for the precision andinsulation
stools,aprons,and casingsare of factory-made windows, elegant,
I installedon theoutsideof a windowto complement theexte- high-quality windows can be made in the shop with special-
"casedj' (page
rior trim of a house,thewindowneedsto be or fiamed ized sash cutters 75).Since these windows require thick-
t on theinsideaswell.Finishcarpenters usetwobasic methods er stock than most cabinetwork, a shaper is the stationary
for thistask:picture-frame andstool-and-apron. oowertoolof choicefor makinethem.
I
I
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I
I
I
Thefinal stepin makinga custom-fitwindowis installingtheglass-stop
I molding,thin stripsof shapedwoodthatholdthepanesof glass in place.
Shaped on a routertableandrippedto widthon thetablesaw,themolding
I with mitersand nailedto thewindowsash.
striDsareioinedat thecorners

I 57
I
 I
I
BASICWINDOW TRIM STYLES
I
I
PICTURE-FRAME
(PAGE
61)
CASING ST(IOT-AND.APR(lN
(PAGE69)
CASING
t
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I
9ide
caeinq
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CORNER
TREATMENTS
I
I
APR(INTREATMENTS Butted sill aaeing
(page 65)
A variaf,ronof picture-
I
frame caein4in whichthe
aill caoinqio buLted up I
Roeett'eg a4ainet the oidecaainqe
i
! Qase73)
Uaed for deco-
and extende beyondthem;
eliminateathe needfor
t
rative effect
in atool-and-
miterin7oide caeinqe
I
aPronca,tnq;
eliminateathe I
needfor miter-
in4 headcaeinq
I
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INSTALLINGWINDOWS
I
I
I lthoughfitting a windowin place installedon theinsideto bring thewin-
Arnuy ulpp.urto"bea dauntingtask,
I it canin factbe a straightforwardoper-
dow flushwith the interiorwall.
A window shouldbe about %-inch
ation.With thepre-hungwindow shown
I below which alreadyincludesthe win-
smalleron all sidesthanits roughopen-
ing. Sincerough openingsareseldom
dowjambsattached to thesashes, allyou
I needis a hammeror a screwdriver anda
square,level,or plumb, this will make
thewindoweasierto fit andshim,while
level.Whetheryour windowsarefacto-
I ry- or shop-made, theywill be installed
leavingsomespacearoundthewindow
for insulation.Remembernot to drive
in thesamefashion.Thejambsarenailed the shimsin too far or you mav risk
I into theroughopeningin thewall,then bowingthewindow Testthewindbwto
insulatedanddressed with interiortrim.
I Sometimes, ajambextension(page61)is
makesurethat it slidessmoothlybefore
nailingit in place.
a
I INSTALLING
A D(|UBTE.HUNG
SASH
WINDOW

r A double-hungwindow ispositioned
t in itsroughopeningfromtheoutside.
Tohelphold thewindowin placeuntil
I it canbeadjustedand secured from the
inside,it will benailedor wedgedtem-
I porarily to theframeoffurring strips
aroundtheopening.
t
I
1 leveling andcentering thewindow
I I Position
ing(photo,
thewindow in itsroughopen-
above)and temporarily tack
t orwedge
window
it in place. Tohelpcheckthe
for levelasyougo,clampa car-
t penter's
levelto theunderside
jamb.Insert shimsbetween
of thehead
thesidejambs
I andstudsat thetop of the roughopen-
ing.(Shims arewooden wedges usually
I soldin bundles
lumberyards.)
at hardware stores and
Then,holding up onecor-
I nerof thewindow, slipa shimbetween
thewindowhornandthe roughsill (left).
I Repeat ontheothersideof thewindow.
Addshimsbetween thesidejambsand
I thestudsat themiddleandbottom of
thewindow. Useasmanyshimsasyou
I needto centerthewindowin itsopening
whilekeeping (Toinstall
thewindow level.
t morethanonewindow at thesameheight
in a room,makea markonthestudat a
r setdistance
thewindows
fromtheheader
to themark.r
andshimall

I
I 59
I
 I
WINDOWS
I
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I
Nailingthewindow
Oncethewindow
in place
is level,fastenit
I
to thewallframing.Drive nail
a finishing I
throughthesidejambsandshimsintothe
studsat eachshimlocation
theshimsf lushwiththewindow
hbove).Cul
iambs
t
usinga utilityknife. I
I
I
I
Q lnsulating thewindow
r-,1Oncea window
opening andbefore
is nailedin itsrough
installingthecasing,
I
it is a goodideato f ill thehollow
between thewindow
spaces
jambsandthewall
I
studswithinsulation-particularly
livein a coldclimate.
if you
Youcanusefiber-
I
glassinsulation or a low-expanding
asshownhere.Fiberglass
foam
workswellfor
t
large gaps,suchasthespace
headjambandtheheader
between
orthespace
the I
between thetwosills.Foaminsulation
idealforthinner spaces,
is
butuseit spar-
I
ingly;toomuchof it maycause thejambs I
to bowinward.
I
60 I
I
I
I PICTURE-FRAME
CASING
I
T .|)
icture-frame casing comprisesfour sion(below). Asthecasingwillhide the
L pieces of moldingmiteredat45othat thejoineryusedto attachthe
extension,
t frame a window in much the same extensionpieces togethercanbeassim-
wayasa pictureis framed.Commercial pleasa butt joint.
I picture-frame casingis available in a
numberof profiles.It canalsobemilled
I on a tablesiw fittedwith a moldinehead
usingthe sameprocedures to pr6du.. A shop-madegaugeis usedto mark
I chairrail,custombaseboard, or anyoth- out the narrow portion of the win-
er molding(backendpaper). dow jambs that will not be covered
t In orderto nailpicture-frame casing with casing.This exposedportion of
in place,the front edgesof thewindow thejambs-anywhere from'/' to',4n
I jambsneedto beflushwith theinterior inch wide-is called the
"reveal."
It
wall. If the jambsare set more than both enhancesthe visual effectof
I Z inch backfrom the drywall,you will the casingand makesit easierto
needto build and installa iambexten- install. To make thejig, seepage 63.
I
I A JAMBEXTENSI()N
INSTALLING
I
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I
t 1 Assemblingtheextension
I Measurethedistance thefrontedges
between of thejamband sizeto makea frame thatwillfit theinsidefacesof thewindow
theinside
wall.
Then ripyourextension
stockto this widthfrom jambswitha reveal.
slight You can installthe
extensionpieces
I woodthesamethickness asthewindowjamb.Cutthepieces to onebyone,or nailor screwthemtogether intoa unit(above).
I
I
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 I
WINDOWS I
I
r) lnstalling theextension
I
in placeas
Z Fasten thelambextension
youdidto installthewindow (page 59).
t
Position theextension overthejamb,using
shimsto ensure thatit is level(righil.fhen
I
nailtheextension to thewallstudsthrough
t h es h i m sA. d di n s u l a t i oi nnt h ee m p t y
r
spaces around theextension.
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Marking
thereveal
l f t h el a m be x t e n s i oi ns s l i g h t l p
y r o u do f t h e i n t e r i owr a l l , o r t h e e x t e n s i o nA.d j u s ta c o m b i n a t i osnq u a r et o t h e d e s i r e d
I
planeit down.lf it is setbackfromthewall,usea raspor a reveal-typicallybetweent/zdrrd5Asinch.Then,startingat the
shaver(above,left)Iocutthedrywall downuntilit is flushwith h e a dj a m b ,b u t tt h e s q u a r e 'hs a n d l ea g a i n stth e i n s i d ef a c eo f
I
t h ej a m b .W i t ha p e n c ifl l u s ha g a i n st th e b l a d es, l i d et h e h a n d l e
theextension.
becovered
Avoid cutting
bythecasing.
intoanypartofthewallthat
Next,marktherevealaround
willnot
thejamb downthe jambto markthe revealline (above, right).
t
t
62 I
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t WINDOWS
I
t
I ,t

I
A REVEAT GAUGE
t Theshop-made jig at rightmakesit easyto markthe
revealforcasing around window jambs.Tomakethe
I gauge, cut a square pieceof %-inchplywood or hard-
wood,thensawa different-sized rabbetin eachof the
I fouredges. Eachrabbetwidthshouldcorrespond to
a typical
reveal width-inthiscase,%inch,%einch,
I % inch,and%oinch.Markthewidths oneachside.
Donotmakeyourreveals toowide,otherwise youwill
I haveto drivethe nailsneartheedgeof thecasing,
whichwillrisksplitting jamb,a reveal
it. Fora %-inch
I of % inchis aboutright.To usethereveal gauge, butt
theappropriate rabbetagainst thejambandslideit
I downthejambwitha pencil(page61).

I
I
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I INSTALLING
PICTURE.FRAME
CASING
Installing
theheadcasing
t 1
I Todetermrne thelength of thehead
casing,measure thedistance between the
I window jambsandaddtwicethereveal to
yourmeasurement. Miterbothendsof the
t headcasrng at 45' sothatthedistance be-
tweentheheelsof themiters equals your
I result.
Then,aligning thebottom edgeof
thecasing withthereveal line,fasten the
I headcasing in place witha hammer orfin-
ishnailer(/eff).Space a pairof nailsevery
I 6 inches,driving oneintothejambandthe
otherdirectly
above it through thewalland
I intotheheader.

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I 63
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WINDOWS I
I
r-) Installingthesidecasing
I
I Delermine the lensthof thesidecas-
ingpieces andmiterttieirendsasyoudid
I
theheadcasing. Setthepieces in place;
if eithermiter joint fits poorly,
correct the
I
fit asdescribed starting on page66. Once
youaresatisf iedwiththefit, spread a lit-
I
tle glueon twoof thecontacting
andposition onepieceof sidecasing
miters
in
t
place. Startingat thetop,nailthecasing
to thejambandwallstudsfrghf).Donot
t
driveanynailsnearthebottom for now;
youmayneedto adjustthecasing slightly
I
to fit thesillcasing. Repeat fortheother
sidecasing.
I
I
I
I
Q Installing thesillcasing
r-,1 Measure thegapbetween the
I
sidecasings andcutthesrllcasing
to f it. Again,it maybe necessary to
I
f ix the miters(page66). Spreada
littleglueonthemiters,position the
r
s i l lc a s i n ga,n dn a i li t t o t h ej a m b
andtheroughsill (below). Thenfin-
t
ishnailing thesidecasings in place.
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64 I
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I WINDOWS
t
T Cross-nailing
themiters
T o c o m p l e tteh e i n s t a l l a t i odnr,i v ea
I n:il inin tho pdoo nf tho cido eecino np:r

the top so that the nailpenetrates the head

t casing(right).Repeatat the remaining
s f t h e c a s i n gT. h r ss t e pw i l l
t h r e ec o r n e r o
I h e l pe n s u r teh a tt h ej o i n t sd o n o to p e nw i t h
s e a s o n aml o v e m e n t .
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I
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I M()DIFIED
PICTURE-FRAME
CASING
I lnstalling a buttedsill casing
Y o uc a ns i m p l i f yt h e i n s t a l l a t i oonf p i c -
I t u r e - f r a mcea s i n gb y u s i n gb u t t j o i n t sa t
t h e b o t t o m ,i n s t e a do f m i t e r sA . sshown
I i n t h e i l l u s t r a t r oant l e f t ,m o d iife dp i c t u r e -
f r a m ec a s i n gi n v o l v em s i t e rj o i n t sa t t h e
I t o p , b u t y o uc a nc u t t h e b o t t o me n d so f
t h e s i d ec a s i n ss o r r a r eT h e nc r o s s c u t
I b o t he n d so f t h e s i l lc a s i n g t o s p a na l i t -
tle beyondthe sidepieces.Fordecorative
I e f f e c t y, o uc a n c u t a s h a l l o wm i t e ra t
e a c he n do f t h e s i l lc a s i n gT. h e ns i m p l y
I b u t t i t s t h i c k e re d g eu p a g a i n stth e s i d e
c a s i n gasn dn a i li t i n p l a c e .
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I 65

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WINDOWS I
I
MITERS
PO()R.FITTING
C()RRECTING I
Cfosing a gapal theheel I
Youcanfixa gapin a miterjointbyadjust-
ingthecuttingangleonthepower miter I
saw.Butinstead of resetting thesaw's
angle,it issimpler to change theangleof I
theworkpiece onthefence.Toclosea
gapat theheelof themiter,setthecas- t
ingagainst thefencewiththetoeof the
miterextending slightly beyond thefence. I
(lnthiscase,anauxiliary fencehasbeen
attached to theregular fenceto helpline I
upthecut.)Thenslipa thinwedge between
t h ec a s i n ag n dt h ef e n c e1 o r 2 i n c h e s t
fromtheendof theboard.Nowmakethe
cut (represented bythedottedlinein the t
illustration at left).Test-fit thelointand
repeat thecut,if necessary, moving the I
wedge% inchfartherawayfromtheend
of thecasins. I
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I
Closing a gapatthetoe
Toclosea gapat thetoeof a miter,place
I
thewedge5 or 6 inches fromtheendof
g n dm a k et h ec u t .A ss h o w n
t h ec a s i n a I
at right,thesawwillshorten the heelof
the miter.Test-f it thejointandrepeat, I
if necessary, moving thewedge% inch
closer to the boardend. I
I
66 I
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I WINDOWS
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I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
Back-cutting a miter
t lf a miterjointisopenalongitsentirelength(inset),Irythesolu- a secondshimplacedunderthecasingto raiseit slightly
above
tronsdescribed on page
66. lf the joiniis stillopen,
remove
some themiterwitha sharputility
thesawtable,or byback-cutting
I stockfromthethebackedge of oneof the pieces.
Youcando cuttingawayfromyourbody(above).
knife,always Youcanalso
thisbyrepeating thecorrective cuts on the powermiter
sawwith usea blockolane.asshownbelow.
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t
t
t
I
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I
a miter
Back-planing
I Toback-cut a miterusinga blockplane,
securethecasingin a visesothe
parallelto
miteris roughly Holding
theworksurface. theplaneat anangle
I of lightcuts(abovd.
to thebackedgeof themiter,makea series
I
I 67

I
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WINDOWS r
t
I
I
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I
t
I
I
r
t
t
t
I
t
T r i m m i npgr o u dc a s i n g
A m i t e rl o i n tm a yf i t w e l l ,b u t o n eo f t h e t
m a t i n gp i e c e sm a yb e p r o u d o
s l i g h t l ya b o v et h e l e v e o
, r raised
l f t h e o t h e rT. o
llj Jl tlililt dlllilijllllillt lll llli,1l,i ilj lll Jrllllltrl I
r e m e d yt h e p r o b l e mg, e n t l yp a r ed o w n
t h e p r o u dp i e c ew i t h a c h i s e l( a b o v e ) . 1HO?TI? I
A v o i ds a n d i n gw, h i c hw i l l l e a v ea p o o r
s u r f a c feo r f i n i s h i n og r p a i n t i n ga,n d
An auxiliarytable for
the powermiter saw
I
w h i c hi s m u c hm o r ed i f fi c u l tt o d o o n An auxiliary trablemakes
m o l d e dc a s i n gT. o a v o i dd a m a g i ntgh e it mucheasierto lineuV I
p r o f i l eo f i n t r i c a t m
e o l d i n gy,o uc a n otraight and bevelculs, Use
i n s t a lal s h r mb e h i n dt h e p i e c et h a ti s
'/o-tnch
Vlywood for Lhetable I
r e c e s s eads a n a l t e r n a t i vt eo c h i s e l i n g and securett,in VlacewiLh
t h e p r o u dp i e c e . double-f aced Nape, l'/ake t
EhreekerfsacroooNheaux-
iliaryLable:one90" anqle t
cuLand a 45" cut
on eilhereide.To
ueelhe Lable,aliqn
I
Nhecultinq mark I
on yourworK?tece
luot to Lhewaste I
sideof the aVVro-
priatrekerf and
maKethe cut. I
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68 I
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I
STOOL-AND.APRONCASING
I
I A lsoknownas
"traditional"
window
A casing,stool-and-apron casingis
I more difficult to makeand installthan
picture-framecasing.However,its use
I of thebutt joint allowsdifferentmold-
ings to be combinedfor contrasting
I effect.Thestoolis cut to fit thewindow
"horns"
openingwith two that extend
I beyondthe sidecasing,typicallyby the
sameamountthat the stoolprotrudes
I from thefaceof thecasing.Thiscanbe
anywherebetweenluto'l inch,depend-
I ing on the profile of the moldingyou
areusing.Lumberyards sellstoolcaps
T for assembly-line window installation,
but you caneasilymakeyour own stool
I usinga router.To balancethe window
theheadcasingalsoextends pasttheside
I casings.Theheadcasingcanalsoinclude A window sill,or stool,isfastenedto thewall studswith afinish nailer.Cut tofit
decorativerosettes(page73), thewindowopeningthestoolfeatures hornsthatextendpastthewindowframe.
I
T INSTALLING CASING
ST()OT.AND.APRON
I
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I
I
I 1 Marking thehorns
I Shape theoutside edgeof thestoolandcut it to length. wallmeetsthestoolhbove). These will beyourlinesfor cut-
Markthecenterof boththestoolandtheroughwindow sill. tingthe insideedges of the horns.Extend bothhornlinesto
I . a r kt h ep o i n t os ne a c hs i d eo f t h ew i n d o w h e r teh e thefrontedgeof thestoolwitha try square.
T h e nm
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I 69
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WINDOWS I
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t
t
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t
I
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I
I
I
r) Marking andinstalling thestool
I
Z- to finisf'marking yourcutting linesforthehorns, adjust
a compass to thewidest gapbetween thefrontedgeof therough
I
sillandthedrywall. Holding thestoolagainst thewallwiththe
c e n t emr a r k sa l i g n e ds,e tt h ec o m p a spso i n ta t t h ee d g eo f
I
thewallandscribea lineforeachhorn(above, /eff).Todeter-
minehowmuchstockyouneedto trimfromtheinside edgeof
I
thestool,keepthesamecompass setting andmarka linealong
thelenghofthestool,running thecompass pointalong thefront
t
edgeof theroughsill (above, right),Cutoutthehornsaswellas
thewaste stripfromtheinside edgeof thestool. Thennailthe
I
stooltothestuds.lf thewindow jambsareflushwiththewall,
install thesidecasing (step4).Otherwise, mounta modif ied
I
jambextension (step3).
I
t
I
I
jambextension
Q Installing a modified
I
r-,, Builda modified iambextension
(page61)withnobotfompiece.Fit
theextension overthewindow jambs I
(right)andshimit in place,making
s u r et h a ti t i s c e n t e r ei dn t h eo p e n -
I
ing,square, andlevel. Thennarlthe
extension to theiambs.
I
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t WINDOWS
I
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I
thesidecasing
lnstalling
I Markthereveal aroundtheiamb
extension(page62) to matchthe reveal
I between t h e s t o o la n d r o u g hs i l l .T h e n
c u t t h e s i d ec a s i n g tso l e n g t hs, a w i n g
I b o t he n d ss q u a r e I, n s t a ltl h e s i d ec a s -
ingsas youwouldfor picture-frame cas-
t ing (page65), nailingthem into the win-
dowjamband studs(above). Spacethe
I n a i l s6 t o 8 i n c h e sa p a r t .

I
I
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I
Installing theheadcasing
I R
r - , 1C u t t h e h e a dc a s i n gt o t h e s a m e
l e n g t ha s t h e s t o o l c, e n t e ri t o n t h e s i d e
I c a s i n gp i e c e sa, n d n a i li t i n p l a c e( / e f f ) .
D r i v et h e n a i l si n t ob o t ht h e h e a dj a m b
I andthe roughheaderevery6 to 8 inches.

