Edwardian moldings repro sources?

[stuckinthemud]

I am building a mirror image of the original alcove cupboard in our early 20th century terrace. It has a complex molding acting as a cover strip across the top and down one edge, totalling about 12ft in length. Before I file out a scratch-stock, any ideas where I might source some. I'm in Caerphilly and there used to be a place in Cardiff made custom moldings that I remember going to with my Dad but that was 30 years ago and they're long gone.

 

[Cabinetman]

I’m afraid we’re not going to be of much help to you without a cross-sectional sketch with overall dimensions.

 

[stuckinthemud]

About 2 inches wide

 

[stuckinthemud]

The diagonal line shows possible solution to the wall having been hacked off and skimmed resulting in the molding being buried, corner beadings will prevent me knocking back the plaster so I'm going to have to make the new one much thinner.

 

[Adam W.]

Make it with H&R moulders, it's easy and quick.

 

[stuckinthemud]

H&R moulders?

 

[Adam W.]

Hollow and round wooden side escapement planes. They were used to make complex mouldings.

See the last post on this thread for an introduction.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/thread...st-aka-welcome-to-the-dark-side.130391/page-5

 

[Adam W.]

You can make any moulding of any size with the right planes.

Like this.

 

[Jacob]

Extremely unlikely to get anything off the shelf but you might find something which would pass, from a distance, if you didn't look too closely.
For a proper (machine) job: Spindle moulder. Find someone who can do it. With the right cutters it's 5 minutes work plus an hour for setting up. You might have to pay for the right cutters, £50 to £100 ish and you would need to give them a cleaned up sample to copy, not a rough sketch.
I used to make my own - takes some time but it ensured a perfect match

 

[cowtown_eric]

Just file out the scrach stock and DO IT!!!!

.. you'll be finished in less time than it took to find the hollows and rounds, and then file the scrach stock anyway to finesse it.

or spend the time and the petrol to drive over to the custom molding shop, pay for the custom blade, wait two weeks and drive back to get it (Hopefully finding it was done correctly.

ARGGGHH... it's a little off...so I have to generate a scratch stock anyway.

Scratch stock...That's my vote.

Eric

 

[Doug N]

I am building a mirror image of the original alcove cupboard in our early 20th century terrace. It has a complex molding acting as a cover strip across the top and down one edge, totalling about 12ft in length. Before I file out a scratch-stock, any ideas where I might source some. I'm in Caerphilly and there used to be a place in Cardiff made custom moldings that I remember going to with my Dad but that was 30 years ago and they're long gone.

Robert Price in Taffs Well would machine some up for you but would likely need a sample. I had about 12 feet of dado rail made there to match an existing profile about 18 months ago. From memory it cost £50 to make the cutter plus cost of timber. Not cheap - but cheaper than removing and replacing over 100 feet of existing!
Good luck.

 

[Cabinetman]

https://www.periodmouldings.co.uk/c/architraves/victorian-architraves/ Never used these people but they seem to have quite a range of mouldings from different periods, otherwise it’s as said above. Ian

 

[Jester129]

Just wondering..... would an actual piece of the moulding be needed, or would a profile gauge be good enough when getting something made? Just like to know, that's all.

 

[Adam W.]

Just file out the scrach stock and DO IT!!!!

.. you'll be finished in less time than it took to find the hollows and rounds, and then file the scrach stock anyway to finesse it.

or spend the time and the petrol to drive over to the custom molding shop, pay for the custom blade, wait two weeks and drive back to get it (Hopefully finding it was done correctly.

ARGGGHH... it's a little off...so I have to generate a scratch stock anyway.

Scratch stock...That's my vote.

Eric

You don't need to make a scratch stock if you plane it properly and use the inside corner of the rebates as the depth stop.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I have extremely similar mouldings in my house of a similar vintage. I needed lots of it, so I traced the outline on graph paper and got someone to make custom spindle moulder cutters (£50ish) before running off xty metres for me. You've only got 12ft which could be fun to do with hand tools, but is a lot easier with very straight-grained (knot-free) stuff which is not so easy to find these days. If you are minded to try and explore the rabbit hole that Adam is tempting you with, this book is excellent:
https://www.classichandtools.com/ac...LDINGS-IN-PRACTICE-LAP-BOOK-MIP.html#SID=1220You can use these techniques surprisingly well with power router bits too - building up the moulding in sections. Like Stumpy:

Another option is to find a similar but not identical moulding (or combination of mouldings) and use that - only you are likely to notice!!!

 

[Cabinetman]

I have extremely similar mouldings in my house of a similar vintage. I needed lots of it, so I traced the outline on graph paper and got someone to make custom spindle moulder cutters (£50ish) before running off xty metres for me. You've only got 12ft which could be fun to do with hand tools, but is a lot easier with very straight-grained (knot-free) stuff which is not so easy to find these days. If you are minded to try and explore the rabbit hole that Adam is tempting you with, this book is excellent:
https://www.classichandtools.com/ac...LDINGS-IN-PRACTICE-LAP-BOOK-MIP.html#SID=1220You can use these techniques surprisingly well with power router bits too - building up the moulding in sections. Like Stumpy:

Another option is to find a similar but not identical moulding (or combination of mouldings) and use that - only you are likely to notice!!!

Woodies last sentence – standard Ogee archive is very similar on the thicker part, you could rip that bit down and glue a fresh piece on to cut the rest of the moulding on. Ian

 

[Ollie78]

Bit of a different plan.
Find something off the shelf as similar as you can, buy twice as much and replace the stuff on the old bit as well.

Ollie

 

[stuckinthemud]

I must have been dead in the head when I posted yesterday, it was an especially hard week in work. I found this under my bench this morning, inherited it 15 years ago, the box has never been opened. Would a Stanley 50 help?

 

[Adam W.]

Yes, it might but it depends on the cutters you have.

I have extremely similar mouldings in my house of a similar vintage. I needed lots of it, so I traced the outline on graph paper and got someone to make custom spindle moulder cutters (£50ish) before running off xty metres for me. You've only got 12ft which could be fun to do with hand tools, but is a lot easier with very straight-grained (knot-free) stuff which is not so easy to find these days. If you are minded to try and explore the rabbit hole that Adam is tempting you with, this book is excellent:
https://www.classichandtools.com/ac...LDINGS-IN-PRACTICE-LAP-BOOK-MIP.html#SID=1220You can use these techniques surprisingly well with power router bits too - building up the moulding in sections. Like Stumpy:

Another option is to find a similar but not identical moulding (or combination of mouldings) and use that - only you are likely to notice!!!

Me, tempt someone to go down a rabbit hole and take a trip back in time ?......Never!

The book is excellent if not a little long winded. Don McConnell from Old Street Tools has done an excellent pair of videos on the Lie-Nielsen streaming site, which explains the process in great detail.

Personally, I think it's a great thing to learn if you're into fixing up old houses with period correct architrave to match the existing. Plus it frees you up from having to mess around trying to source other people to do stuff for you which you can easily do yourself at home, and you'll probably do a better job of it too.

All the tools are readily available on ebay for little money and you can just buy them in pairs when you figure out the sizes needed and build up a set as you go.

I may do a "how to" in a week when I build the next frame I'm working on.

 

[stuckinthemud]

Full confession, I also have a small number of what I call molding planes but you call H&R, had them 15 years, have no idea what profile they are as, even though I am a wood-carver and hand tool specialist- only have 4 power tools- I hate running moldings. I will check them and see if they can help , will probably rough out with the various planes and finesse with the scratch stock. Nearly applied to do the c&g carving course under Dick Onians as a home student but life took me a different way, love it that the courses have flourished