I’m in the middle of a job building 16 fluted columns. They are decorative, not structural, and are 2-sided on outside corners and 3-sided where they wrap actual posts that stick out along a hallway. They are 14×14″, 10×10″, and 8×8″. I built and installed the 14×14’s this past week.
This is for an office building where I did a dozen 8×8 columns last winter. I’ve taken a few photos and can take more, if there is any interest. I’ll be working on them and base & cap and crown, etc. for the foyers and 4th floor, for the nest couple of weeks.
Here is a photo of the main hall in the building, these are the 10×10’s built by a another carpenter 20 years ago (he is retired, but works with HFH now). I am building similar columns (moldings slightly different, etc.):
I’m on my lunch hour (hummus pita & chowder) at the cafe across the street… better get back to columnizing. ;o)
Replies
Of course theres interest !!
Since the weather is so lousy we have to live vicariosly by looking at work from you and others willing to take pics and post them.
Which name did you choose ? I liked the one with Restoration in it.
Walter
Hi Walter,I heard today that this is the first January here, in 30 years, without a high temp above 32*F. Most nights lows -10*F to -30*F and most highs have been single digits or teens.Good to have indoor work.Here are some pics of finishing of column faces, drilling pocket holes, and assembling "ells."Each ell has a 14-1/2" face and a 13-3/4" face. The short face has a 3/4" edge of the long face lapped over it to total 14-1/2."
basswood
I read this thread a week ago and I wanted to reply but didn't have time.
I see from your pics that you have alot of columns spread out around the shop drying.
Perhaps this idea will apply to your situation.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=112759.1
I usually have 27" arms on the drying rack (about 12" each side of a 1x4).
But for this picture we used 60" arms to support Marvin windows we were finishing.
The concept allows for any lenght of board to be dryed and the hold alot of weight.
When I am done with it I unscrew it and screw it to the ceiling.
Rich
Rich,I really like your drying racks and will use that idea. Thanks for the tip.Here is a funny tip, related to the column project... I had one column joint open up and re-clamped it in place (in a busy hallway). I covered the ends of the clamps with unmatched, brightly colored gloves, to warn people to avoid running into the clamps.Looked so funny, I had to take a pic:
Basswood
That's funny
Rich
Rich,I'm gonna screw 1x2's to firehose kinda like my rollup walkway, but space the 1x so that they can be used as hanging drying racks like yours, but they can be rolled up to the ceiling and tied in the rolled up position, when not in use.Might work.Brian
brian
Might work.
Or it might be too wobbly. You would have to carefully load it to prevent tipping.
It would be bad day if recently built and wet with finish projects fell to the floor.
I haven't set these up to swing out of the way because the area we usually use for drying has a bunch of jigs and other things stored on the ceiling.
We also vary the width (and direction) that we spread the frames. 2' apart if we are doing windows and stops.
4-5' apart if we are doing a alot of casing.
I would probably build a third one if we were going to prepaint siding.
Rich
If I get around to trying something, I'll let you know.Now I'm thinking of a scheme of roll-up tandem rack rigging hooked up to a garage door opener. Like something in the movie Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang. ;o)
Basswood
The picture reminds me of a job site we were on this fall. The guy had these on his fence around the house.
Rich
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Edited 2/8/2009 10:46 pm ET by cargin
I love that funky, whimsical stuff.
brian
maybe you will also like his decking material.
We were replacing a rotten sliding door out onto his deck made with steel mesh. LOL
This guy has combines and threshing machines for lawn ornaments. LOL
Rich
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That looks good to me... my deck appears to be made of snow and ice. :o(
Brian
Better now than it was a month ago. We in NW IA are starting to thaw out. 1/2" of rain expected today.
Rich
Almost hit 40* here yesterday... the meltdown has begun. <g>
basswood
the meltdown has begun.
And the choir was singing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.
Rich
Here is a shot of the main foyer with the new columns (the bridge in the background spans the main channel of the Mississippi, between Minnesota and Wisconsin).