I
I 7l

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 I
WINDOWS I
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I
Installing theapronandreturns
4i
\ , f O n c et h e s t o o la n d c a s i n ga r e i n
I
p l a c ec, o m p l e t teh e w i n d o wb y i n s t a l l i n g
t h e a p r o nb e n e a t h t h e s t o o l .S t a r tb y
I
m e a s u r i ntgh e d i s t a n c e b e t w e etnh e o u t -
s i d ee d g e so f t h es i d ec a s i n gasn dc u tt h e
I
a p r o nt o y o u rm e a s u r elde n g t hs, a w i n g
4 5 ' b e v e l sa t b o t he n d so f t h e a p r o nT. o
I
c o n c e at lh e e n dg r a i n g, l u eo n m a t c h i n g
I
end pieces,knownas returns.Makethem
o nt h e p o w e m r i t e rs a wb y c u t t i n ga 4 5 '
iti U Ji ][ iiiilll '1filli d u i l t ] i i $ i l , , *l
b e v eiln a p i e c eo f s c r a pm o l d i n w
g i t ht h e I I
same p r o f i l e
a s t h e a p r o nt,h e nc u t t i n g 5HO?Tt?
off a narrowwedgeof stockat the end of
t
Atemporarybrace
the piece(above, left).Nailthe aproninto
the roughsill andthe wall studs(aboye,
to holdwindowa?rone I
Tofree uo bolh vour
rieht).lhensluethe retrrrns to the ends hand,s for nailinqa window
' ' O ' / t

nf thc :nrnn
'

(naop
\ P v bv
6 7 )/ '
v ' aVronin place,ueea brace ,\
I
boardlikeLheoneehownaL
righL.Cut,lheboardfrom t,hin I
ocraVotockeliqhLly lonqerLhan
the distancebetween the apron I
and lhe floor,and wedgeiI tiqhrly
belween lhe aVronandLhefloor I
untiltt bowooliqhLly
I
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I
I WINDOWS
I
I ANDINSTALLING
MAKING ROSETTES
I 1 Making a drilling
iig
I Sizeblanks fortherosettes (page58)
I sothattheyareslightly widerthanthe
casing, andtheiroutside edgeswillalign
I withtheendsof thestool. Youcanalso
maketheblanks thicker thanthecasing.
I Tocuttherosettes onthedrilloress.
makea drilling jigto secure theblanks.
t Center a blankon a %-inch plywood base
andbuttstopblocks of thesamethick-
I nessaround threesidesof theblankand
screwthemto thebase.Screwdowntwo
I moreblocks ashold-downs at a angleto
thecorners formed bythestopblocks,
I Markthecenter of thejig andsetit on
thedrillpress table.Install a brad-point
I bit,alignthejig'scenterpoint directly
underthebit (lett),andclampthejig to
t t h et a b l e .

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I r) Securing theblankto thejig
L lnstalla rosette cutterin thedrillpress
I andsetthemachine's drilling speed follow-
ingthemanufacturer's instructions. Place
I a blankinthedrilling jigandlockit in place
b yc l a m p i nagn o t c h ehdo l d - d o wb nl o c k
I overiI tight).
I
t 73
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 I
WINDOWS I
I
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I
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I
I
t) Cuttinstherosettes
t
<'
r.J Turnonthedrillandlower thequill
untilthecutterlightlycontactsthe ilIllllllllllllllllllllllll]illllllfiilrllllllrl]ltrllJ
lllllrllll1
illl t
wood. Continue cuttinguntiltherosette
hasthedesired profile(above).
Install
I
therosetteswiththeendgrainonthe 5HO?Tt? I
topandbottom afternailing
theside
A ohop-maderooette auf,ler
casingsin place(page71);thencutthe
headcasingto fit betweentherosettes.
Youcan cuL roaeltee by modifyinga drill preoofly cuf,ler wilh a I
beadinqbladefrom a Lableeawe moldinqhead,Noich lhe fly cut-
ler arm l,o accommodaNe
aboutl inchfrom the endof the arm.
bhe beadinqblade,locatin4
LhecuLler I
Makesure il fits securelyin lhe notch
so it cannoLohilAdurinquee.Dorea I
h o l e t h r o u q h t r ha er m a n d u s ea b o l L ,
washer,and nu|lo faslen the blade I
in place,iIo flal f ace loward
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74 t
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I
MAKING A WINDOW SASH
I
t ASSEMBLING
THESASH
I
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I
I Medianrail

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t
I 9pline

I
1 Planning theiob
I Thewindow sashshownaboveconsists of twovertical
I s t i l e st,w oh o r i z o n traali l sa, m e d i a rna i l ,a n dt w om u l l i o n s
t h a td i v i d et h es a s hv e r t i c a l lTyh. ep i e c eas r ec o n n e c t ebdy
I cope-and-stick jointscutona shaper. Thejointsbetween the
stilesandrailsarereinforced bysplines. Tosizeyourstock,
I makethestilesequalto theheight of theopening forthesash.
Fortheraillength, takethewidthof theopening andsubtract
I twicethestilewidth.Thenaddtwicethedepthof thecoping
cutsyouwillmake(step2),lf, forexample, thewidthof the
I window o p e n i nigs 3 2 i n c h e st h, es t i l e a
s r e3 %i n c h ews ide,
andthedepthof thecoping cutsis % inch,eachrailshould be
I 26 inches long.Youcanalsomakethebottom railwiderthan
theotherpieces to accommodate handles. To determine the
I length of eachmullion, taketheheight of theopening andsub-
tractthewidthof thethreerails.Thenaddfourtimesthedepth
I Pairedwith a shop-mademortising jig, a router cuts a mor- of thecopingcuts.Divide thetotalbytwo.
tise in one of the stilesof a window sash.Thejig ensuresthat
I the mortiseis centeredon the edgeof the stock.A matching
mortisewill be cut in the end of the adjoining rail and a spline
I will reinforcethejoint betweenthe two pieces.
I
I 75
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WINDOWS I
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t
t
I
)tickin7 cutter eet I
r) Making thecoping cuts
I
L es shownabove at left,theloinery fortherailsandstiles
is doneby matching cutters on theshaper. Thecopingcutter
s a s hs t o c k .T h e ni n s t a l tl h e c o p i n gc u t t e ra n d r u b b e a r i n go n
t h e s h a p ea r n d b u t t t h e c u t e n d o f t h e t e s t p i e c ea g a i n stth e
I
i s u s e do nt h ee n d so f a l l r a i l sa n dm u l l i o nT s .h es t i c k i ncgu t - . o rt h e c o p i n gc u t s ,p o s i t i o n
c u t t e rt o s e t i t s h e i g h t F thefence
I
t e rs h a n etsh e i n s i d ee d s e so f t h es a s hn i e c e sT.o s e tt h e s l i g h t l yb e h i n dt h e r u b b e a r i n ga n d b u i l da c o p i n gl i g ( p a g e
h e i g hot f t h ec o p i n cg u t t e rf,i r s ti n s t a tl lh es t i c k i ncgu t t e irn
theshaper andadjustits height sothetopof thecutteris lev-
9 0 ) . U s et h e i i s t o f e e d b o t he n d so f t h e r a i l si n t o t h e c u t t e r
( a b o v er,i g h t ) , I oc o p et h e e n d o f t h e m e d i a nr a i la n d m u l -
I
e l w i t ho n eo f t h es a s hp i e c e s e tf a c ed o w no n t h et a b l e . l i o n s s, h a p ea w i d ep i e c ea n d r i p t h e w i d t h sy o u n e e do n t h e
Makea cut (step5) in a testpiecethesamethickness asthe iehlp carnr/<tan ?)
I
I
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I
Q
R i p p i ntgh em e d i a n r a i la n dm u l l i o n s
r - , 1 O n c ey o u h a v em a d et h e c o p i n gc u t s
I
o n t w o w i d eb o a r d sf o r t h e m e d i a nr a i l
a n d m u l l i o n sp,o s i t i otnh e t a b l es a wr i p
I
f e n c ef o r c u t t i n gt h e m e d i a nr a i l - t y p i c a l -
l y o n e - t h i r tdh e w i d t ho f t h e s t i l e s F
. eed
I
the boardintothe bladewitha pushstick
( r g h f )R
. e p o s i t i ot n
h e f e n c ef o r t h e m u l -
I
l i o n sa n d c u t t h e mf r o mt h e o t h e rb o a r d
rnesameway.
I
I
76 I
I
I
I WINDOWS
I
I Setting
upthesticking
cutter
O n c ea l lt h e r a i l sa n dm u l l i o nas r eD r e -
I pared, remove thecoping cutterandrub
bearing fromtheshaper andinstall a stick-
I ingcutterset.Theoneshown features a
straight cutter, whichshould bethesame
I widthasthetongue leftbythecoping cuts.
T h i ss e t u p
w i l ls h a p teh ei n s i d e d g eo f
I allthesashpieces andcutrabbets to sup-
porttheglass. Buttoneof therailsagainst
I thebrtto settheheight of thesticking cut-
ter (left);the tip at the top of the cutter
I should bealigned withthelip,orquirk,at
thetopof thecopedend.
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Making thesticking cuts
I f,
l-,l To makethestickingcuts,adjustthe shaper's fenceto T h e nm , a k et h es t i c k i ncgu t si n t h e i n s i d e d g e os f t h er a i l s
m a k ea f u l l c u t i n t h ee d g eo f t h es t o c kt;h ec u t t e sr h o u l d andstiles,feeding thestockat a steady rale(above) anduse
I justtouchthewidestpointof theworkpiece. Alsoinstallcom- a p u s hs t i c kt o f i n i s ht h ec u t s .R e p e at h t i sp r o c e sf so rt h e
mercial hold-downs ontheshaoer's fenceandtableto secure m e d i arna i la n dm u l l i o nbsu tt h i st i m es h a p i nbgo t he d g e s
I t h es t o c kd u r i n gt h ec u t sa n dp r e v e nkti c k b a cakn dc h a t t e r . o f t h eo i e c e .
t
I 77

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WINDOWS I
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joints
thecorner
Strengthening
I
Reinforce the jointsbetween the stiles
a n dt h e t o p a n d b o i t o mr a i l sw i t h s p l i n e s .
I
S t a r tb y r o u t i n gm o r t i s efso r t h e s p l i n e si n
t h e e n d so f t h e r a i l sa n dt h e i n s i d ee d g e s
t
o f t h e s t i l e s( p a g e7 5 ) .T h es p l i n es h o u l d
f i t t h e m o r t i s essn u g l ya n db e s h o r t etrh a n
I
Keference the combined depthof the two matingmor-
lrne t i s e sY . o uc a nc u t a l l t h e s p l i n e fsr o ma
I
:l s i n p l eh o a r dT o d o t h e i o bo n t h e t a b l e
saw,screwa woodenextension to the miter
t
g a u g eE. n s u rteh a ta l l t h es p l i n ew s i l lb e
t h e s a m el e n g t hb y m a r k i n ga r e f e r e n c e
I
l i n eo n t h e e x t e n s i o A n .l i g nt h e e n do f t h e
boardwiththe lineandholditsedgeagainst
I
the extension to cut eachspline(/eff).For
maximum s t r e n g t hc,u t t h es p l i n e s ot h e i r
I
g r a i nw i l lr u n i n t h es a m ed i r e c t i oanst h e
g r a i no f t h e r a i l s .
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Keference I
line
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7, Gluins totherails
I
- themullions
/ Glueuptheframein twosteps. Startbygluing therailsand F o rt h e r a i l sa n dm u l l i o n sa,p p l yg l u et o t h e c o n t a c t i nsgu r f a c e s
mullions together, asshown above, thenaddthestiles(sfep8). o f t h e b o a r d sA. s s e m b lteh e p i e c e sa n d i n s t a lal b a rc l a m pt o
I
Test-fit the pieces, marking reference linesacross thejoints securethe mullionsto thetop and bottomratlsGbove);usewood
w i t ht h em u l l i o nt so h e l py o ua l i g nt h ep a r t sd u r i n g l u e - u p . oadsto orotectthe stock
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7B I
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I
I WINDOWS
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t
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I
a
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I
I Gluing thestiles to therails
y l u et o t h ej o i n t s
I n s e rt th es p l i n ei sn t h er a i l sa n da p p l g therails.Usewoodpadsto protectthestock.Assoonasthe
I between . p r e a dg l u ei n t h e m o r t i s eas n d
t h e r a i l sa n d s t i l e s S clampsaretight,checktheassembly forsquarebymeasuring
o n t ot h e s p l i n e sT, u r nt h e w i n d o wo v e ra n ds e c u r et h e s t i l e si n thesashfromcornerto cornerin bothdirections.
Thetwodiag-
I p l a c ew i t h b a rc l a m p s( a b o v eA ) .l i g na c l a m pw i t he a c hr a i l , onalsshouldbeequal.lf not,readjust
theclamping pressure
e n s u r i n tgh a tt h e e n d so f t h e s t i l e sa r ef l u s hw i t ht h e e d g e so f slightly
untilthesashis square.
I
I INSTALLING
THEGLASS
ANDGLASS-STOP
M()LDING
I 1 Makingglass-stop molding
I G l a s s - s t ompo l d i n gw i l l h o l dt h e g l a s s
I a g a i n stth e r a b b e t si n t h e w i n d o ws a s h .
T o p r e p a r et h e m o l d i n gw i t h a r o u t e r ,
I i n s t a lal d e c o r a t i vme o l d i n gb i t i n t h e t o o l
a n dm o u n ti t i n a t a b l e .S h a p eb o t he d g e s
I o f a w i d eb o a r dl o n ge n o u g h t o y i e l da l l
themolding y o uw i l l n e e d t, h e nr i p t h e
I m o l d i n gs t r i p sf r o mt h e s t o c k .U s et h r e e
f e a t h e r b o a r dt os s u p p o rt h e w o r k p i e c e
I d u r i n gt h e c u t : t w oc l a m p e dt o t h e f e n c e
o n e r t h esr i d eo f t h e b i t a n do n ec l a m p e d
I to the table.Feedthe boardintothe cutter
w h i l ek e e p i nigt f l u s ha g a i n stth e f e n c e :
I f i n i s ht h e p a s sw i t ha p u s hs t i c k .R e p e a t
to shapethe other edge(left).Cut the
I m o l d i no g f f t h e b o a r do n t h e t a b l es a w ,
t h e n s a w r t t o l e n g t hm , a k i n g4 5 ' m i t e r
I c u t sa t t h e e n d o f e a c ho i e c e .

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WINDOWS t
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t
I
r) Installing theglassandthemolding
I S e tt h e s a s ha n d s l a s so n a w o r k
I
s u r f a c et ,h e np l a c et h e m o l d i n gi n p o s i -
t i o n . B o r ea p i l o th o l ee v e r y6 i n c h e s ,
lil ili llljil, dlllilli|Jililtllilriillilill lli iliil;ildlitlj ib I
n a i l i n t oe a c hh o l e ,
i n s e r at f i n i s h i n g
a n d d r i v ei t h o m e .T o u s ea b r a dd r i v e r , 5HO7Tt? I
as shownabove,adjustthe jawsagainst
t h e s a s ha n dt h e n a i l ,t h e nt r g h t e nt h e
lnotallingthemoldingwibha hammer I
lf you are uoinqa hammerLo nailqlaee-eNop moldinqin
l o c k i n gn u t . H o l d i n gt h e s a s hs t e a d y ,
soueeze the iawsto setthe nail.
place,prolec|the qlaooby placin4a pieceof cardboard
on it ae youdriveeachnail,as shownhere.
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A GLAZINGBARHALF-LAPTOINT
I
I ' '
Tlrcglnzingbar half-tnpjoint showrrat right fornrs a stronger
I bortdthnn the cope-and-stick joint for corutectingthe nuillion and
rnedianrail of a divided window snsh.Thepieces,calledglazingbars,are
I .ioinedby ntiteredhalf-laps.Rabbetsare cut along the backedgesof the
barsto nccontmodntethe glassand glass-stop ntolding.The endsof
I the bnrsarejoined to the roils and stileswith cope-and-stick joints.

I
I
MAKING
A GTAZING
BARHALF-LAP
J()INT
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r
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'l
I Moldingtheglazingbars
I T h e l o r n ti s m a d ei n t h r e es t a g e sS: t a r tb y c u t t i n gt h e t h e o p e r a t i ow n i t ht h r e ef e a t h e r b o a r dCsl:a m po n et o t h e t a b l e
I propep r r o f i l ei n t ot h e g l a z i n gb a r s ,a s s h o w na b o v en; e x t ,c u t opoosite t h e b i t a n d t w o t o t h e f e n c eo n e a c hs i d eo f t h e c u t -
r a b b e t si n t ot h e o p p o s i t e s i d eo f t h e b a r st o h o l dt h e g l a s sa n d t e r .( l n t h e i l l u s t r a t i o n
t h, e f e a t h e r b o a o
r dn t h e o u t f e e ds i d eo f
I m o l d i n gs t r i p s( s t e p2 ) ; f i n a l l y ,p r o d u c et h e m i t e r e dh a l f - l a p t h e f e n c eh a sb e e nr e m o v e fdo r c l a r i t y . F ) e e dt h e b a r i n t ot h e
( s t e p s3 t o 5 ) . F o rt h e f i r s t s t a g e ,i n s t a l la p i l o t e dr o u n d - o v e r b i t u n t i ly o u rf i n g e r sa p p r o a c thh e c u t t e r ,t h e n u s et h e n e x t
I b i t i n a r o u t e rm , o u n t h e t o o l i n a t a b l e .a n d a l i g nt h e f e n c e p i e c ea s a p u s hs t i c ko r m o v et o t h e o t h e rs i d eo f t h e t a b l e
w i t h t h e b i t ' sp i l o tb e a r i n gT. h es t o c ks h o u l db e w i d ee n o u g h a n d p u l l t h e w o r k p i e cteh r o u g ht h e c u t . R e p e atth e p a s so n
I s o t h a t m a k i n ga p a s so n e a c hs i d eo f t h e b a rw i l l l e a v ea % - t h e o t h e rs i d eo f t h e b a r ( a b o v e )P. r e p a r a e n e x t r ab a rt o h e l p
i n c h - w i dlei p b e t w e etnh e c u t s .S u p p o rtth e w o r k p i e cdeu r i n g s e t u o t h e c u t i n s t e o3 .
I
I 81
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WINDOWS
I
t
r) Cutting rabbets fortheglasspanes
I lnstalla dadoheadonyourtablesawslightly widerthanthe I
desired rabbets. Thetongue remainingaftertherabbets arecut
should measure at least %inch.Installa wooden auxiliaryfence I
andmarktherabbet depthon it-the combined thickness of the
glass andthemolding strip,Positiontheauxiliary overthe
fence I
dadohead,ensuring thatthemetalfenceis clearof thecutters.
Turnonthesawandslowly crankupthedadoheaduntilit forms t
a reliefcutto themarked Iine.Turnoffthesawandmarkthe
widthof therabbets ontheleading endof theglazing bar.Butt t
oneof themarksagainst theouterbladeof thedadohead,then
position thefenceflushagainst thebar.Usethreefeatherboards I
to support theworkpiece asin step1, addinga support boardto
provide extrapressure forthefeatherboard clamped to thetable. I
(Again in thisillustration, thefeatherboardontheoutfeed sideof
thefencehasbeenremoved Feedthebarsbyhand
forclarity.) I
(left)unlilyourfingers approach thefeatherboards,thenusethe
nextworkpiece to finishthepass. Complete thecutonthefinal I
workpiece bypulling it fromtheoutfeed stdeof thetable.
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Making themitercuts
Remove thedadoheadandinstall a crosscutblade. Adiust Vsshouldbethesamewidthasthestock.Tomakethecut,hold I
thebladeangleto 45" andattacha wooden extension to the thetongue of thebarflatagainstthemitergaugeextension and
mitergauge.Tosetthebladeheight, holdtheextraglazing bar alignoneof themarks withtheblade. Butta stopblockagainst I
onthesawtablesothetongue youcut in step2 is flushagainst theendof thestockandclampit to theextension forsubsequent
Thetopof theblade
theextension. should belevelwith thelow- cuts.Clamptheworkpiece to theextension andfeedtheglazing t
ersideof thelip.Makea testcutandadjust thebladeheight barintothebladewhileholding it firmlyin place.Rotate
the
untrlthecuttingedgejustscoresthe lip (inset).
Thenmarkthe pieceandmakethesamecutontheothersideof theV. Repeat I
mitercutson bothsidesof thebars;at theirwidestpoints, the theprocessto cuttheV ontheopposite sideof thebar(above).
I

