Thread: Anyone know how to make architrave/skirting

First problem you could use a router and what ever cutters you need to achieve the profie you want,or you could us a spindle moudler with the apropriate cutter a custom made cutter will cost $1-2000. What the industry use is a a four sider or six sider etc. a machine that will produce the profile from rough sawn timber, not feasable for home use, you woud need 3ph, industrial dust extraction, industrial air supply, plus about $100,000 plus cutters and mountings.
Second problem, you are talking about a copying lathe, about $6,000 or you could go realy high tech and use a cnc lathe about $40,000 depending on the accuracy , finnish etc.

About sums it up China Other than money...............easy

You could get one of these. You could mark your profiles on blank blades and have a tooling company cut them. It's safer than a spindle moulder and you get a thicknesser too.

Cheers
Michael

+1 what Mic said!

Originally Posted by benurbanescapes

... is there anyway i can create my own architrave and skirting boards or buy a machine to do it? i have a home with a profile i have spent months trying to match and come up neglible

Have you been looking for a timber workshop to run this profile for you ,
or have you been looking for the exact profile already run , in the racks at a timber supplier ?

Are we talking old high skirting board here or relatively low stuff? And again are you wanting short lengths to match in missing or damaged sections or whole runs?
As Jock is implying you can get profiles made to order but it will cost of course.
Cheers,
Jim

Ok thanks for your help so far i shall explain my dilemma's slightly more - i am restoring a double story victorian house - i have a heap (100+) posts i need to replace at 3m long each, so i want something that can take such a length and not necissitate me standing chiselling til i am 95 years old carving posts as quickly as theyre rotting!! Also stair balustrading, fence posts and other items to be created so i have a lot of lathe work but no time - money is ok to a point but 100k ius out there!! how do timber places make these items??

With regards to skirtings etc i have looked at all the period timber suppliers and its not edwardian, fed etc etc so i need to cut nearly 1000 lineal meters out of mdf or pine or tas oak whatever but i need lots of it and again dont mind spending money on tools because one can never have enough but within reason - i have a wife to answer to!!

So please if you guys have any further clarification on your responses knowing all this and where can i get these things from - who actually sells these machines - i have found a lot overseas but am struggling to find local distributors.

thanks in advance

ben

ps more dilemma's to follow - next one how to leadlight!

Have you gone to one of the forum sponsor....Reno Mouldings??? They may be able to help.

Originally Posted by benurbanescapes

So please if you guys have any further clarification on your responses knowing all this and where can i get these things from - who actually sells these machines - i have found a lot overseas but am struggling to find local distributors.

thanks in advance

ben

ps more dilemma's to follow - next one how to leadlight!

Ben, the link in my earlier post is the local supplier's (carbatec) page, in case you missed the link...

Cheers
Michael

Originally Posted by jimbur

Are we talking old high skirting board here or relatively low stuff? And again are you wanting short lengths to match in missing or damaged sections or whole runs?
As Jock is implying you can get profiles made to order but it will cost of course.
Cheers,
Jim

Getting them run in a yard will be far cheaper than buying the machines to fit out just one house, even if the knives have to be specially milled .
The yard can only charge for the usable sticks .
The home machinist has to pay for the bugga ups as well as the good ones.

Originally Posted by benurbanescapes

i have a heap (100+) posts i need to replace at 3m long each, so i want something that can take such a length and not necissitate me standing chiselling til i am 95 years old carving posts as quickly as theyre rotting!! !

Ben , what do the posts look like ?
Carved ? are they square , round , multi sided , routed ??

If you could put some photos on here of the posts , balustrades mouldings etc , it would help the folks here help you .
Some may even be geared up to do them .

I agree with Manuka Jock, now the story is a little more clear, having a company that is already set up with cnc machines would be the way to go, I can't help with any company's in Vic

Good Morning Ben

If you go the route of buying the equipment there will be a definite learning curve, so you will also have to factor in the buggarup factor. But if you intend creating a lot of moldings, or get sucked into the woodwork caper, or if the machinery can be utilised by your business, then buying the machine is probably the way to go.

My house was built in the 1880's and I replaced some skirtings and re-installed some picture rails. The moldings were just too complicated for me to do with a router - would have required five or six bits and multiple passes - doubted I could relicate that and the buggarup factor was too high.

I rang a very large local joinery and they gave me a series of "indicative" quotes:
* Price for making cutter heads (for spindle molder) for skirting and for picture rail.
* Per metre price for both cut from radiata, baltic pine or MDF.
Said I should take a sample of existing moldings or a profile to their workshop.

On seeing the profiles the shop foreman said that they looked like one of his profiles and then got a set of cutter blades that were hanging on the wall and they matched perfectly. That company had apparently made the original moldings over 100 years ago and could still produce them. A very satisfied customer.

Incidentally their price to supply and cut the baltic pine skirtings (matched existing varnished ones) and radiata picture rail (cheapest, was then painted) was less than the retail arm of the same firm would sell me the timber.

Cheers

Graeme

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

.
On seeing the profiles the shop foreman said that they looked like one of his profiles and then got a set of cutter blades that were hanging on the wall and they matched perfectly. That company had apparently made the original moldings over 100 years ago and could still produce them. A very satisfied customer.

Nice one Graeme
so the house is still original , and some of the woodwork is younger than the rest