You really gotta ask? The whole reason we're here is because we're interested. =)
~ Ted W ~
Cheap Tools - BuildersTools.net
See my work - TedsCarpentry.com
Hey Ted,Here is another couple o' pics.An ell ready to be set, and installed.
Pilasters. ;o)
Pilasters. ;o)
I knew that. Just wanted to give somebody else a chance.
Good job, Jeff
>g<~ Ted W ~
Cheap Tools - BuildersTools.netSee my work - TedsCarpentry.com
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Jeff,These pilasters, since they wrap around the corner, have more depth than a typical "flat" pilaster... almost a column.Here are some pics of one with the capital added:
Just curious, did you shape your own moldings for the capital or are those off the shelf?~ Ted W ~
Cheap Tools - BuildersTools.netSee my work - TedsCarpentry.com
The moldings are off the shelf. From the top, 3-1/4" crown, then a chair rail molding, and just above the flutes--an inverted base cap molding. There are two layers of 1x building out the capital too.I hope it looks OK. I took some cues from the columns I was "copying" and tweaked the design some.
Got any pics of routering the flutes? jigs? ect?
Mike,I used a Bosch router with EZ guide rail. These are some pics of it when I was fluting for 8x8 columns:
I hope it looks OK...
It looks great, that's why I had to ask. ~ Ted W ~
Cheap Tools - BuildersTools.netSee my work - TedsCarpentry.com
Actually the moldings are all from Menards. The moldings did have some chatter marks from the mill that took some sanding to smooth out, but not too bad.
Jeff,Here is a fun pic of the capital of one column fitted around the door closer:
Nice work. It's always a shame when the modern essential get in the way.
Thanks Henley,I also had a conflict between the new capital and the old crown:
Nice.
I hope they keep that handicap door operator tune up. If it over drives that arm will crush the capital. we had one that did but it only dinged up a piece of white oak chair rail.
The other issue that may come up is getting to the operator to make adjustment. Something will have to come down to get the cover off.
Thanks Dave.The cover on the operator has just two screws and I removed one screw (inside the capital), so remove the other screw and the cover slides out.
Good to see that you were looking ahead.
As a past remodeler and now a maintenace tech. I have seem many excellent installation that had to be torn up because neither the designer or builder thought about future needs.
Maintenance Shmaintenance ;o)I noticed that the access screws were well used (stripped heads--#3 Phillips--knuckleheads using #2 drivers on them)... anyways, figured that access must be a fairly regular event.
>>figured that access must be a fairly regular event.
You can bet on it. The doors on our lobby are 15-20 years old. We have totally replaced the operators at least twice that I know of and I can't count the number of times we have replace worn or broken parts. Then you throw in a whole nother level of fingers in the pie when they started adding mag locks and card readers. Some of the guys doing security work are great electrician and electronics guys, but don't know the difference between a #2 and #3 philips much less a 6/32 and a 6/24 screw.
Anyway, you have done some really nice work and was thoughtfull enough to give some shmimaitenance smuck a chance to fix the things without destroying a great facelift job.
Yeah except on a goodday I would take one look at that cover and then look at an uncovered one and go that dip.... trim guy covered up that screw and now I gotta tear all that trim off just to get to it :>)
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
When I make fluted pilasters I like to taper the ends of the flutes. I have attached a picture of a built-in bookcase that uses this type of fluted pilaster. Instead of a stop block for the router, I made a tapered piece at the end of the flutes that gradually lifts the router off the work piece. I like this method of terminating the flutes.
Robert
That is a good look.In this case, this foyer and adjoining hallway already had a dozen existing columns with flutes that I was matching.
tell me more about the radius trim did you make or buy?
I will post a couple of more pictures, it is a three piece made with a router. I made a compass jig for my router, it was just a combination of two routed profiles plus a bead at the top.Robert
Here are a couple of overall pics, window seat in middle. All birch ply & poplar. Robert
very nice!