82
t
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I
I
WINDOWS
I
rl
Cleaning uptheV-cuts
t 0 n c ea l l t h em i t e rc u t sh a v eb e e n
made,usea narrow chiselto pareaway
I thewaste. Thewidthof thechannel at the
bottom of theV shouldequalthewidthof
t thelip.Holding thechiselbevelsideup,
pareawaythewaste(left)untilthe bottom
I of theV issmooth andflat.Workcarefullv
to avoidtearout.
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I
f, Gutting
thehalf-laps
I dadoheadin yourtablesawandadjustit to
r,l Reinstallthe mating piece.
Setupthecutbyaligning
themiddleof theV-cut
thewidthofthebar'slip.Setthecuttingheight to one-half
the withthedadohead,whileholding
thebarflushagainst
themiter
I stockthickness.
Youwillbecuttinga half-lapin thebottom of gauge extension.
Keeptheworkpieceflatonthesawtableand
oneglazingbar,thenmaking an identical
cut in thetopof the flushagainst
theexiension (above).
asyoucutthehalf-laps
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,.,1

,,IL

..i'T
i'i i
;" .1,i , ;'
, r l ,
ri
-1
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{,
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t
I DOORS
I
I
I
properdoor,like a proper environmentof an interior door
I chair,maygounnoticedmost is lessharsh,a lifetimeof usestill
of the time. It will swingeasily, demandscarein construction.
t closewith a satisfyingthud, and Oncea door is selectedor built,
restsquarelyin its opening.Its sryle it still must be hung. In many
I and weightwill complementits ways,hanginga door is the most
surroundings. But like a smiling demanding choreof thefinishcar-
2 face,a well-built,well-hung,and penter.Techniques varywidely,but
well-frameddoor meetsfriends thejob typicallycomprises several
I and strangerswith an unspoken, distinctsteps,eachof which must
but warm-hearted welcome. betackledwith carefulattentionto
I For all its workadaynature,a detail.Normally,a carpenterwill
door and its surroundingsareno A length of head casingisfixed over a door frame the rough openingfor a
t simplethings.Thedoor,frame,and and setagainsta rosettecorner block.Framing door,whichshouldequalthewidth
trim mustbe both sturdyand dec- a door with decorativemolding servesan of the door plusthe thicknessof
r orative.This chapterrevealsthe
anatomyof a door and showsjust
imDortantestheticfunction in a room. the sidefambsand an additional
1-inch spacefor shimsthat are
I a fewof themanysrylesin use.Startingon page90,youwill see usedto plumb and straightenthe jambs.Door jambs(page
how to build one of the most elegantand populardesigns,a 95)aremadefrom %-inchstock;exterior doorjambsshould
I frame-and-panel door.Buildinga dooris a challengingtask,but be l- to l%-inchthick.Oncethejamb is plumb andlevelin
the result-a door that is uniquelysuitedto its settings-is the opening,it is nailedin place.Next,the door is installed
I one of woodworking'smostgratifring accomplishments. with butt hingesmortisedinto the door edgeand the hinge
Doors,of course,serveboth interiorand exterioruses. jamb (page100).Forveryhearydoors,thehingesarescrewed
I Exteriordoorshavegreatstructuraldemandsplacedupon through the jamb into a wall framing membercalledthe
them;the differences in heatand humidity insideand out- trimmer stud.Finally,the casing,or door trim, is installed
I sidealonerequirethat an exteriordoor be built of heavier (page112)to concealthe roughopeningandact asa gusset,
materialthanan interiordoor,that its designbe suitedto its tyingthejambto thetrimmer.Eachphaseof thedoor-hang-
I use,and that thejoinerybe of thehighestquality.Whilethe ing process is shownin detailin this chapter.

I
I
I
I
A leafof a brassbutt hingeisfastenedto theedge
I of aframe-and-panel door.Oncetheotherhalfis
screwed to thedoorjamb, thedoorcanbehung.
t A pin will holdthehingeleavestogether.
 t
ANATOMYOFADOOR t
I
f) oorscanbe broadlydividedinto Solid-coredoorsconsistof a plvwood a trimmer studattachedinsidethe king I
LJ nvo groups:exteriorand interior. veneergluedovera particleboirdcore. studs.A headerrestson the trimmers
While their stylesmay be similar,the Hollow-coredoorshavea lightweight and constitutes the top of the rough I
constructiondiffers.Exteriordoorsare interior,usuallycardboard.As shown opening.Whenyou build your jamb,
tlpically 1%inchesthick and B0inches on page87,therearemanydoorstylesto allow Z inch of clearance betweenthe
jamb and the headerand trimmersto
t
high,althoughin olderhomesdoorsare choosefrom.
often 82 to 84 incheshigh. The width Hanginga door involvesbuilding allowfor shimming.Theanatomybelow I
varieswith location.Frontdoorsareusu- and installinga jamb to fit the rough showsa typicalroughdoor openingand
ally36incheswide.Backdoorsandoth- opening.Roughopeningsaretlpically a door with the jamb,and the casing I
er entry doorscanbe asnarrowas32 framedby king studson eachsidewith installedon oneside.
inches.Interiordoorsrangefrom 24 to I
36incheswideandaretlpically 80inch-
Cripple
eshigh andl% inchesthick. eLud I
Most doorsin North Americaare
eitherframe-and-panel, solid-core,or Kinq t
hollow-core.In frame-and-panel doors, stud
a frameworkof stiles,rails,andmullions I
supportssolidwoodpanelsthatfloatin
groovesmilledin the insideedgesof the !
framework.Mortise-and-tenon joints
are commonlyusedto assemble the I
framework.Cope-and-stick joints are
Head
anotheroption,but theymustbe rein- jamb t
forcedwith splinesto withstandstress.
I
TRIM
STYTES Hinge I
Eloaked corner
Caaingpiecea Mitered
t
butt aqainet casing
corner blocka Cornera I
joined with
miterjointa
Trimmer
I
eLud
t
tsutted caaing
I
)ide caeinq
butta aqainat Hinge I
head piece JamD
Simpleorcomplex, thecasingvisually"com- I
pletes"a door,coveringgapsbetween the
jambandthewall.lt alsoblocks draftsand
I
protectstheroughopening andjambfrom
damage. Threecommon designs areshown thima
I
above.Asa rule,molded casingshouldbe
joinedat thecornerswithmitersor butted I
againstplinthblocks.Flatcasingcanbe
joinedwitheitherbuttor miterjoints. I
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I
I DOORS

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t
DOOR
STYLES
t
t =z^=
:-/_==:
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I Frenah
)uitable for indoorand outdoor uae
9olid-core
9uitable for indoorand outdoor
Frame-and-panel
Suitablefor indooraid outdoor uae

I
I -ii----.-
o

oo
o

o
o

o
o

o
o

o
o o

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ll[ o

oo
o

o
o

o
o

o
o

I Olasa-a nd- wood-pa neled

Onlvauttablefor outdoor uae
Victorian screen
Onlvauitablefor outdoor uae
Board-and-batten
Suttablefor tndoorand outdoor uae
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 I
TOOLSANDDOORHARDWARE I

r
Rosette cutter
Usedin conjunction I
with a drill preee to cut
roaettee: availablewith a
wideselection of cuttera
I
to create variouapatterna
Port'able I
eleatric planer -
Foweredby a 3- to Lock-face template
Adjuotable template used for rout-
I
lO-amp motor, rotary
in4 lock mor1iaea;automatically
cuttei turns at 12,OOOto
23,OOOrpm to planeeurfacea: oelf-centerinq,the ji7 comeawith I
can be aei to cit bevelafrom 15"in a tem/ate quidefor a router
one direction to 40'in the other I
Butt gauge I
A metal template
struck with a hammer I
or mallet to acore hinqe
outlinea;availablein vanoua
aizea for atandard hinaea
I
Doorjamb jig
Uaedfor inatallinadoor
jamba. )toak ia faatened
I
Hinge-mortiaing jig
to vertical leaeand adiuatable
head rail of ji1; ji7 ia then inaerted in
Adjuatable templatejiq clampe
to doors and doorjambe to
t
rou1hdoor openin7and tacked to walla
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r
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I
Hinge-
Adjuatable vettiaal viee I
moriiaing eyetem
5prin4-loadedjawe hold
Adjuatable templatee
and raila used for routinq
doora edae-upfor mortia-
inq or planin1;may be
t
door hin4emortiaee:adjueto
for two- or three-hinqeoetupe
uaed freeatandin4 or
attached to floor or
I
and for 3-by-5 to 4-by-4 hinqea
bench.Holdeup to
2-inch-thickatock

I
Plumb bob
I
Fear-ahapedwei4ht
euapendedon a cord to I
checkwhethera framing
memberia perfectly ver-
tical, or plumb
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I

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I DOORS

t
Entry Flair
I Ioakeet handle
Featurea
I bellhan-
dlea and
a Keyea
I entry lock

I 9pring-activated door etop

Door entry handle Uaed to prevenLscreen doora from
I Two-piece door enLry opentnaLoofar: brackeLsare ecrewed
aet: eeparate lock cytin- l.o door and door caoin7
I der provtdeeadditional
eecurtLy.Availablein a
widerangeof atylee
I
J
I
I Privaay
lockaet
t Orbit-etyle
handlewith
I privacylock

I Glaee handles
Typicallyuaed wiLh
I Frenchdooro

I
t La|ch ptaLeie ocrewedto door
jamb, allowinqdoor to be lockedahut
t
I
I - t

I
r I
I Butt.hin6e
htn7el;yptcallyuaedfor hanqtn4sl,andarddoore:wetqhLta
Kectan7ularplain-bearinq
aupported by Lhe htnqe knucklea.Heavterdoore ehould be hunq on commercial ball-bear-
I inq hinqee. Vartoue Ltp Lypea are available;ehown from left to ri4ht are ball, eteeple, but-
ton, and Lwo decoraLivedeet4ne. )ee pa4e 1OZfor a char| of aLandard htnge otzea.
t
I

t 89

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 I
FRAME-AND -PANEL-D OORS I
r
A shaperis itrvoluable.for makingli"ame-and-paneldoors. I
Fitted with cope-and-stick cttter sets,it will preparethe stiles
"floating"
and rnilsfor assentbly, ctrttinggrooveslbr the panels I
that lill theframe and carvinga decorotivemoldingalong the
insitleedgesof theJionte at the sametinte. Then,ecluipped I
with n panel-raisingbit, the shapercanfornt bevelson the
ponel edges,asshown in thephoto at right. The largeshop- I
nurdefeatherboardclantpedto theshaper's fenceprotectsthe
userJront the cutter nnd holdsthepanelJlat on the table. t
Step-by-step instructionsfor building a six-panelFederal-
styledoor nreprovided belowand on thefollowingpages. I
I
MAKING
A FRAME-AND-PANEL
D()()R I
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M a k i n gc o p ec u t so nt h er a i l s
1
I As shownon page86, a six-panel
top andbottomrail,twomedianrails,andthreemullions.
doorfeaturestwo stiles,a two toggleclampsto the supportboard.Next,markthe tongue t
Cutyour l o c a t i o on n o n eo f t h e r a i l s c, e n t e r eodn t h e e d g eo f t h e b o a r d .
l c o p i n gc u t t e rs e t a n dg u a r do n t h e
s t o c kt o s i z e ,t h e n i n s t a l a P o s i t i otnh e j i g o n t h e s h a p etra b l e s, e tt h e o n eo f t h e r a i l so n I
, u i l dt h ec o p i n gj i g s h o w ni n t h e j n s e t .
s h a p e rT. o f e e dt h e r a i l s b t h e j i g a n da d j u s t h e c u t t e rh e i g htto a l i g nt h e c u t t e rw i t ht h e
jig
The consistsof a plywoodbase,a miterbarscrewedto the t o n g u em a r k .T h e nc l a m pt h e r a i lt o t h e 1 i g a , l i g n i n tgh e b o a r d I
underside of the base,a 2-by-4supportboardfastened flushwith e n dw i t ht h e e n do f t h e b a c k u pb o a r ds o t h e c u t t e rw i l l s h a p e
the backedgeof the base,and a plywoodbackupboardscrewed t h e e n t i r ee d g e N. o wm a k et h e c u t , p u s h i n g t h e j i g a c r o s tsh e I
t o t h e s u p p o rbt o a r dT. o p r e v e nt te a r o uot n t h e r a i l s t, h e b a c k u p table.Repeatthe cut on the otherend of the rail (above), then
boardshouldsupporttheworkpiece forthefull widthof cut.Screw m a k et h e c u t so n b o t he n d so f t h e r e m a i n i nrea i l sa n dm u l l i o n s . t
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I DOORS

I
I r) Adjusting thestickcutter
L O n c ea l l t h e c o p ec u t sa r em a d e ,
I replace the copecutterwiththe matching
s t i c kc u t t e rs e t .T h i ss e t u pw i l ls h a p et h e
I ^^r -^;r^
p d o p s n f i h p c , t i l p q , .m. r. -r l. l.;t^u^|^) , o ilu Ic|)

w i t ha d e c o r a t i pv reoifl ew h i l ec u t t i n g
I grooves to accommodate thetongues and
panels. Tosetthecutting herght, buttthe
I endof oneof thecopedrailsagainst the
stickcutter, thenadjust theheight of the
I Hei7htadjuot-
O
spindle sothegroove cutteris levelwith
thetongue ontherail(/eff).
ment wheel
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Makingthe stickcuts
Q
I r../ Adjustthe fenceto shapethe entireedgeof the stock.Also k i c k b a c kS.h a p eb o t he d g e so f t h e m e d i a nr a i l sa n d m u l l i o n s ,
i n s t a lcl o m m e r c i aolr s h o p - m a dheo l d - d o w nosn t h e f e n c ea n d feedingthe stockacrossthe tablewith both hands(above),but
I s h a p etra b l et o s e c u r et h e s t o c kt h r o u g ht h e c u t sa n d p r e v e n t shapeonlythe insideedgesof the stilesandtop andbottomrails.

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Routing
mortises inthestilesandrails
thejointsbetween
Reinforce thestilesandrailswithsplines. of thegrooveyouwishto cut plusthediameter of thetemplate I
Todetermine theirlocations,test-assemble thestrlesandrails guideyouwillattachto therouter. Clampthejig to thestile,
andmarkthecenterof thejointsbetween them.Takethe thensetthecuttingdepthto cuta 1%-inch-deep mortisein the I
assembly apartandsecure a stileedge-up ona worksurface. stile.Turnontherouterandmakethecut,guiding thetem-
Usea routerfittedwitha mortising
to cutmortisesforthesplines.
bit anda templateguide
Toguidethetool,buildthejig
plateguidealongthe insrdeedgesof thejig slot(above,
Repeat
left).
thecutat theotherendof thestile,at bothendsof the
r
shownabove, madefroma pieceof %-inchplywood witha slot otherstile,andat thecenterof median rails.Next,secure the I
in the middleandtwo2-by-4jawsscrewed to the bottomof railsendup androutgrooves in theirendsthesameway
thetemolateto straddlethestile.Theslotshouldbethesize (above,right). I
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f, Test-fitting thejoint t
r.,f Onceall thegrooves arecut,make
splines thatf it themortises andareshort- t
erthanthecombined depthof twomortis-
es.Thegrainof thesplines should runin t
thesamedirection astherails.Testfit one
of thejointsbefore glue-up(righil.fhe I
jointshould fit together smoothly without
b i n d i n gl f. t h ef i t i s t o ot i g h t ,t r i mt h e t
splineandtest-fit thejointagain. Finally,
makereference markson alltherailsand I
stilesto helpyouassemble themproperly
duringglue-up (page94). I
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DOORS
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Raising thepanels
t Tohelpyousizethepanels, assemble
t h ed o o rs t i l e sm, ulliona s ,n dr a i l sa n d
I measure theopenings. Add%inchto each
d i m e n s i ot ona l l o wf o rt h e%i n c ha l o n g
I theedgeof thepanel thatwillfit intothe
grooves. Cutthepanels to size;yourstock
I should benothicker thanthestockused
forthestilesandrails.lnstalla oanel-rais-
I i n gb i ta n dm a t c h i nrgu bb e a r i ni gn t h e
shaper, andadjustthefenceevenwiththe
I rubbearing. Thenadjust thecutterheight
sotheraised edges of thepanels willpen-
I etratethegrooves by %inchwhenthe
panelis cuton bothsides. Clamp a wide
I featherboard to theshaper fenceto shield
youfromthecutterandholdthepanelflat
I o n t h es h a p etra b l e F . e e de a c hp a n e l
f a c e - u ipn t ot h ec u t t e ru, s i n gy o u rl e f t
I handto keeptheworkpiece flushagainst
thefence(righil.fo prevent tearout, shape
I t h ep a n eel n d sf i r s t a, n dt h e nt h es i d e s .
O n c eo n es i d eo f t h e p a n ehl a sb e e n
I shaped, turn it end-for-end andrepeat on
theotheredge. Thenturnthepanelover
I andreoeat theseries of cuts.

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I Testing thefit ofthepanels
I / Onceyouhaveshaped thefirstpanel,
fit it intooneof thegrooves in a stile(/eff,).
I Thepieces should fit together
snugly, with
thepanelextending %inchintothegroove.
I lf not,adjustthecuttingheight, repeat
thecutsandtestthefit again. Onceyou
I aresatisfied withthefit, raisetheremain-
ingpanels.
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DOORS
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I
Assembling thedoor
Layoutallthepieces of thedoorclose I
at handsothatyoucanassemble thedoor
quickly before thegluebegins to set.Start t
building thedoorbysetting a stileedge-up
onthefloor.Applygluein themortises in t
thestileanditsadjoining railsaswellason
thesplines. Donotspread anygluein the t
panel grooves. Insert thesplines in thestile
mortises andfit therailsin place. Usethe I
reference marksyoumadeearlier to help
youassemble thepieces properly, Tapthe I
topendsof therailslightly witha malletto
closethejoints.Now,seatpanels between I
thestiles andrails.Continue in thisfash-
grooves
i o n ,a p p l y i nggl u ei n t h es p l i n e t
andonthesplines andfittingthepieces
in place(left)until thedooris assembled. I
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Clamping thedoor I
Layfourbarclamps onthefloor,one
foreachrail.Caref ullylaytheassembled t
doorontheclamps sothebarsoftheclamps
arealigned withtherails.To protect your I
stock,placewoodpadsthe lengthof the
doorbetween theclampjawsandthedoor t
edges. Tighten theclamps justenough to
closethejoints. Thenclampthedoorfrom I
topto bottom along themullions. lf youdo
nothavea clampthatis longenough to span I
thedoor,usetwoclamps, positioning them
sothattheirtailstops contact eachother I
nearthe middleof the door.Useshorter
woodpadsto protectthe doorfromthese I
clampjaws.Install threemoreclamps across
thetopfaceof thedoor,aligning thebars I
withthetop,bottom, andmiddle rail.Finish
tightening alltheclamps untilgluesqueezes I
outof the joinlstight).Thenusea trysquare
to checkthatthecorners of thedoorare I
s q u a r ea;d l u stth ec l a m p i npgr e s s u rief ,
necessary.
paintscraper
Oncethegluehasdried,usea
to remove anyremaining adhe-
r
sive.Whenthegluehascured,sandand I
finishthedoor.
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DOORIAMBS
I
If you will be hangingseveraldoors,a
I commercialdoorjamb jig couldprove
to be a worthwhileptn'chase.Itsframe-
t work of ntetal legsand rails will keepa
jantb squareond hold it in positionin the
I rough openingwhile you setit leveland
plumb, and fastenit to the trimmer stud.
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MAKING
ANDINSTALLING
A DO()R
JAMB
I 'l
B u i l d i ntgh ei a m b
I I S e l e c st t r a i g h t - g r a i n Z e -di n c h - t h i c k
s t o c kf o r y o u rj a m b .R i pt h e s t o c ka s w i d e
I a s t h e t h i c k n e sosf t h e w a l l ,t h e nc u t t h e
s i d ea n d h e a dj a m b st o l e n g t h M . a k et h e
r s i d ej a m b ss l i g h t l yl o n g etrh a nt h e h e i g h t
of the doorso theyextendroughlyfromthe
f l o o rt o t h e h e a d e rT. r i mt h e h e a dj a m bt o
I t h e w i d t ho f t h e d o o ro l u s% ' i n c ht o a l l o w
t %zinch of clearance on the door'slatch
s i d ea n d X ui n c ho n i t s h i n g ee d g e .l f y o u
w i l l u s ed a d oj o i n t st o j o i nt h e h e a da n d
I s i d ej a m b s ,a s s h o w na t l e f t ,a d d t h e
I d e p t ho f t h e d a d o e st o t h e l e n g t ho f t h e
h e a dj a m b .O n c ey o uh a v ec u t t h e d a d o e s ,
f i t t h e e n do f t h e h e a dj a m b i n t oo n eo f
I t h e s i d ej a m b sa n d s c r e wt h e p i e c e s
t o g e t h e rR. e p e afto r t h e o t h e rs i d ej a m b .
I F i n a l l yc, u t a s p a c e ro, r s p r e a d e tr o, t h e
w i d t ho f t h e j a m b ' so p e n i n gT.h i sb o a r d
I w i l l b e s e to n t h e f l o o rb e t w e e n theside
I l a m b st o k e e pt h e a s s e m b lsyq u a r ea s i t r s
b e i n si n s t a l l e d .
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DOORS
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r) Setting thejamb
I tacXabracing board diagonally
across I
eachtopcorner of thedooropening to
keeptheedges of thejambflushwiththe I
walls.Position thejambin theopening,
buttingit against thebraces, andplace t
thespreader onthefloorbetween theside
jambs.Tapshimsbetween thesidejambs I
at bothendsof the headjambto center
theassembly in theopening; insertthe I
shimsin pairsfromopposite sidesof the
jamb.(Shims aretapered wedges of wood t
thatareusually soldin smallbundles at
hardware stores andlumberyards.) Then I
usea carpenter's levelto checkthe head
jambforlevel(left)and shifttheassembly I
slightlyif necessary. In the process, one
of thesidejambsmayberaised offthe I
floor.lf so,measure thegapandtrimthe
opposite sidejambbythesameamount. t
Repositionthejambin theopening, center-
ingandleveling it again. Bothsidejambs I
willnowbeonthefloor.Nailthejambto
therough opening through theshimsinto I
thetrimmer studs. Setthenailheads.
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Q Checking forplumb
r,l Tapshimsbetween thesidejambs I
andthewallat bothendsof thesoreader.
Thencheckthejambforplumb. Tosetup I
t h ep l u m bb o b ,m a r kt h ec e n t eor f t h e
headjambat oneedge,thentransfer your I
markto thespreader. Tacka smallf inish-
ingnailintotheedgeof theheadjambso t
t h e p l u m bb o bc o r dw i l l h a n gd i r e c t l y
below thecentermark.Susoend thebob I
fromthenailsothepointof thebobhangs
justabovethe spreader. Taptheshims I
beside thespreader in or outto alignthe
centermarkdirectly underthebob.Drive
f i n i s h i nnga i l st h r o u g thh es i d ej a m b s
r
andthe shimsto secure thesidejambs I
at thebottomof theopening.
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I DOORS
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I Squaringthesidejambs
lnsertthreeadditional
oairsof shims
I behind eachsidejamb,positioning them
at thehingeandlockstrikeplatelocations.
I Theshimsshouldbewedged in tightly.
Although thesidejambsareplumb, they
I maybeslightly bowed fromtopto bottom.
Toensure thejambsarestraight, pressa
I straightedge thejambto f lattenit
against
asyounailthrough theshims(right).ln
I thiscase,straight1-by-4stockis used;a
6-foot-long carpenter'slevelwill also
I workfine.

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I f, Trimming theshims
r-,10nceyouhaveshimmed thejamb,
cuttheshimsoffflushwiththewallusing
I a utilityknife.Holdtheendof theshim
(left)unlil
andsliceacrossit repeatedly
I thewastepiececanbebroken offeasily.
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I 97

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DOORS t
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D(l(lRSTOPS
INSTALLING I
1 Laying outthedoorstops I
I Doorstoos canbeinstalled afterthedoor
is in placeor,asshownat left,oncethe t
j a m bi s i n s t a l l e M
d .a r ka g u i d e l i nf o
e rt h e
doorstops witha combination square anda I
pencil. Adjustthecombination square to the
thickness of thedoorandbuttthehandle I
against thedoor-opening edgeof the latch
jamb.Starting at thetopof thejamb,hold I
thepencilagainst theendof therulerand
runthesquare downthejambto markthe I
line(left).Before marking the hingejamb,
?dd'Aa inchto allowclearance forthehinges I
andprevent thedoorfrombinding whenit
is closed. I
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r') Preparing thedoorstops I
I Youcanuseeitherflatormolded stock
forthedoorstops. Thepiecescanbejoined t
at thecorners withbuttjoints,miters,or
copedjoints.Inthisexample, flatstockis I
beingjoinedwithmiterjointscutona chop
saw;youcanalsousea miterboxandcut I
the pieces witha handsaw. Adjustthesaw
fora 45"cutandbuttthefirstpieceagainst I
thefence.Clampa guideboard to thesaw
tableto secure the stock
flushagainst the I
fenceandmakethe cut (right).Miterboth
endsof the head-jamb doorstopandthe I
topendof theside-jamb
areusing molded
doorstops.
make
stock,
lf you
surethe r
flatedgewill buttagainst thedoorwhen
it is closed. I
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I DOORS
I
I Installing the head-jamb doorstop
Q
r-,f Onceall the doorstops arecut, install
I themon the jamb.Startwiththe head-jamb
doorstop. Alignthe edgeof the piecewith
I t h e l i n e sm a r k e do n t h e s i d ej a m b sa n d
tack it in placewith f inishingnails(right).
I M a k es u r et h e m i t e r e de n d sa r ef a c i n g
d o w n .D o n o t d r i v et h e n a i l sf l u s h ,a sy o u
I mayhaveto reposition the doorstops once
t h e d o o ri s i n s t a l l e dT.h eh e a d - j a mpbi e c e
I w i l l b e s l i g h t l ya s k e wb e c a u s o
ef the Xu-
inchoffsetbetweenthe two suidelines on
I t h e s i d el a m b s .

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I Installing
thelock-jamb
doorstop
p i t ht h e g u i d e l i n e
A l i g nt h e d o o r s t ow
I onthejamb,buttits mitered endagainst
t h ee n do f t h eh e a d - j a mdbo o r s t oapn d
t tackthepiecein place(left).Makesure
themiterjointistight.Donotinstall the
I hinge-jam s tbo pu n t i yl o uh a v ec u t m o r -
t i s e sf o rt h eh i n g easn dh u n gt h ed o o r
I (page100).
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HANGINGADOOR I
I
A chiselparesaway the wastefrom I
a hinge mortisein a doorjamb.
By usinga chiselthat is the same I
width as the mortise,you can tap
the chiselwith a mallet to score I
a seriesof cutsacrosslhe morlise
and around its outline. Thenpush r
the chiselbevel-sideup to shear
off the wastewood and clean up I
the bottom of the cavity.
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CUTTING ()NTHEJAMBBYHAND
THEHINGEMORTISES I
Chiseling outthehingemortises t
Therearenof irmrulesfor locating door
hinges, buton an 80-inchinterior door, I
theyaretypically positioned 7 inches from
thetopand11 inches fromthebottom ofthe I
door.lf youchoose to usea thirdhinge,
locateit midway between theothertwo. t
M a r kt h el o c a t i oonf t h eh i n g eosnt h e
hinge j a m b a, l l o w i nf g o r% i n c ho f c l e a r - I
ancebetween thedoorandtheheadjamb.
Youcanusea routeranda shoo-made I
t e m p l a tj ei g t o c u tt h eh i n g em o r t i s e s
(pagel0l), or a commercial hingemortis- I
ingsystem(page102).Todothejob by
hand,youcanusea buttgauge to score I
thehingemortise outlines onthejamb.
Aligning thegauge stopssetsthedevice t
a u t o m a t i c ai n l l yp l a c ed i r e c t loyv e trh e
bottomhingemark.Nowstrikeitsface I
w i t ha h a m m e rR. e o e at o t outline the
remaining mortises onthejamb.Thenuse I
a chiselto cutthemortise, asshownin
thephotoabove. I
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I DOORS
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I ()NTHEJAMB
THEHINGE
ROUTING MORTISES I
I jig
1 Making a router template
ROUTER I Toroutouthinsemortises on a door
I TEMPTATE
JIG jamb,usethetemplate jig shownat left
w i t hy o u rr o u t e ra, s t r a i g hbt i t ,a n da
I template guide.Makethejig fromtwo
pieces of %-inch plywood; thetemplate
I shouldbewideenough to support the
router. Outline thehingeleafonthetem-
I plateandcut it out,compensating forthe
template guideandadding thethickness
I of thefence.Fasten thefenceto thetem'
plate,countersinking thescrews.
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I r') Routing themortises
I ltlarV,the hingelocations onthedoor
I jamb(page100)andclampthejig to the
jamb,aligning thecutout withoneof the
I marks.Buttthejig fenceagainst thedoor-
o p e n i negd g eo f t h ej a m b .A d j u stth e
I router's deothof cut to the combined
thickness of thetemplate andthehinge
t leaf.Thenturnontherouter and,holding
it firmlyin bothhands, cutthemortise,
t keeping thebaseplateflatonthejig and
guideflushagainst
thetemplate theedges
I of thecutout(righil.Movetherouterin
smallclockwise circlesuntilthebottomof
I themortise is smooth. Reposition thejig
androutthesecond mortise thesameway.
I lf thehinges youareusingarerectangular,
square thecorners of themortises witha
I chisel; forhinges withradiused corners,
themortises canbeleftrounded.
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DOORS I
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ROUTING
HINGEMORTISES
ONA DOOR
I
Routing themortises t
Hingemortises on a doorcanbecut by
hand(page100),or routedwiththeaid a I
shop-made lig(page101)ora commercial
mortising system, suchastheoneshown I
at left.Thesystem canalsobeusedto rout
themortises onthedoorjamb.Although I
thedoorshown willbehungwithonlytwo
hinges, thejig features threeadjustable I
mortise templates connected withmetal
r a i l sI.n t h i si n s t a n cteh,ec e n t ehr i n g e I
template isonlybeing usedto holdthejig
together. Assemble thejig following the I
manufacturer's instructions, thensecure
thedooredge-up witha pairof vertical vis- I
esor shop-made doorbucks(page104).
Markthehingemortises onthedooredge I
andsetupthejig,aligning thetemplates
overyourmarks. Adjustthesizeof the I
templates foryourhinges, making sureto
compensate forthetemplate guideyouwill I
usewithyourrouter. Tackthejig in place
withtheduplexnailsprovided (inset). I
Install a %-inch straight bitanda template
guidein therouter, turnit on,andcuteach I
m o r t i sbeyr u n n i ntgh eg u i d ea l o n g the
insideedges of thetemplates (left).Square t
thecorners of themortises witha chisel.
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To makesurea door
I
opensand closes free\,
w i t h o u tb i n d i n go n
t
thejamb, its latch edge
shouldbe beveledslightly
t
toward the side that con-
tactsthe doorstops.A
I
portableplaner,like the
oneshownin thephoto
I
at right, can be setto
the desiredbevelangle,
I
enablingyouto prepare
severaldoorsquickly.
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I DOORS
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I A D()OR
M(lUNTING
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I pilot
1 Drilling holesforthehingescrews
I I O n c ea l l t h em o r t i s easr ec u t i n t h e
j a m ba n dt h ed o o rp, o s i t i oena c hh i n g e
HINGE
STANDARD SIZES

I leafin place.Markthescrewholeswith
anawl.thenborea pilotholeat eachloca- DOOR THICKNESS Doorwidth Hingeheight
I Iion(above), makingsureyouholdthedrill 1%"- lYB" Upto 32" 3Y2'- 4'
asvertical asoossible. Morethan32" 4 ' ,- 4 y 2 ' ,
I 1%'1Tr" 32' - 36', 5u
36'-48' 5" (Heavy-duty)
I Morethan48" 6u
Morethan1%" Upto 43" 5" (Heavy-duty)
I Morethan43" 6" (Heavyduty)

I Thechartabove will helpyouchoose hinges of appropriateheightforyour

(the
I door.Todetermine
leaves
correct hingewidth
andthepin),firstsubtract
combined
thebackset-the
widthof thetwo
gapbetween theedge
I of thehingeandthedoorface-fromthethickness of thedoor,thenmulti-
plytheresultbytwo.Thetypical backset is %inch.Thecalculation fora
I 1%-inch{hickdoor,forexample, wouldbe:(I%' - y4')x 2 = 3". Hingesizes
areexpressedin heightfirst,thenwidth.
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I 103
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DOORS
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DOOR BUCKS
Doorbucksserveasan inexoensive I
alternative to commercial vertical
visesfor securing a dooron edgefor I
p l a n i nog r c u t t i n gh i n g em o r t i s e s . %"xB"x19"
Theoneshown in theillustration can I
beassembled quicklyfromplywood
scraps. Thedimensions provided will I
suitmostdoors.
To makethejig,startbycutting t
thejawsandfeetfrom%-inch ply-
wood,andthebasefrom%-inch ply- I
wood.Screwthefeetto the underside
of thebaseflushwithitsends.Then I
f ix thejawsto the base,drivingthe
screws fromunderneath. Countersink I
all yourfasteners. Besuretheedges
of thejawsalign;leavea l%-inch I
soacebetween themsothebuckwill
holdanydoorof standard thickness. t
Doorbucksareusuallyusedin
pairsto securea dooredgeup.Set I
thebucksonthefloora fewfeetapart,
thenslrdethedoorbetween thejaws. t
Thebase willbuckle slightly under the
weightof thedoor,pullingthejaws I
together to gripthedoorandholdit
in place(right,bottom). I
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104 I
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I DOORS
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I
Mounting thehingeleaves
I Remove thepinsfromthehinges and
separate the leaves.Positiononeleafin
I themortise in thedooredgeandscrewit
in place(right).Besureto drivethescrew
I headsf lushwiththe hingeleaf. Fasten
theotherleafto thejamb.Repeat at the
I remaining mortises.

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I Hanging thedoor
Onceallthehinges areinstalled,
it is
t timeto hangthedoortemporarily. Thiswill
youto checkitsfit andbevelthe
enable
I dooredge,asshownin step5. Working with
if possible,
a helper, liftthedoorintoposi-
I tionsothe hingeleaves onthedoorand
jambengage. lf youhaveto workalone,
I holdthedoorupright andslidea fewshims
underitsbottom edge.Bracing thedooron
I theshims, jointhetophingeleaves togeth-
er.Thenpivotthedoorto jointhebottom
I hingeleaves. Slipeachhingepinpartially
in place(left)Io lockthe leavestogether.
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I 105
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DOORS
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I
Markingthe bevel
I
/
-T Doors typically require
el on the latchedgeto closeproperly.
a 3' to 5" bev- t
Standon the doorstoo sideof the door
a n dp u l li t s h u t .l f t h ej a m bw a ss i z e d
I
properly, thefrontedgeof thedoorwillhit
theedgeof thejamb,preventing thedoor
t
fromclosing
thedooragainst
fully.Tomarkthebevel,
thejambandusea pen-
hold t
cilto scribe a linedownthefaceof the
doorwhereit meetsthesideiamb(left).
t
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I
Beveling thedooredge
t
f,
r./ Youcanusea portable power
bevelthe edgeof the door(page102),buI
planer to t
a lackplane willalsoworkwell,Remove
doorfromtheopening andsecure
the
it latch-
t
edgeup.Transfer the bevelmarkon the
faceof thedoorto theend.Then,starting
I
at oneend,guidetheplanealong thedoor
edge(right), walking nextto thepieceuntil
I
youreach theotherend.Holdthetoolat
thesameangleasthemarked bevel angle.
I
Continue untilyouhave cuttotheline,then
rehang thedoor.Thedoorshould contact
I
the latch-jamb stopwhenyoucloseit. Now I
installthe lock-jamb doorstop (page99),
it
butting against thedoorandthehead-
jambstop.Check thef inalf it of thedoor;
t
thereshouldbeslightgapsbetween the I
doorandthejamb.Youcanusethethick-
nessof a dimeanda nickelto measure
these gaps.Pass a dimealong thelockjamb
I
to checkfortheX-inchmargin
hrnge
between the I
lambandthedoor.Usea nickelto
measure therequired %,-inch spaceat the
topandalong theotherside.lf necessary,
I
remove thedooragainandplanedownany
spots where thegapis insuff icient.
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LOCKSETS
I
t With the latch assemblyfastenedto the
I edgeof the door, the doorknobsarefitted
in place.The knob coverplate will then
I be screwedto the assemblvto comolete
the lo ckset installation.
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I A PRIVACY
INSTALLING L()CKSET

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I ')
-.j
' L'-/2
I -
\-v
- t a '

\')tL/ |
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I
1 Positioningthelockset
pointonthefaceof thedoor(above,
I I Locksets usually comewitha templateformarking
youwillneedto drillforthelatchassembly
theholes
anddoorknobs.Start
anawlto markthedoorknob
leftl-eilher23/e
or 2%inchesfromthedooredge,depending
I bymarking
inches
theheight of theknobsonthedoor-typically
offthefloor.Thentapethetemplate
36
overyourmark.Use
onthemodelof lockset-then
thecenterpoint
blyholeonthedooredge(above, right).
forthelatchassem-

I
I 107
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DOORS
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I
r ) D r i l l i n tgh eh o l ef o rt h ed o o r k n o b s
t
L l n s t a lal h o l es a wi n y o u re l e c t r i cd r i l l , I
r e f e r r i n tgo t h e t e m p l a t ef o r t h e c o r r e c t
d i a m e t e rT. h e h o l es a ws h o w na t r i g h t I
features a centerpilotbit. Setthe pointof
t h e p i l o tb i t i n t h e a w l m a r ky o um a d ei n I
s t e o1 . t h e nb o r ei n t ot h e d o o ru n t i lt h e
pilotbit emerges fromthe otherside.Keep I
t h e d r i l lp e r p e n d i c u tl o
a rt h e d o o rt h r o u g h -
o u t .N o wm o v et o t h e o t h e rs i d eo f t h e I
d o o r ,i n s e rtth ec e n t e p r i l o tb i t i n t h es m a l l
openingyoupiercedthroughthe door,and I
c o m p l e tteh e h o l e .D r i l l i n tgh e h o l ei n t w o
s t e p sw i l la v o i ds p l i n t e r i nogf t h ew o o d . I
I
J<' Boring
thelatchassembly
hole
r . - f R e p l a c teh e h o l es a ww i t h a s p a d e
t
hit. eo:in rpfpr tn thp tpmnletp fnr ihp

a p p r o p r i a tbei t d i a m e t e rS. e tt h e t i p o f
t
the bit in the awlmarkandborethe hole, I
k e e p i n tgh e d r i l lp e r p e n d i c u tl ao rt h e
dooredge(below).Fora narrowdoor,you
c a n c l a m pw o o db l o c k so n t h e f a c e so f
t
t h e d o o ro n e a c hs i d eo f t h e h o l et o p r e - I
ventthe woodfromsplitting. Stopdrilling
w h e ny o u r e a c ht h e h a n d l eh o l e .S o m e I
l o c k s e trse q u i r et h i s h o l et o b e d r i l l e d
beyond t h e e n d o f t h e d o o r k n ohbo l e
forclearance.
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I
108
I
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I DOORS
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I
,{ 0utlining
-T
thelatchassembly faceplate
t Slidethelatchplateassembly intothe
h o l ey o ud r i l l e di n t h ee d g eo f t h ed o o r
a n ds e tt h ef a c e p l a tf el u s ha g a i n st h
te
I dooredge.Holding thefaceplate square
to thedooredge,traceitsoutlinewitha
I pencil(right).
t
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f, Installingthelatchassembly
r.,f Usea chisel to cuta shallow you
I marked in step4. Startbyscoring
mortise withintheoutline
theoutline of themortise,
thenpareoutthewaste(/eff)toa depthequalto thethickness
I of thelatchassembly faceplate.Usingthechisel withthebevel
facingdownwillhelpyoucontrol thedepthof themortise.
I periodicallyandtest-f it thefaceplate
in themortise.
Stop
Continue
untilthefaceplate sitsin themortiseflushwiththedooredge,
I thenmarkthescrew holes withanawl.Drilla oilotholeat each
mark.Finally, slidethelatchassembly
I faceplateto thedooredge(above).
in theholeandscrew the

I
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 I
DOORS
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t
I
4i Marking theheight of
\J thelatchholeonthedoorjamb I
Fasten thedoorknobs to thedoor,firstfit-
tingthemto thelatchassembly, asshown I
on page107,thenscrewthemtogether
through theircoverplates.
partially
Close thedoor I
sothelatchis resting against the
edgeof thelatchjamb.Outlining thehole I
for the latchon thelambis a two-step
Latchjamb operation: Marktheheight of theholefirst,
asshownat left,thenthewidth(step7).
t
U s ea p e n c itlo m a r kl i n e so nt h ej a m b I
alongthetop andboitomof the latch
(left)anda combination square to transfer I
themarks across thefaceof theiamb.
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I Marking thewidthofthelatchhole
/ Usea measuring tapeto determine I
thelocation of thelatchonthedooredge
(righil.f ransferyourmeasurement to the
j a m b ,m e a s u r i nf rgo mt h e l a t c h - j a m b
I
d o o r s t oaon dm a r kv e r t i c al il n e so n t h e
lambthatintersect thoseyoumarked in
r
step6. Thelineswillformtheoutline of I
thelatchclearance hole.
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t10
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I DOORS
I
I Cutting
thelatchclearance
hole
I Youcan usean electricdrillfittedwith
a spadebitor,asshown at right,a chiselto
formthe latchclearance hole.Theexact
I s i z eo f t h eh o l ei s n o tc r r t i c asl ,i n c et h e
I s t r i k ep l a t ew i l lc o v em r oso t f i t , b u ti t
m u s ta c c o m m o d a t ht e l a t c hw h e nt h e
dooris closed. Tousea chisel, f irstscore
I theoutline of themortise, thenclearout
thewaste(ilghil,fesltitthelatchperiod-
I icallybyclosing thedoor.
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( , ( /
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I
1trike plate
I ton0ue

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I Installing thestrikeplate
I A l i g nt h es t r i k ep l a t eo v e tr h el a t c h
h o l ea n d m a r ki t s o u t l i n ew i t ha p e n c i l
( l e f t ) .f h e n c h i s e la m o r t i s ew i t h i n t h e
I o u t l i n et o a d e p t he q u a tl o t h e s t r i k ep l a t e
I t h i c k n e s s0.n c et h e p l a t ei s f l u s hw i t ht h e
j a m b ,h o l di t i n p o s i t i o a n n d m a r kt h e
I s c r e wh o l e sw i t ha n a w l .B o r ea p i l o th o l e
at eachmarkand screwthe strikeplateto
t h e j a m b .T o c h e c kt h e i n s t a l l a t i o cnl,o s e
I t h ed o o rT , h ef a c eo f t h e d o o rs h o u l dr e s t
I f l u s ha g a i n stth e d o o r s t o p sl f. t h e d o o r
d o e sn o t c l o s ep r o p e r l yy, o u c a n a d j u s t
I t h ef i t b y b e n d i n g
s l i g h t l iyn o r o u t .
t h e s t r i k ep l a t et o n g u e

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DOORS
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I
DOOR
BUTTED
INSTALLING CASING
r
1 Marking thereveal I
I Before installing casingarounda door,
remove thedoorto giveyourself enough t
roomto work.Casing normallyoverlaps
onlya portron of thejambedge,leaving I
partof it exposed. Thisexposed portion is
known asthereveal. On%-inchlhickjambs I
likethoseshown, therevealshouldbe%
to %uinch.Make surethecasing willclear I
thehinges. Tomarkthereveal, usea shop-
maderevealgauge(page63)or a combi- I
nationsquare. Withthesquare, adlusttt to
thedesired reveal width.Then,buttingthe I
square's handle againstthetopofthehinge
jamb,holda pencil againsttheendof the I
bladeandrunthesquare andthepencil
downthejambto thef loorto markthe I
reueal(left).Repeat theprocessontheoth-
ersidejambandacross theheadjamb. I
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I
O Installing theplinths I
I Cuttwo plinths slightly thicker and
widerthanthecasing
higherthanthe baseboard
youplanto use,and
youplanto
I
i n s t a lol n t h ew a l l .T h e n t hs h o w a
p l i nt I
r i g h ti s c u tf r o m1 - i n c h - t h i sc tko c ka n d
beveled ononecorner.
edgeof theplinthwiththereveal
Alignthebeveled
lineand
I
fastenit to thewallandjambwitha ham- I
m e ro r a f i n i s hn a i l egr u n .T h ep l i n t h
should
theflooring
restf lushonthefinished
hasnotyetbeeninstalled,
f loor.lf
set
I
a pieceof flooring under theplinthduring I
installation to provide therequired clear-
ance.Repeat
otheriamb.
to install theplinthonthe I
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t12 I
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I
t DOORS
I
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Q Installing theheadcasing
t r.,l Cutthe headcasingsothat it will
extendslightlybeyond bothside-jamb
I casings. Alignthecasing withthereveal
l i n eo nt h eh e a dj a m ba n dn a i li t t o t h e
I wall and jamb(right).

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r Installingthesidecasings
I C u tt h es i d ec a s i n gtso f i t s n u g l y
between theplinthsandheadcasing. Set
I oneof thepieces in position, aligning
edgewiththereveallineonthe janb (left),
its

I andnailit in place.
second sidecasing.
Repeat to install
Nowsetallthenails.
the

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I
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I
I STAIRS
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t
I
I n a simplelevel,a run of risersclosethe verticalsDaces
betweenthe treads(page123).
stairsis nothing more
I than a conveyance from one Thestaircase is anchoredat the
top andbottomby newelposts
floor to another.Functional-
t ly, a well-built staircaseseems
self-effacing-climbedor des-
(page128);the balusters(page
1j6), or verticalpostsbetween
I cendedwithout thought or the stepsandthehandral (page
132),are doweledor dove-
attention.But esthetically,a
I staircasemay capturemuch
joineryand
tailedinto the treadsandnailed
to the handrail.
attention.Precise
I ampleuseof finewoodshelpa Because poorlydesigned and
staircase transcendroughcar- executedstairsare accidents
I pentryand riseinto the cate- A simplejig consisting of a 1-by-4clampedto a carpen- waiting to happen,building
codesgovernmanyaspectsof
gory of fine woodworking. ter'ssquareis usedto mark therise-and-run-the
t Theelaboratestairways
associated
often
with grandentrance
width of thetreadsqnd risers-on a staircase stringer. their construction. For exam-
ple, handrailsshould not be
I halls,featuringcurvedhandrails,goosenecked newelposts, morethan 34inchesabovethe treads.In someareas,wide stairs
andspiralingtreadsand risersbelongto a bygoneera.Crafts- musthavea handrailon both sides.Codesalsocarrystipulations
I menwho specialize in this tlpe of work arc ararcbreed.But governingheadroom;6 feet8 inchesis usuallythe minimum.
evena simplestraight-runstaircase,like theoneshownon page Besureto checkwith your localbuildingcodebeforeembark-
t 116,canbecomethe focalpoint of a home-and a challeng- ing on a staircase.
ing but feasibleprojectfor anywoodworker.This chapterwill designis theso-called17/. -nch
A basicprincipleof staircase
r showyou how to getthejob done,from designto installation. rule.Thecombinedwidth of onetreadand heightof oneris-
Simpleor complex,all staircases arebuilt in muchthesame er shouldequallT'/'inches.Forthetypicalstair,thiscanmean
I way:from the ground up. All you needis an openingin the a treadwidth of 10inchesand a riserheightof 7 %inches,
but dependingon the needsof the stair'susers,somevaria-
floor aboveanda solidfloor below Thestaircase featuredin this
I chapteralsofeaturesa landingabouthalfiuaybetweenfloors, tion is allowable.
whichshouldbe madeandincorporatedinto thewall framing As professional stairbuilderScottSchuttnermentionsin
I beforethe stairsaredesigned. his introductoryessayon page10,consistency is important.
Thestepsofthe staircase--called thetreads-rest on notched All thetreadsin a staircase mustbethe samewidth andall the
I boardscalledstringersor carriages(page118).Astaircaseof risersthe sameheight.Evena slightdeviation-while not eas-
typicalwidth,about36inches,will usuallyneedthreestringers, ily discernable by the eye-will not go unnoticedby the per-
r one on eachsidewith a third in the middle.Boardscalled sonusingthe stairs.

3
I
A staircasecan be as simple as a straight run of stepsthqt lead into
I a cellqr or as elaborateas the structure shown at left, with hardwood
treadsand risers,turned balusters,and a gracefulcurved handrail.

I 115
I
 ANATOMYOF A STAIRCASE

Floating handrail Baluster

lnetalled on wall aide of ataircaae; lneLalledbetween
may be required by buildinqcode. handrailand treade on
Attached to wallby metal brack' eide of starrcaae away
eta acrewedinto walletude. from wall. Twobaluetero
are neededfor each
tread; ueuallyequidie-
Handrail tant. Typtcallenqth
Frta atop balueters:bottom is is 31 to 39 inchea.
qroovedor doweledto accepL
lnna nf balttafera

Cloaed at'ringer
Ueuallya 2-by-1Oor 2-by-12that
eug0ort6 the enda of the treada
anidrreere alonq a wall;off,en
mortiaed to accommodatethe
treada, risera, and wedgee.

Tread
1tzed accordinqLo local buildin4code;ueuallya
minimumof 1 '/aincheathick and 36 incheelong.
Treadwidth (unit run) and riaer heiqht (unit
riee)ahouldequal17%tnchea.)upportedat
each end and at the middlebv a atrinaer.

Riser
Cloaeaverttcal epace
betweentwo treadg; uou- Tread noainq
ally no widerthan 7% rnch' Koundededqe
ea. End fit6 into mortiae of tread over-
tn cloaedatrtnqer;other hanqarreer
end is beveledto fit fluah below.
aqainet openaLrln4er,

Open atringer
Ueuallya 2-W-1Oor 2-by-12that eup-
Center atringer porto Lheenda of the Lreadeand riEerE
Fit into morttee Uauallya 2-by-1Oor away from a wall;the edqee f,hat buLt
in cloeedetrinqer 2-by-12that providea a4ainotthe rieera are ofren beveledto
to aecure tread additional eupport concealf,heend qrain ofthe rieere.
or riaer; ueually to etaire wider than
made of hardwood. about.SOinchea:on Kicker
narrower ataira, two Tart of houseframin7aervinqto anchor
atrinqereare uaually bottom enda of strinqere; etrin4ere are
adequate, notched to fit around kicker.

116
I
I STAIRS
I

Dovetailjoint
Anqledpin at bottom of
baluaterfite into aocket cut
in Lread; coveredby reLurn
noeinq.Daluaterecan alao
be doweledinto treada.

Return noeing
End of tread over'
hanginqopenatrrn4er;
a aeparate pieceqlued
and nailed Lo tread
end to concealbalua-
ter dovetailaand end
7rain of tread.

lrorrr..otNc LENGTH
ANDTHE'TRTN'ER
THER''E-AND-RUN
I Determining thekeydimensions
Total Riee = A Tocalculate thelengthof thestringers, startbymeasuring
I (meaeuredfrom finishedfloor thetotalrise-thedistance fromthef inished f loorbelow
belowto finiahedfloor above) t o t h ef i n i s h efdl o o ro r l a n d t nagb o v eT.h e nd i v i d e your
I Total Run = E
measurement bya wholenumber sothattheresult willbe
(Numberof treada multiplied between 7 and8 inches. lf, forexample, thetotalriseis
I by unit run) 105 inches, dividing thismeasurement by 14 equals 7%
inches. Thestaircase wouldhave14 7%-inch-high risers.
I Total length of atringer = C Next,usethisresultto determine thetotalrunof thestairs,
whichisthetotalnumber of treads multiplied bytheunit
I run.Thestaircase in ourexamole wouldhavethesame
number of treads asrisers,14. SinceIhe I7% inchrule
I d i c t a t et sh a tt h et r e a dw s i l lb e 1 0 i n c h ews t d e( 1 7 %l e s s
t h er i s e rh e i g h to, r 7 % ) t, h et o t a lr u ne q u a l s1 4 t r e a d s
r multiplied by 10 inches, or 140inches. Once theyouknow
thetotalriseandthetotalrun,youcanusethe Pythagorean
I theorem anda pocket calculator to calculate the length
of thestringers. Therise,run,andstringer of a staircase form
I a right-angled triangle withthetotalrise(A)andthetotal
run(B)astheshorter sidesandthestringer asthelongest
I side,or hypotenuse (C).ThePythagorean formula states
thatthesquares of theshorter sidesaddedtogether equals
I thesquareof the hypotenuse (A2+82=C'z). ln thiscase,
square thetotalrise(105x 105= 11,025) andthetotalrun
I ( 1 4 0x 1 4 0= 1 9 , 6 0 0a) n dc o m b i nt eh er e s u l t(s3 0 , 6 2 5 ) .
T h e nt a k et h es q u a r reo o to f t h i sf i g u r et o a r r i v e atthe
I s t r i n g el er n g t h - i nt h i se x a m p l 1 e7, 5i n c h e s .

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I tt7
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 I
I
THE STRINGERS
t
tl- h. stringers,alsoknownas car- asthe
"17
Z-inchrule":Thesumofeach
I
I riages, arelhe diagonal pieces
that rise-and-run shouldecuall7 Z inches.
supportthetreadsandrisers.Theprin- (Seecalculations on pageI 17.)
t
ciplebehindsizingandnotchingthemis Stringers canbeeitheropenor closed.
a simpleonethatcarpenters haveknown An openstringeris simplya boardwith
I
for centuries:
Forstairsto beascendedor notchescut to supportthe treadsand
descended comfortablyand safely,an risers;it is usuallyusedon the sideof a
I
exactratiomustbemaintainedbetween staircase awayfrom the wall.A closed
theriseandtherun-the distance users strhserhouses theendsof thetreadsand
T
moveup or downandthedistance they riseri,oftenwith mortises; thewall-side
moveforward.This is oftenexoressed ofa stairwayusuallyhasa closedstringer,
I
I
Most of the notching of the centerstringer can
be donewith a circularsaw,but usea crosscLtt
I
saw to completethejob. Make sureyou hold
the saw verticallyasyou cut into the corners.
I
I
MAKING
ANDINSTALTING
THESTRINGERS
'l
I
Marking thecenter stringer
t -
I Oncevouhavedetermined theunitrise I
andunitrunof yourstairs andcalculated
thestringer length, prepare thestringers. t
Cutthemto lengthfrom2-by-12 stock.
Startbylaying outthecenterstringer; you I
willuseit asa template to marktheoth-
ers.Setoneboardfacedownon a work I
surface. Tolayouttherise-and-run, attach
twocommercial stairbuttons to a caroen- I
ter'ssquare, positioning onefortherise
andtheotherfortherun.lf youdonothave t
stairbuttons, usetheshop-made jig shown
onpage115.Then, starting about12 inch- I
esfromoneendof theboard, holdthestair
buttons against oneedgeof thestockand I
markthef irstunitrise-and-run alongthe
inside edgeof thearmsof thesquare with I
a pencil. Slidethesquare along andrepeat
(/efil,ensuring thatthenextunitrise-and- I
runstartsexactly wherethefirstoneends.
Continue marking untilyoureach theoppo- I
siteendof theboard. Onceall thesteos
aremarked, addcuttinglinesat 90' for I
thetopandbottom of thestringer. Also
m a r kt h en o t c h et h
s a tw i l lf i t a r o u ntdh e I
kickerat thestaircase bottomandthe
ledger board at thetop. I
I
t
118 I
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I
I STAIRS
I
I Cutting
thecenter
stringer
C l a m pt h e s t r i n g ebr o a r df a c eu p
I a c r o s sa p a i ro f s a w h o r s easn dc u t a l o n g
yourmarkedlinesusinga circularsaw(left).
I Whenyoureachtheendsof the board,repo-
sitionit on the sawhorses as necessary. Do
I n o tt r y t o c u t r i g h t o t h ec o r n e rosf c u t t i n g
f i ,n i s h
l i n e sw i t ht h ec i r c u l asra w .I n s t e a d
I the cutswitha handsaw (photo, page11&.

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I Layingoutthe openstringer
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I a g a pb e t w e e tnh e e d g e s
c u t - o u tc e n t e rs t r i n g eor n i t , l e a v i n g a l i n ea l o n gt h e r i s e rb o a r df r o mt h e e d g eo f t h e o p e ns t r i n g e r
o f t h e t w o b o a r d se q u a lt o t h e w i d t ho f y o u rr i s e rs t o c k .M a r k boardto the run-edge of the centerstringer(above). Repeatat
I t h e r u n e d g e so f t h e c e n t e rs t r i n g eor n t h e o p e ns t r i n g ebr o a r d . a l l t h e o t h e rr i s e - e d g eosf t h e c e n t e rs t r i n g e rT. h i ss e c o n ds e t
T n m a r kt h e r i s ee d p e so f t h e s t r i n p e rt.a k ea n i e c eo f r i s e r o f c u t t i n gl i n e sw i l l c o m p e n s aftoer t h e b e v eyl o uw i l l n e e dt o
I s t o c ka n ds e t i t o n e n d o n t h e o p e ns t r i n g ebr o a r db, u t t i n gi t s s a wi n t h e r i s e - e d g eosf t h e o p e ns t r i n g e r .

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f, Makingthewedges for theclosedstringer
. - , 1 B e f o r ey o uc a n o u t l i n et h e m o r t i s e isn t h e c l o s e ds t r i n g e r ,
y o uh a v et o m a k et h e w e d g e tsh a tw i l l s u p p o rtth e t r e a d sa n d
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Cutting theopenstringer risersin the mortises. Use%-inch{hick hardwood for the wedges
Cutouttheopenstringer thewayyoucutthecenter stringer, andcut themon yourtablesaw.Screwa boardto the mitergauge
I
f o l l o w i n tgh e c u t t i n gl i n e sy o um a r k e di n s t e p3 , F o rt h e b e v e l
c u t s ,s e c u r et h e s t r i n g esr t o c ke n d u p i n a b e n c hv r s e .A t t h e
a s a n e x t e n s i oann dc l a m oa s t o ob l o c kt o t h e e x t e n s i oanb o u t
% i n c hf r o mt h e b l a d e A . n g l et h e m i t e rg a u g es o t h a t y o uw i l l
I
o u t s i d ec o r n e ro f e a c hs t e p ,u s ea c o m b i n a t i osnq u a r ea n d a
p e n c i tl o m a r ka l i n ea I a 4 5 " a n g l ea c r o s tsh e r u n - e d goef t h e
c u t w e d g e tsh a t w i l l t a p e rf r o ma b o u l ' / ui n c ht h i c kt o a b o u t%
i n c ht h i c k .H o l d i n yg o u rw e d g es t o c kf l u s ha g a i n st th e m i t e r
t
s t r i n g e rT. h e ne x t e n dt h e l i n ea t a 9 0 " a n g l ed o w nt h e i n s i d e g a u g ee x t e n s i osno t h a t i t s g r a i ni s p a r a l l etlo t h e b l a d e ,c u t
faceof the stringer.Usea crosscut sawto cut the bevel(above), the wedges(above). Turn the boardoveraftereachpass.You
I
s t o p p i n gw h e ny o u r e a c ht h e b o t t o mo f t h e r i s ee d g e .R e m o v e m a yn e e dt o m a k ea f e wt e s tc u t sa n da d j u s t h e m i t e rg a u g e
t h e w a s t ew i t h a h o r i z o n t aclu t . B e v etl h e o t h e rr i s e - e d s eosf angleuntilthe wedgesarethe rightsize.(Caution: Bladeguard
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the openstringerthe sameway. removed for clarity.)
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Marking themortises ontheclosedstringer
\,f The mortisesin the closedstringermusttake
I
intoaccountthe treads,the risers,andthe wedges
S i n c et h e t r e a d sa r eh o u s e di n t h e c l o s e ds t r i n g e r ,
I
startby markinga clearance linealongyourstringer
s t o c ka b o u t2 i n c h e sb e l o wt h e t o p e d g e .T h e n ,
t
o u t l i n et h e c e n t e rs t r i n g eor n t h e c l o s e ds t r i n g e r
b o a r da, l l o w i n ge n o u g hs p a c es o t h a t w h e nt h e
I
treadmortiseis cut it will not projectbeyondthe
c l e a r a n clei n e .P o s i t i oan p i e c eo f t r e a ds t o c ko n
I
e n d o n t h e b o a r df l u s hw i t h t h e c e n t e rs t r i n g e r
o u t l i n ea n dm a r ki t so u t l i n ea t e a c ht r e a dl o c a t i o n .
I
Repeat witha pieceof riserstock.Finally,position
a w e d g ef l u s hw i t h e a c ht r e a da n d r i s e ro u t l i n e
I
and markits outline(left).Makesureto position
t h e t h i n e n do f t h e w e d g ea t t h e j o i n tb e t w e e tnh e
I
treadand riser.Extendall vourlinesto the bottom
cdoc nf fhp cfrinopr
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r I Makingthe closedstringermortising jigs
/ l t i s e a s i e stto r o u tt h e m o r t i s e tsn t h e c l o s e ds t r i n g ew r ith b a s ep l a t e .R e p e aw t i t h a s e c o n de d g eg u i d ep a r a l l etlo t h e
t h e h e l po f a 1 i g A l t h o u g c
h o m m e r c i j
a i g
l sa r ea v a i l a b lfeo r this o p p o s i t e d g eo f t h e t r e a do u t l i n e S . r n c et h e f r o n te d g e so, r
I .
t a s k ,y o uc a ne a s i l yb u i l dy o u ro w n .M a k eo n ej i g f o rt h e m o r t i s e s n o s i n g so,f t h e t r e a d sa r er o u n d e dy, o uw i l l n e e da r o u n d e d
housing t h e t r e a d sa n dt h e w e d g e su n d e rt h e m ,a n da s e p a r a t e e d g eg u i d ea l o n gt h e f r o n to f t h e t r e a dm o r t i s eA. d j u s ta c o m -
I j i g f o r t h e r i s e r sa n d t h e w e d g e sb e h i n dt h e m .M a k et h e t r e a d - passto the distancebetweenthe edgeof the routerbit and base
m o r t i s i njgi g f i r s t .S t a r tb y s e c u r i n tgh e s t r i n g efra c eu p o n a plateT . h e n ,h o l d i n gt h e c o m p a s p s o i n ta t t h e c e n t e ro f t h e
I w o r ks u r f a c ea n d p o s i t i o n i ncgl e a t sa l o n gi t s e d g e s I. n s t a lal % - t r e a dn o s i n gd, r a wa n a r co n t h e s t r i n g e rC. u tt h e t h i r dg u i d et o
i n c hs t r a i g hbt i t i n y o u rr o u t e ra n d a l i g nt h e b i t w i t h o n ee d g e f i t b e t w e e tnh e e d g eg u i d e ss, a w i n ga n a r ce q u a lt o t h e t r e a d
I o f a t r e a do u t l i n e S . c r e wa b o a r da s a n e d g eg u i d et o t h e c l e a t s n o s i n ga n dt h e r o u t e rb a s ep l a t eo u t o f o n ee n d ,t h e ns c r e w
p a r a l l etlo t h e t r e a d ss o t h a t i t s e d g ei s f l u s ha g a i n stth e r o u t e r it in place(above).
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Routing intheclosed
themortises stringer
I Alignthe tread-mortising jig overoneof the tread-and-wedgep i n gw h e nt h e b o t t o mo f t h e c a v i t yi s s m o o t hR . e p e afto r t h e
o u t l i n ea s n d c l a m pi t i n p l a c e P . l u n g et h e r o u t e br i t i n t ot h e r e m a i n i ntgr e a d - a n d - w e dm o r t i s e sM. a k et h e r i s e r - m o r t i s i n g
ge
I s t o c k r, i d i n gt h e b a s ep l a t ea g a i n stth e e d g eg u i d e st o r o u tt h e j i g t h e s a m ew a y ,o m i t t i n gt h e r o u n d e d e d g eg u i d e ,s i n c et h e
e d g e so f t h e m o r t i s eM . o v et h e r o u t e ri n s m a l lc l o c k w i scei r c l e s f r o n te d s e so f t h e r i s e r sa r es o r i a r eT. h e nr o u tt h e r i s e r - a n d -
I t o r e m o v et h e r e m a i n i n g w a s t ef r o mt h e m o r t i s e( a b o v e )s,t o p - wedgemortises.
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Installing theclosed stringer t
Onceall themortises in theclosed
stringer havebeenrouted, youcaninstall I
thestringers. Staftwiththeclosedstringer.
Holdit f lushagainst thewallandfasten I
it to thewall,driving screws intoevery
wallstud.Usescrews thatarelongenough I
to reachthestuds,making sureto drive
thefasteners belowthetreadmortises I
(righ).fhis way,thescrewheadswill not
b ev i s i b l e . I
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n Installing theopen
I \-,t andcenterstringers
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Butttheopenstringer againstthehead-
boardandmarka lineonthe headboard
I
alongthetopedgeof the notchin the
stringer. CUIa 2-by-4to thewidthof your
I
staircase. Aligntheboard withthemarked
Irneontheheadboard anduselagscrews
I
to attachit to the header.
carpenter's
Checkwitha
levelto makesurethe board
t
is levelasyoufastenit in place.The2-by-
4 willserve astheledger boardto support
I
thetopof theopenandcenterstringers.
Repeat to positionandinstallthe kicker
3
at the bottomof thestringers. Oncethe
ledger boardandkickerarein place, set
I
theopenstringer
it to thetwoboards,
in positionandfasten
drivingscrews at an
r
angle throughthestringer.Repeatto install
the centerslringer(left).
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t TREADSANDRISERS
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T Anatomy ofa treadandriser
Although thetreadsandrisersin prefabricated woodstairsareoften
I simply butted together andjoined withscrews, classicstairbuilding
usessturdier joinery techniques, asshown at right.Tread stockis
I available pre-milled; allyouneedto do is cutto length. lf youare
making treads fromroughlumber, cutthem1%inches thickif you
I areusingsoftwoods andIYoinches thickfor hardwood. To prepare
thetreadsforassembly, cut a rabbetalongthebackedgeof each
I one(page124);theresulting lipwillfit intoa groove in theriser
above. Thenrouta groove in thetread's underside nearthefront
I edgeto accommodate theriserbelow. Fortherisers, cutthegroove
in thefrontfacenearthebottom to accommodate thelip in thetread
I below. Bevel theendthatwillfit against thebevel ontheopenstringer
(page120).0nce thetreads andrisers areassembled andglued
I together, cuttriangular glueblocks to reinforcethejoints. Glueand
nailtwoorthreeblocks at thebackof eachtread-riser joint,locating
I themnearthestringers. Finally, makea length of covemolding for
eachtread-riser jointandglueandnailit to thefrontof thejoint.
I Thecovemolding is strictlydecorative.
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PREPARING ANDRISERS
THETREADS
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'l Rounding overthefrontedges ofthetreads
I I Onceyourtreads arecutto length, youneedto shape the sideof thecutter.Starting cuttingdepth,feed
witha shallow
frontedgeof eachoneto formthenosing thatoverhangs theriser thetreadacrossthetable,pressingthefrontedgeagainstthe
I below. lnstall a%-inch piloted round-over bitin yourrouter and fenceandthepilotbearing. Makeseveralpassesoneachface,
. l i g nt h ef e n c ew i t ht h eb i t ' sp i l o t
m o u ntth et o o li n a t a b l eA thedepthof cutby%incheachtimeuntiltheedges
increasing
I bearing andclamptwofeatherboards to thefence,oneoneach arerounded over(above).
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STAIRS
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r) Cuttingthe rabbetsat the
I
Featherboard
L nac?ofthetreads
Makethe joinerycuts in the treadson your
t
t a b l es a w .I n s t a lal d a d ob l a d e a , djusting
i t s w i d t ht o s l i g h t l ym o r et h a n % i n c h .S e t
I
t h e d e p t ho f c u t s o t h e r e s u l t i n g
t r e a dw i l lf i t s n u g l yi n t h eg r o o v e
lip in the
i n t h er i s -
I
er (seeanatomy,page 123). Then attach
an auxiliary fenceto the sawandcut a reliel
I
notchin it. Usetwofeatherboards
thetreads, clamping oneto thefenceabove
to brace I
t h e d a d oh e a da n da n o t h et ro t h et a b l ei n
l i n ew i t ht h e b l a d e sP. o s i t i otnh e f e n c e
I
f o r a c u t t i n gw i d t ho f % i n c ha n df e e dt h e
t r e a da c r o s st h e t a b l e ,h o l d i n gt h e b a c k
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edgeflushagainstthe fence(/efl).(Caution:
Bladeguardremovedfor clarity).
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thegrooves
Cutting in thetreads
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headto a widthof % inch-thethickness
readjust
thedado
of theriserstock.
Set
e r b o a r dtso b r a c et h e t r e a d sr,e p o s i t i o n i n
t a b l ea s n e c e s s a rFy e
t hge o n eo n t h e s a w
. e dt h e t r e a di n t ot h e d a d oh e a d ,k e e p i n g
I
thecuttingdepthat %inchandreposition
thegroove llo inchfromthetreadnosing.
thefenceto locate
Again,usetwofeath-
t h e n o s i n gf l u s h a g a i n s t h e f e n c e( a b o v e )(.C a u t i o nB
guardremovedfor clarity).
: lade
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/ Preparingthe treadsforreturnnosing
I T Tohidetheendsrainofthetreads
theopen-string.r.nJ,
at
cuta pieceof stock
I fromtheendof eachtread,leaving
that will matewith the return
a bevel
nosing (page
I assembled
is
139)Ihat applied oncethestairsare
andthebalusters areinstalled.
t Clamoa treadastride
Tooutline
sawhorsesasshown.
yourcut,marka straight lineon
I thetooof thetread1%
open-stringer
inchesfrom
end.Thenmarkanother
the
line
I at a 45'anglestarting
andintersecting
fromthefrontcorner
thefirstline.Usea cross-
t cutsawto makethecuts,starting
bevel(right).Repeat
withthe
fortheothertreads.
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I INSTALLING
THETREADS
ANDRISERS
t 'l lnstalling
thebottom riser
I Prepare a riserwithnogroove in its
I frontfaceandsetit in position withthe
beveled endflushagainst theopenstringer
I andthestraight endseated in themortise
in theclosed stringer.
Usefinishing nails
I to fastentheriserto theooenandcenter
stringers.Drivea wedgeintotheclosed
I stringer mortisebehind theriserto secure
it in place(/eft).
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STAIRS
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r) Assembling
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theremaining
L teadsandrisers
Oncethebottom riseris in place,the
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remaining treads andrisers areassem- I
bledandinstalled in pairs.lf youare
usingdovetails to jointhebalusters to I
thetreads, firstcutthesockets in the
treads(page127).Tojoina treadand
a riser,spread gluein therabbet at the
t
backof thetreadandin thegroove in I
theriserandfit theboards together.
Then,holding thetreadandriserona I
worksurface asshown, drivea screw
every 3 or4 inches through thebackof I
Ihe riser(left).
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Installing andrisers
thetreads I
O n c ea l l t h e t r e a d sa n d r i s e r sh a v e
b e e na s s e m b l ei dn ,s t a ltlh e mo n ea t a I
timestarting at the bottomof thestairs.
Applygluein thegroove in theunderside I
of thetreadandfit it overthe lastriser
rnstalled. Usef inishing nailsto fasten the
Then
t
risertotheopenandcenter stringers.
screwthetreadto boththeopenandcenter t
stringer. Counterbore thescrewholesso
thatyoucancoverthescrewheadswith I
woodplugs. Tapa wedge intotheclosed
stringer undereachtreadandbehind every I
riser(right).Youmayhaveto cut someof
thewedges shortto f it adjoining onesin
glueblocks
I
place. Glueandnailtwoorthree to
t h eu n d e r s i doef e a c ht r e a d - r i sjeori n t
(nape12.3):locatethe blocksnearthe
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\ F v b v 1 1 v , ,

s t r i n g e rFs i.n a l l yg,l u ea n dn a i lt h ec o v e I

m o l d i nign p l a c ea n ds e ta l ly o u rn a i l s .
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I STAIRS
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I PREPARING
TREADS
FOR
BALUSTERS
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I Cuttingdovetail sockets
t Markthe position
before assembling thetreads
on eachtread(page138)
of the balusters
andrisers.Thenclampthetread
ontheedgeof thetreadforthedepthof cut.Cutthesockets
a router
fittedwitha dovetail
with
bit,or usea chiselanda mallet.
t endup in a vise.Usea dovetail
sockets
squareanda pencilto outline
ontheendof thetreadat eachbaluster location
the
mark
In eithercase,clampthetreadfaceupto a worksurface.
thesockets byhand,scoretheoutlineswiththechisel
Tocut
anda wood-
(above,
I lefil.fhemarks shouldbecentered withintheoutlines. en mallet,holdingthechiselvertically
withthebevel facing
the
Extend thesocket outlineswithstraight
linesacrossthetopface waste.Thenpareawaythewastein thin layers(above, right),
I of thetreadabouI3/o inchin fromtheendof thetread.Marka line pushing thechiselintotheendgrainwiththebevel facingup.

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I Drilling
mortises
lf yourbalusters willbemortisedintothe
I treads, youcandrilltheholesafterthe
treads andrisers areassembled. ln this
I case, thereturn nosings willhavealready
beenfastened to thetreads(page139).
I Turna tenononthe bottomendsof the
(page137),andmarktheirposi-
balusters
I tjonsonthetreads(page138).Fitanelec-
tricdrillwitha spade bit.Holdingthedrill
I perfectly straight,borea holeat each
baluster locationmark(left),penetrating
I thetreadslightly deeper thanthelength
of thebaluster tenon.Locate theholesso
I thatthebalusters willbealienedwiththe
centerof the neweloosts
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NEWELPOSTS
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newelpostsanchorthe turnedon a lathe,chamfered or tapered, Asshownonpage129,thejoineryattach-
I
Q tructurally,
rJ handrailandbalusters of a stairway. with manyvariationspossible for each. ingeachoneto thestairsisdifferentfrom I
But theycanalsoserveasimportantdec- Howevercomplexor straightforward Asageneral
thatusedforbalusters. rule,
orativeelements.Newelscan be very theirdesign,thestrengthof a newelpost startingnewelsshouldbeabout4 feet I
elaboratestructureswith boxedenclo- derivesfrom how solidly it is attached long.Landingnewels rangefrom5 to 6
suressurroundingmetalsupportrods to thestairs. feetin length.Theprecise lengthof a I
andcarvedwoodencapsor simplepieces Thenewelpostat thetop of a staircase neweldepends on howit is fastened at
of solidor glued-upa-by-astock.And as is calledthelandingnewel;theoneat the thebottom.A newelthatisboltedto the I
shown below, wood newelscan be bottom is known asthe startingnewel. floorframingwill needto belonger.
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FOUR POST
NEWET STYLES I
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Insteadof a conventionalsinglenewel I
post,the staircaseshown aboveusesa
seriesof severalbalustersarranged in I
a tight circleto servethe samevisual
purposeand to anchorthe handrail I
at the bqseof the stairs.
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Turned Chamfered Stop tapered
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t STAIRS
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|r A NEWET
TURNING P()ST
I ANATOMY AND
OFSTARTING
TANDING
NEWELS
t Landing newel
Notched to fit
I aqatnat firat riaer
and tread of atair
aboveIandrn4.
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I Making a newelpostona lathe Dowel
Prepare piece
a 4Joot-long of 4-by-4stock
I andmountit onyourlathe. lf yourmachine
willnotaccommodate sucha longprece, tsead
I youwillneedto sawtheblankin two.The
bestpointto cutthe blankis justbelow
t thesquare section, or pommel, at thetop.
Thenmountthesection below thepommel
I onthelathe.Forthedesign shown above,
usea skewchisel to definetheoommel at
I thebottomof thepost,making a V-cutdirectly aboveit. Usea roughing gouge
to cutawaythebulkof thewaste fromtherestof theblankandturnit intoa
I cylinder. Switch to a skewchisel orspindle gouge to turnthebeads anda spin-
Starting newel (above).
dle gouge forthecoves Forall thesecuts,keepthebevelof thecutting
I Ertenda to floor at bottom of
toolrubbing onthestockat all timeswhilebracing thebladeonthetoolrest.
ataira; notched to ftt around
Oncethebottompartof thepostisturned,mountthe pommel at thetoponthe
I open-etrrnqerend of boLtom
rreerand Lread.Couldbe made latheandmakea rounded bevelcutat its bottom end.Torejointhetwosections
lonqerto exLendthrouqh sub-
t floor and be bolted to floor
of thepost,install a Jacobs chuckin thelathetailstock andborea dowelhole
a b o u3t i n c h eisn t ot h ea d j o i n i negn d so f e a c hp i e c eC. u ta 6 - i n c hl e n g t o
hf
jotet for added aupport.
dowel,applyglueintotheholes, andinsert thedowel. Press thetwosections
I together (inset)andclamp.Turntheothernewelpostthesameway.
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STAIRS
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A NEWEL
CHAMFERING P(IST
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Using a router anda power mitelsaw I
Define thesquare sections at thetopand
bottomof the newelpostbymarking lines I
across all foursidesof theblank.Tocut
thedecorative chamfers alongthecorners I
of thepost,clamptheblankto a worksur-
faceandusea routerfittedwitha oiloted I
chamfering bit.Stopthecutsat yourmarked
lines.Onceall fourcorners areshaped, I
chamferthetop of the poston a power
mitersaw.Settheblankonthesawtable I
andadjust theblade to a 45" angle.Cut
offa smallwedge of wood,rotate theblank I
by90'on thetableandrepeat thebevel
cut.Repeat twicemoreto f inishchamfer- I
ingthetopof the post(left).
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INSTALLING
THENEWEL
POSTS
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1 Preparing thestartingnewel I
I Position thestarting newelonthecorner of thebottomtread
sothatthemiddleof the oostis in linewiththedovetail sockets I
or mortisesforthebalusters. Usea penciltomarkcuttinglineson
the bottomof the postso it will buttagainst theriserandopen I
stringer.Extend thelinesuptheinsidefacesof thepost.Todeter-
minewhereto stopthesecutssothatthepostrestsonthefloor, I
measure fromthetopof thebottomtreadto thefloorandtrans-
feryourmeasurement to thepost,marking cuttinglineson its I
insidefaces.Cutintothepostalongtheselineswitha handsaw,
stopping thecutsatthefirstsetof cuttinglines.Maketheremain- I
ingcutsonyourtablesaw.Tosetupthesaw,setthepostonthe
sawtableandraisetheblade to thehorizontal cuttingline.Then I
alignthefrontendof thebladewiththehandsaw cutsyoumade,
butta boardagainst theendof the postandclampit to therip I
fenceasa stopblock.Finally, alignthevertical cuttinglineon
theendof thepostwiththebladeandbuttthefenceagainst the t
stock.Feedthepostwithbothhands,
untilit contacts thestopblock.Rotate
running it against
thefence
the post90", reposition r
thefence,if necessary, andrepeat thecut (right).Usea chisel
anda malletto detach thewaste piece
fromthepost.Test-fit the I
postonthetread;to ensure it overhangsbothtreadandriserby
thesameamount, youwillhaveto trimthetreadnosing. Thiscut I
is shownin step3 (pagel3l). (Caution: Bladeguardremoved
for clarity.) I
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130 I
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I STAIRS
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|r
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r') Preparing
I L m" landing
thelanding newel
newelis prepared thesamewayasthestart- (page130).Besurethetopsof the newels will bethesame
I ingnewel,
extend
except
to theopenstringer forsupport.
sinceit will
thatit is 6 to 8 incheslonger,
youwill
Asa result,
heightwhenthepostsareinstalled.
between thelanding
Now,measure
andthetreaddirectly
thegap
aboveit, andtrans-
I needto makeoneadditional
in thestarting
cut.Measure
newelandlengthen
youmade
thecut-out
themeasurement bythe
ferthemeasurement to thefaceof thepostthatwillextend
the landing(above).
Cutthe newelwitha handsaw.
to
A decora-
I differencein lengthbetween thetwoposts.Markcuttinglines tivebevelonthe bottomof the postwillgiveit a lighter,more
onthelanding neweland notchit asyoudidthestarting newel finished
appearance.
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I thenewelposts
Installing
Thenewels will befastenedto the
I stringers
withlagbolts,drivenintoadjoin-
ingsidesof theposts. Witha helperhold-
t ingeachnewelin position on thestairs,
workfromthe insideof thestarrcase to
I drivetwolagboltsthrough
andintothe oosi.
thestringer

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I 131
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HANDRAILS
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,{ handrailcanbe themostcomplex because it is suspended
abovethetreads,
f\ anddecorative elementof a sfair- attachedto the wall abovethem (page
case.But it alsooerformsthe more 135).Commercialrailsandhardwarefor
I
pedestrian-butvital-task of guiding
the peoplewho climb and descend the
floatinghandrailsgenerally
1n8 COOeS.
satisfybuild-
t
stairs.Whethera handrailis aselabo- This sectionwill showyou how to
rateasa curvedassemblymadefrom makeand installa handrailalongthe
I
laminatedstripsof wood,or assimple open-stringer sideof a staircase
aswellas
asthe straightexamplefeaturedin this how to mount a floatinshandrail.The
I
section,mostbuildingcodesgovernsev- designs shownbelowcanbemadeon a
eral aspectsof its construction.For shaperor routertableusing2-by-3stock.
I
exampli,a handrailis usuallyrequired Thegroovealongthebottomof therail
on any staircase with threeor more is cut on the tablesawand housesthe
I
treads.It is typicallyscrewed or bolted topsofthe balusters.
to the newelpostsand attachedto the
I
topsof thebalusters. A rail shouldalso
typicallynot encroachmorethan 3 Z
I
inchesinto the minimum width of the
staircase.
Mostcodesrecuirestairswider
I
than 44 inchesto havea handrailon
both sides.A handrailalonsa wall is
The handrail shownat right culmi-
natesin a spiral-shaped
I
form, known
calleda floatinqhandrail-iso-called as a volute, at thefoot of the stairs.
I
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()FHANDRAIT
ANINVENTORY DES]GNS
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I STAIRS
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t A HANDRAIL
SHAPING
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I 1 Routing theprofile
I Installa bitwiththedesired topprofile
in yourrouterand pressure isapplied nearthemiddle of thestock.Feedtherail
a round-overbit is upside down,then turnit around and shape theotheredgeof the
I mountthetoolin a table.Inthisexample,
shown.Alignthefencewiththebit pilotbearing.Tosupportthe Iopbbove, left).Toformthe side profile,replacethebit.Inthis
to thetablein line case,a specializedhandrail bit is used. Feed the rail
acrossthe
I asyoushape
handrail
withthebit.Place
it,clampa featherboard
a shimunderthefeatherboard sothatthe tablein two passesagain, thistime right side up (above,
right).
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I Cutting thebaluster groove inthehandrail
t T o a c c o m m o d at h t eet o pe n d so f t h e b a l u s t e rssa, wa
g r o o vdeo w nt h e m i d d l eo f t h eh a n d r a i lu' sn d e r s i dIen.s t a l l
grooveshould
a shimmed
beequalto thethicknessof thebalusters.
Clamp
to thesawtablein linewiththedado
featherboard
a d a d ob l a d ea, d j u s t i ni tga sw i d ea sp o s s i b lyeo; uw i l ll i k e l y head.Alignoneof thegroove markswiththeinside blade,
butt
I needmorethanonepassto cut thefull widthof thegroove. theripfenceagainstthehandrailandfeedthestockintothe
Adjustthecuttingheightto aboul%inch,thenmarkthegroove cut.Turnthehandrailaround andrepeatthecut (above).
I in thecenter of theleadine endof thestock. Thewidthof the
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I r33
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STAIRS I
I
INSTALLING
THEHANDRAIL I
'l Cutting thehandrail to lengh I
I Onceyouhaveshaped thehandrail, position it onthe
treads,buttingan edgeagainst the newelpostsat thetop I
andbottomof thestairs.Holding therailin place,mark
linesacross itsedgeat bothpointswhereit meetsthenewels. I
Depending onthemethod youselect to attachthehandrail
to the startingnewelpost(below), youcanmakethe rail I
slightly longer, sinceyoumayneedto mortise thebottom
endof therailintothepost.Thenadjusta slidingbevelso I
t h a ti t sh a n d l ies p a r a l l e
t ol t h er a i la n di t sb l a d ei s f l u s h
on the landingnewel(right).Usethe bevel's settingto set I
up yoursawto the proper anglefor cuttingthehandrail,
thencuttherailto length. I
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HANDRAIT
ATTACHMENT
METHODS I
ATTACHMENTOqflON' AT STARTINGNEWEL ATTACHMENT METHOD
AT LANDINGNEWEL
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Kailbolt
and nuT.
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Choosinganattachment method
Thereareseveral waysof fastening a handrailto thenewel thebolt,andtightened usinga smallscrewdriver.
A woodplug
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posts;threemethods areshownabove. Mostfinishcarpenters is gluedin theaccess holeto conceal
relyon oneof twooptions forthestarting newel. Thetradition- methodinvolves cuttinga mortise
thebolt.Thesecond
in thenewelfortheendof
I
al method involves usinga railbolt.A clearance holeforthe therail.Therailis fittedin themortiseandscrewed to the
boltisdrilledintothebottom endof therailanda oilotholeis newel. Thebestoptionat the landing newelinvolvessimply
I
boredin thenewel; anaccess holeis alsodrilledintothebottom buttingtheendof therailagainst thepostandscrewing
faceof therail.Theboltis thendrivenpartway intothenewel place.Inthiscase,sincethescrews
it in
aredrivenintothetopface
I
andthehandrail is slippedovertheprotruding endof thebolt. oftherail,theholes arecounterbored andtheheads
A specialnutistheninserted through theaccess holeandonto eredwithplugs.Screws
arecov-
areshownin thestepthatfollows.
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I STAIRS
t
Ir Q Attaching
to thenewels
thehandrail
r-,1Tofastena handrail to newelposts
I withscrews, holdtherailin position
and
drilla clearance holethough therailand
I a pilotholeintotheposts. At thetopof
thestairs,drillcounterbored holes
and
I drivethescrews throughthetopfaceof
therail.Conceal thescrewheads with
I woodplugs. At thebottom, workfromthe
underside of therailandcountersink the
I screws(/eff),
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I INSTALLING HANDRAIL
A FLOATING

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I thehandrail
Attaching
Makethefloating (page133),omitting
handrail thegroove in the f l o a t i n gh a n d r a ial g a i n stth e w a l lp a r a l l et lo t h e o t h e rh a n d r a t l
I andcutthehandrail
underside, to thesamelen$hasthehandrail and markthe stud locations on it. Screwcommercial wall brack-
ontheopen-stringersideof thestaircase.Themodelshown above etsto the underside of the rail (above, left) atlhe stud location
I a returnthatserves
features to thevisually
asa tactilereminder marks at intervals specified by your local building code. Reposi-
rmpairedthattheyarearrivingat thetopor bottom of thestairs. t i o nt h e h a n d r a i
o l n t h e w a l l ,m a r kt h e s c r e w h o l e s b
, o r ep i l o t
I thestudsalong
Locate thewallsideofthestair.Then position
the holesintothe wall, and fasten the rail in place (above, right).

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I 135
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BALUSTERS
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T ikenewelpostsandhandrails, balus-
I: terscanbe madein a widevariety INVENTORY
OFBATUSTER
STYTES
ofdesigns. Fourpopularstylesareillus-
I
tratedat right.Althoughbalusters can
beboughtready-made, theycanbefash-
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ionedeasilyin theshop.On thefollow-
ing pageareinstructionsfor turning
I
balusters on a latheandmakingtapered
balusters on a jointer.
I
Asshownin theillustration
138,not all the balusters
on page
arecut to the
t
samelength.Thebalusterat thebackof
eachtreadis longerthanthe oneat the
I
front,owingto theslopeof thehandrail.
The squaresectionat the top of the
I
balusters-if thereis one-is typically
the samelengthon all of them,but not
I
that at the bottom.Most balusters are
cut to thelengthof thegapbetween the
I
handrailandtreads,addingabout%inch
for the tenonor dovetailyou will useto
I
attachthebalusters to thetreads.Balus-
terswith roundedtou sectionsshould
t
be longerto accommodate the tenon
thatfits into thehandrailmortise. / \
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Chamfered I
Tapered
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Turned I
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Turned
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I STAIRS
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t MAKING
BALUSTERS
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I Turningbalusters onthe lathe
M o u n ta b a l u s t ebr l a n ko n y o u rl a t h ea n d m a r ko f f t h e s q u a r e t u r n i n gr e l a t i v e ltyh i n s e c t i o n ss,u p p o rtth e b l a n kw i t h y o u r
I s e c t i o n sa t t h e t o p a n d b o t t o m .D e f i n et h e s es e c t i o n sa s y o u l e f t h a n dt o p r e v e nct h a t t e r( a b o v er.i g h t ) .l f y o u a r e u s i n g
d i d f o r t h e n e w e lp o s t s( p a g e1 2 9 ) ,t h e nu s ea r o u g h i n g o u g e t e n o n st o j o i nt h e b a l u s t e rt so t h e t r e a d st,u r na % - i n c h - l o n g
I t o t u r n t h e b l a n kr n t oa c y l i n d e b r etween t h e s q u a r ea r e a s t e n o na t t h e b o t t o mo f e a c hb a l u s t eur s i n ga p a r t i n gt o o l .T h e
( a b o v el,e f t ) .T u r na n yo t h e rd e s i g ne l e m e n t ss, u c ha s b e a d s d i a m e t eor f t h e t e n o n s h o u l dm a t c ht h e m o r t i s ecsu t i n i h e
I o r c o v e su, s i n ga s p i n d l eg o u g ea n d a s k e wc h i s e lW . hen treads(page127).

I Makinga taperedbaluster
Movethe guardout of the wayfor this operation
I a n da d j u st h ej o i n t efro r a %i n c hc u t . M a r ko f f
t h e s q u a r es e c t i o nas t t h e t o p a n d b o t t o mo f
I e a c hb a l u s t ebr l a n ka n ds e tt h e b l a n ko n y o u r
j o i n t e ra, l i g n i n tgh e m a r kf o r t h e t o p s q u a r e
I sectionwiththe frontedgeof the outfeedtable.
Butt a woodblockagainstthe end of the stock
I a n dc l a m pi t t o t h e o u t f e e dt a b l ea s a s t o p .
R e p e awt i t ht h e o t h e rm a r kt o c l a m pa s t o p
I b l o c kt o t h e i n f e e dt a b l e .T o m a k et h e f i r s t
p a s sb , u t tt h e e n d o f t h e b l a n ka g a i n stth e
I i n f e e ds t o pb l o c ka n dl o w etrh e b l a n ko n t ot h e
k n i v e sk,e e p i n rgt f l u s ha g a i n st th e f e n c e F . eed
I t h e b l a n kw i t h a p u s hs t i c k ,u s i n gy o u rl e f t
h a n dt o p r e s st h ew o r k p i e caeg a i n stth e f e n c e
I u n t i l i t c o n t a c t tsh e o u t f e e ds t o pb l o c k ,t h e n
l i f t i t o f f . M a k eo n e p a s so n e a c hs i d eo f t h e
I b l a n k t, h e ni n c r e a steh e c u t t i n gd e p t hb y
% i n c ha n dr e o e atth e D r o c e sosn a l l f o u rs i d e s .
I C o n t i n u ei n, c r e a s r n t hge c u t t i n gd e p t hu n t i l
y o uo b t a i nt h e d e s i r e dt a p e r .
I
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I 137
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STAIRS t
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INSTALLING
THEBALUSTERS I
'l Planning theoperation I
I B u i l d i ncgo d eds o n o tp r o v i dm ea n y TYPICALEALU?TER
rigidguidelines governing baluster instal- LAYOUT I
lation, butmostcodes require themto be
nomorethan6 inches apart. Asshown at t
right,stairs typically feature twobalusters
pertread; forvisual balance, space them t
a n e q u adl i s t a n caep a r tT. h ef r o n to n e
oneachtreadistypically positioned just I
behind thenosing. Thebackbaluster is
thenpositioned halfway between thefront I
b a l u s t earn dt h ef r o n tb a l u s t eornt h e
treadabove. I
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r) Cuttingdovetails onthebalusters I
Q Cutting balustersto lengh
L Forbalusters thatwillbedovetailed
intothetreads,posi- \,, Fitthebottom of thebaluster
intoitstreadand,holding it
tiona balusterupagainst theendof thetreadandoutlinethe perfectlyuprightagainst thehandrail,
marka lineon it along I
socketyoucut in it onthebottomof thebaluster.
Thensecure theunderside of therail(above).Marka second lineabove
thebalusterin a viseandcutthedovetailusinga dovetail
saw thefirst,offsetfromit bythedepthof thegroove in therail.
I
(above).
Usethef inished baluster
asa templateto outline
the Sawthebalusters to lengthalongthissecond marked line.
remainingorres. I
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I STAIRS
I
t in place
,{ Fastening the balusters
T O n c ea l l t h e b a l u s t e rasr ec u r r o
I l e n g t hi,n s t a ltlh e mo n ea t a t i m e .P o s i t i o n

t t h e b a l u s t ebr e t w e e tnh e t r e a da n d t h e
h a n d r a ial ,n dd r i l lt w op i l o th o l e sf o r f i n i s h
n a i l st h r o u g ht h e t o p e n do f t h e b a l u s t e r
I i n t ot h e u n d e r s i doef t h e r a i l .G l u et h e b o t -
tom of the balusterto the tread.lf youare
I u s i n gd o v e t a i l sa,l s od r i v ea n a i lt h r o u g h
the dovetail and intothe tread;for tenoned
I b a l u s t e r tsh, e a d h e s i vies a d e q u a t eT.h e n
a d d g l u et o t h e t o p e n d o f t h e b a l u s t e r ,
I b u t t i t a g a i n stth e h a n d - r a ial ,n dn a i li t r n
place(right).To hidethe gapsin the hand-
I r a i l g r o o v eb e t w e e nb a i u s t e r sc,u t w o o d
s t r i p sa b o u t% i n c ht h i c k ,c a l l e df i l l e t s .
I G l u ea n d n a i lt h e mi n p l a c e .
I
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I
f, Finishing upthejob
I r-,f Onceall the balusters arein place,
complete thestaircase byinstalling return
t nosings to cover theendgrainof thetreads
ontheopen-stringer side.Makethenosings
I byripping themfromrounded-over tread
stock;thewidthof the pieces shouldbe
I t h es a m ea st h eo v e r h a nogf t h et r e a d
nosings fromthe risers(page125).Saw
I thereturnnosings to extend to theopen
stringer, mitering theendsto matchthe
I miteryoucutonthetreads. Glueandnail
thenosings in place andsetthenails. To
I conceal theendgrainof thereturnnosings,
c u te n dp i e c ew s i t ho n e4 5 " a n g l ea n d
I gluethemto thenosings (left).Holdthe
e n dp i e c e isn p l a c ew i t hm a s k i ntga p e
I u n t i lt h ea d h e s r vc eu r e s .
I
I 139
I

A-B.C
Apron: In stool-and-apronwindow
casing,a horizontal pieceof window
trim installedbeneaththe stool.
Baluster: A vertical post mounted
betweenthe handrail and treads
oppositethe wall sideof a staircase.
Baseboard:Decorativetrim installed
around the perimeter of a room at
the baseof the walls.
I
t
GLOSSARY
I
Cope-and-stickjoinery: A method Furring strip: A narrow strip of
I
ofjoining stilesand rails in frame- wood nailed to wall studsto support
and-paneldoors and windows. Cut molding or wainscoting.
I
with a router or shaper,the joint
featuresmating tonguesand grooves Glass-stop molding: Decorative I
and a decorativemolding along the
inside edgesof the boards.
strips of wood usedto hold a pane
of glassin a window sash. r
Copedjoint: A method ofjoining Glazingbarhalf-lap joint A method t
two piecesof molding at an inside ofjoining the rails and mullions of a
corner.The end ofone board is cut window sashwith mitered half-laps. I
so that it fits preciselyagainstthe

Bead:A convexprofile, usually

semicircular.
Bedmolding: A type of crown mold-
ing featuring reversedcurves;often
usedaspart of a formal cornice.
Bevelcut Sawingat an anglefrom
faceto facethrough the thicknessor
along the length of a workpiece.
contoured faceof the mating board.
Countersinking: Drilling a hole that
enablesa screwheadto lie flush
with or slightly below the surface.
Cove molding: Trim featuring a
concaYeprofile.
Crosscufi Sawingacrossthe grain
of a workpiece.
Glueblock In stairbuilding, a
triangular pieceof wood glued and
I
nailed under the joint of a tread
and riser to reinforcethe ioint be- I
tweenthem.
I
GooseneclcA nearlyvertical piece
of railing connectinga handrail to I
the upper newelpost of a staircase.
I
Half-blind dovetait A joinery

Built-up baseboard:A type of base- Crown molding: Decorative trim

board built up from severalelements,
suchasbase-and-shoe baseboard.
Cap rait A molded rail installedat
the top of wainscoting.
Casing:Decorativetrim usedto
frame a window or door.
Chair rait Decorativetrim installed
on walls, usuallyabout 3 feet above
the floor. Tiaditionally servedto pre-
vent chair backsfrom damagingwalls.
Closed stringer: A 2-by-10 or 2-by-
12 that is mortised to acceptand
support the endsofthe treadsand
risersof a stairway;usually adjacent
to a wall. Seeopenstringer.
Compound cut: A cut through a
board at anglesother than 90" rela-
tive to the faceand edgeof stock.
method involving interlocking pins
and sockets;commonly usedto ioin
I
installedaround the perimeter of a balustersto treads.
room at the top of the walls;also
I
known ascornicemolding. Hinge jamb: The sideof a door
jamb adjoining the hinge sideof I
D-E-F-G-H-I the door.
Dado: A rectangularchannelcut I
into a workpiece. l-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q
famb extension:A wooden frame I
Double-hung window: A type of installedon awindow jamb to bring
window consistingof two sashes it flush with the interior wall. I
that slideverticallywithin a jamb.
End grain: The arrangementand
Joist A horizontalsupport for a floor. I
direction of the wood fibersrunning Kicker: A2-by-4 attachedto the
acrossthe endsofa board. subfloorto anchorthe stringersat
I
the bottom of a staircase.
Formal cornice: An elaboratetype I
of crown molding built up from a Kingstud: Avertical framing mem-
box-like soffit-and-fasciaassembly ber adjoining the rough opening for I
decoratedwith strips of crown and a door.
bed molding. I
Ledgerboard: A2-by-4 attachedto
Frame-and-panel door: A door
consistingof panelscontained
the headboardat the top ofa stair-
caseto support the stringers.
I
within a framework of stiles,rails,
and mullions.
I
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140 t
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I
I
I LeveLHorizontal; parallelto the
floor or ceiling. Seeplumb.
I a door and the floor.
Miter cut A cut that anglesacross
I the faceof a workpiece;seebevelcut.
I Moldinghead: A solid metal wheel
installedon the arbor of a table saw
I or radial arm sawfor forming mold-
ings;holds three identical knives.
I Mortise-and-tenon joint: A joinery
I techniquein which a projecting
tenon on one board fits into mortise
in another.
I part of a joint.
Mortise: A hole cut into a pieceof
t wood to receivea tenon.
I Mullion: A vertical member between
two rails of a frame.
I stock nailed and glued to the open-
Nailer: A 2-by-4 installedhorizon-
I tallybetween wall studsto support
wall paneling.
I Newel post A wooden post fastened
to the handrail and treadsat the top
I and bottom ofa staircase.
I Open stringer: A 2-by-10 or 2-by-
12 that is notched to support the
I endsofthe treadsand risersofa
stairway;usuallyawayfrom a wall.
I Seeclosedstringer.
I Picture rai} Decorativetrim installed
on walls, usuallyabout 6 feet above
the floor, for hangingpicture frames.
I cal spacebetweenstair treads.
Pilot hols A hole bored into a work-
I pieceto prevent splitting when a
screwis driven; usuallymade slight-
I ly smallerthan the threadedsection
of the screw.
I Rough opening: The wall opening
Pilot bearing: A free-spinningmetal
I collar on a piloted router bit that
follows the edgeof the workpiece
or a template to keep the cutting
I depth uniform.
I
I
I
I r4l
I
Plinth: A decorativewood block
installedbetweenthe sidecasingof
Plumb: Vertical;perpendicularto
the floor and ceiling. Seelevel.
Preacher:A U-shapedjig usedto
mark the length of a pieceof mold-
ing that butts againstdoor trim or
a plinth.
R-S
Rabbet A step-likecut in the edge
or end of a board; usuallyforms
Rait The horizontal member of a
frame-and-panelassembly;seestile.
Return nosing: A pieceof tread
stringer end ofa tread to concealthe
end grain ofthe tread and the bot-
tom endsof the balusters.
Reveal The gap betweenthe inside
faceof awindow or door jamb and
the inside edgeof the trim installed
on it.
Rip cufi A sawcut that follows the
grain of a workpiece.
Rise The vertical distancebetween
two adjoining stepson a staircase;
alsocalledunit-rise. Seerun.
Riser:A board that closesthe verti-
Rosette:A decorativewood block
installedat the upper cornersof
window or door casing.
into which awindow or door iamb
is installed.
Run: The horizontal spanofeach
stepof a staircase;alsoknown as
unit-run. Seerise.
Scarfjoint A methodofjoining
two lengthsof molding end to end
by bevelingboth pieces.
Soleplate: A horizontal framing
member installedon the subfloor
to support the wall studs.
Stair button: A commercialjig
attachedto a carpentert squareto
lay out the rise-and-runof a stair-
caseon the stringers;usuallyused
rn parrs.
Stile: The vertical member of a
frame-and-panelassembly.Seerail.
Stool The horizontal component
of stool-and-aproncasingthat juts
out and forms the sill of the finish-
edwindow.
Wall stud: A vertical member form-
ing walls and supporting the frame-
work of a building.
T-U-V.W-X-Y-Z
Top plate: A horizontal framing
member installedalong the top of
the wall studs.
Tread: Forms a stepof a staircase.
Treadnosing: The rounded front
edgeofa stairtread.
Volute: A spiral sectionof a stair-
casehandrail, usually ending at the
newelpost.
Wainscoting: Wall panelingthat
coversthe lower part of a wall.
 t
I
INDEX
I
Pagereferencesin italicsindicate an Ceilings: Hardware:
t
illustration of subjectmatter. Page Paneled,52-55 Doors,89 I
references in bold indicate a Build Chair rails, 12,30-32 locksets,107-111
It Yourselfproject. Coffered ceilings,52-55 SeealsoHinges
Hinges:
I
Combinationplanes,25
A-B-C-D Compound cuts, 18 Doors, 89 I
Balusters,136 Coping saws,15 butt hinges,84,89
Chamfering,l3T
Installation, 138-139
Crosscutting,IZ
Crown moldings, 12, 30,33-35
mortises,88,100-102
sizes,103
r
Tiead preparation, 127 Formal cornices,36-37 I
Twning,I3T Doors,7, 13,85-86 I-K-t
Baseboards, 12,23 Beveling,102,106
Binding,102,106
|igs:
Doors
I
Base-and-sh oe,24
Built-up,25 Casings,85,86, 112-113
Doorstops,98-99
door bucks,104
hinge-mortisingjigs, 88
I
Installation,26
insidecorners,26-27 Exterior,85,86
Frame-and-panel, 90-94
jamb jigs, 88,95
Moldings
I
outside corners,2B-29
store-boughtcorner pieces
(ShopTip),29
Hanging,85,86, 105-106
Hardware,89
preachers,23
Stairs
I
foinery, 2i,26-29 locksets,107-111
Hinges,103,105
calculatingrise-and-run,I 15
Windows
I
Bevelcuts, 18
Doors,102,106 butt hinges, 84
mortises,100-102
auxiliary tablesfor power
miter saws,68
I
Build It Yourself:
Doors sizes,103
Interior,85,86
mortising jigs for routers, 75
revealgauges,63
I
door bucks,104
Windows lambs,95-97 |oinery: I
revealgauges,53 hinge mortises,100-102 Baseboards, 23,26-29
Butted sill casings,65
Cap rails, 38
Styles,86,87 Paneling
cope-and-stickjoints, 46, 47-48
t
Carpenter'ssqtares,front endpaper E-F-G.H-I tongue-and-groove,43 I
Trr;'eing,front endpaper Eakes,Jon,8-9 Windows,76,78
Casings: Finish nailers,14,21 glazngbar half-lap joints, 8l-83 I
Doors,85,86,112-113 Frame-and-panelconstruction: Log-builder's scribes,42
Windows, 12 Ceilings,52-55 Lumber.SeeWoods I
butted sill, 65 Doors,90-94
correcting poor-fitting miters, Wainscoting,39, 40, 41, 46-51 M-N-O-P-Q
Miter boxes,15
I
66-68 Glass-stop moldings, 79-80
picture-frame, 58,61-65
stool-and-apron,57, 58,69-72
Glazingbar half-lapjoints, 8l-83
Handrails,132-133
Miter cuts, 17
Baseboards
t
temporary braceto hold Floatinghandrails,135 inside corners,26 I
window aprons(Shop Installation,134-135 outside corners,28
Tip),72 t
I
I
I
I
I
142 I
t
I
I
t
I Crown moldings, 34-35 Portableelectric planers,88 Tools:
I Windows
correcting,6G6T
Powermiter saws,l5 6B Carpenter'ssquarcs,fr ont
endpaper
I Moldings,8,12,2I-22 R-S-T-U Combination planes,25
Cap rails, 38 Railings. SeeBalusters;Handrails; Coping saws,15
I Chair rails,30-32
Crown moldings, 30, 33-35
Newel posts
Ripping, 16
Finish naifers, 14,21
Log-builder's scribes,42
I formal cornices,36-37
Fitting
Rosettes,58,73-74
Shop-maderosettecutters
Miter boxes,15
Molder/planers,15,20
I scribing, /ro nt endpaper
Glass-stopmoldings, 56,79-80
(ShopTip),74
Routers:
Portableelectric planers, 88
Powermiter saws,15, 68
I installing the molding with a Mortising jigs, 75 Routers
hammer (ShopTip), 80 Thbles,14 mortising jigs, 25
I Milling, backendpaper
Picture rails, 30
Router tables, 14
Schuttner,Scott,l0-1 1
tables,14
Shapers,14
I Rosettes,58,73-74
shop-maderosettecutters
Scribing,/ront endpaper,42
Shapers,-14
Sliding compound miter saws,
15,16,18
(ShopTip),74
I SeealsoBaseboards; Casings
ShopTips:
Moldings,29
Thblesaws,14, 16-17
Vertical vises,88
I Mortises:
Door hinges,100-102
Windows,68,72,74,80
Sliding compound miter saws,15, V-W.X-Y-Z
I Nails:
Finishing, backendpaper
16,18
Stairs,lI, 12-13,114-II5
Vertical vises,88
Wainscoting. SeePaneling
I Newel posts,128-129
Chamfering,130
Anatomy,116-117
Rise-and-runcalculation,1 15,117
Windows,12,57
Casings,12
I Handrail attachments,134-135
Installation, 130-I 3 1
Risers,125-126 butted sill, 65
Stringers picture-frame, 58,61-65
I Twning,l29
Paneling,12
installation, 122
length calculation, 117
stool-and-apron,57, 58,69-72
temporary braceto hold win-
I Cap rails, 38
Ceilings,52-55
making, 118-121
Tieads
dow aprons(ShopTip), 72
Double-hung,59-60
t Frame-and-panelwainscoting,
39,40,41,46
balusters,127
installation,126
Glass-stopmoldings, 56,79-80
installing the molding with a
I cope-and-stickframes,47-48
installation, 49-51
making, 123-125 hammer (ShopTip), 80
SeealsoBalusters;Handrails; Glazingbar half-lapjoints, 8l-83
I raising the panels,48-49
Tongue-and-groove,39, 40, 42-43
Newel posts
Stool-and-aproncasings,57, 58,
lambs,61-62
Rosettes,58,73-74
I installation, 44-45
Panels:
69-72
Thblesaws,14, 16-17
shop-maderosettecutters
(ShopTip), 74
I Raised,46,93
Patchingcompounds,backendpaper
Taylor, Grant,6-7
Tongue-and-groovewainscoting,
Sashes,75-79
Wood, 19
t Picture-framecasings,58,61-65
Picture rails, 12,30
39,40, 42-45 Patchingcompounds, back
endpaper
I
I
I
I
t
I r43
I
 I
I
t
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I
Theeditorswishto thank thefollowing I
Machineo,n"r,..Ltil1l:":fftHl:""?*:ttt"tt
DeltaInternational werroolsu.s.A.Ltd.,Norcross,
GA;
I
|et Equipmentand Tools,Auburn,WA; Tool TrendLtd.,Concord,Ont.;Williamsand HusseyMachineCo.,Inc.,Wilton, NH
I
MOLDING
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc.
(Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, M,L; JetEquipmentand Tools,Auburn, WA; LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; Blair McDougall,
I
Brome Lake,Que.;RichardsEngineeringCo., Ltd., Vancouver,BC; SandvikSawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA;
Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,Ii; Stanle-yTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., I
Concord,Ont.; Walter Tomalty EnterprisesLtd., Montreal, Que;Williams and HusseyMachineCo., Inc., Wilton, NH

PANELING
I
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; Hitachi PowerTools U.S.A.Ltd.,
Norcross,GA; JetEquipmentand Tools,Auburn, WA; LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; RichardsEngineeringCo., Ltd., I
Vancouver,BC; Shopsmith,Inc., Montreal, Que.;StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT;
Tool Tiend Ltd., Concord,Ont.; Williams and HusseyMachine Co., Inc., Wilton, NH I
DOORS
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln, NE; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.;
De-Sta-Co,Troy,-Ml/WainbeeLtd., Montreal, Que.;GeneralTools ManufacturingCo., Inc., New York, NY; GreatNeck SawMfrs.
r
Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; Hitachi PowerTools U.S.A.Ltd., Norcross,GA; JetEquipmentand Tools,Auburn, WA;
LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; Putnam Products,Old Saybrook,CT; RecordTools Inc., Pickering,Ont.; Sears,Roebuck
I
and Co., Chicago,IL; StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont.
I
WINDOWS
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln, NE; Delta InternationalMachinery/Porter9able, Guelph,Ont.;
De-Sta-Co,Troy,-Ml/WainbeeLtd., Montreal, Que.;GeneralTools ManufacturingCo., Inc., New York, NY; GreatNeck SawMfrs.
I
Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; fet Equipmentand Tools,Auburn, WA; Marvin Windows and Doors Inc., Toronto, Ont.;
Blair McDougall,Brome Lake,Que.;RecordTools Inc., Pickering,Ont.; RobertSor\ Ltd., Sheffield,U.K./BusyBeeMachine Tools, I
Concord,Ont.; Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; StanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT;
Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont.; Vermont AmericanCorp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville,KY
I
STAIRS
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln, NE; Colonial EleganceInc., Montreal, Que.;
Ont.; GreatNeck Saw
I
Delta InternationalMaihinerylPorter Cable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd., Mississauga,
Mfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; RecordTools Inc., Pickering,Ont.;
SandvikSawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; Skil Canada,Ltd., Toronto, Ont.; StanleyTools,
I
Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT; ThoroughbredSawhorses and Equipment,Division of the Ivy Group, Inc.,
Valparaiso,IN; Tool Trend Ltd., Concord,Ont.; Vermont AmericanCorp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville,KY I
in thepreparationof this book:
Thefollowingpersonsalsoassisted I
Lorraine Dor6, Graphor Consultation,GenevidveMonette I
I
PICTURE CREDITS
I
Cover RobertChartier
6,7 Alan Briere
8,9 Marie LouiseDeruaz
I
10,11CharlesMason
30 CourtesyOrnamentalMouldings t
39 CourtesyPatellaIndustries,Inc.
114CourtesyBoiseriesRaymond,Inc.
128CourtesyBoiseriesRaymond,Inc.
I
132CharlesMason
I
I
r44 t
t
I
I
I WORKSHO
GPU I D E
I
MIttINGELABORATE
MOLDINGS
I
Youcanusea combination of router cutteror a lengthof custom-milled ogeecurvecuttermountedonthe
I bits,shapercutters,
or molding head molding,A decorativemoldingbitand tablesawcancreatecrownmolding
knivesto millan impressivearray
of coreboxbit,forexample, cantrans- (below,right).
I molding designsona workpiece-for forma boardintoa chairrailmolding
a fraction
of thecostof a specialtv (below,left).A beadcutterandan
I
I
I
I
t
:

I
I
I W(|OD
PATCHING
COMPOUNDS
I
TYPE CHARACTERISTICS USES COMPATIBITITIES
I Wood
filler Solvent-or water-based;
depending Fillinglargeholes,gouges, Compatiblewithmostfinishes;
on type,can be tintedwith stainor cracksand dents applyeitherbefore
or afterstain
I purchased pre{inted
Waxstick Wax-and resin-based;availablein F i l l i n gs m a l lh o l e ss, c r a t c h e s Maybe incompatible withlacquer;
I a varietyof colors. and cracks a p p l ya f t e fri n i s h i n g
Shellac
stick S h e l l a ca- n dr e s i n - b a s eadv; a i l a b l e Fillingscratches,
dentsand M a yb ei n c o m p a t i b
wliet ha l c o h o l -
I in a varietyof colors.Setsquickly gouges or lacquer-based finishes; apply
to form a hardsurface eitherbefore or afterfinishing
I Shop-made
filler Sawdustmixedwith binder,such Fillingnanowcracks,gaps Compatible
withmostfinishes
a s g l u eo r s h e l l a cc; a n b e t i n t e d a n ds m a l lh o l e s
t with stain

I
FINISHING
NAITS
I
I "Penny" Rating:Untilthedevelopment of cutnailsat the DIAMETER
beginning of the19thCentury, nailswereforged individual- TENGTH (Gauge
number)
t ly by hand.The "penny" system nowassociated withthe "PENNY''
sizeof nailsreflected
theircostbased onthegreater metal RATII{G INCHES SHANK HEAD
I content of larger
nails.Thesystem isstillcommonly used, 2d 16% 13v,
butit is moreconfusing thanhelpful.Forsizesupto 10d, 3d I% 15% I2%
I youcancalculate a nail'sactuallength
bydividing thepenny- +o ty, I5 T2
sizeby4 andadding %inch.Forexample, a 6d nailis 2 5d I% 15 I2
I inches long(6 divided by4 plusY,inch= 2 inches;.
6d t5 10
I
I