Replies

1. 
   cargin | Aug 16, 2009 06:03pm | #1

   Brian

   Thanks for the pics.

   let me know if you want to see/discuss the process.

   I know what you mean about feedback. It's pretty discouraging to put alot of effort into a series of posts and not get any feedback. Feedback from fellow BTers is what keeps you wanting to post new stuff. And then the new posts make BT a better place to visit.

   I'm always ready to see pic of the process.

   What kind of wood are you using. Fir?

   I can't see the grain well enough in the pics.

   Are they solid pieces or laminated. With the green ends I thought maybe they were solid.

   Rich

1. 
   Huck | Aug 16, 2009 06:17pm | #3

   I know what you mean about feedback. It's pretty discouraging to put alot of effort into a series of posts and not get any feedback.

   lurkers repent!View Image bakersfieldremodel.com

1. 
   basswood | Aug 16, 2009 07:39pm | #8

   I'm guilty too... my excuse is that I barely have time to post in my own threads these days... good to be busy these days though.

2. 
   basswood | Aug 16, 2009 06:50pm | #5

   Rich,This is a porch rail, so I found the best cedar 4x4's (spent about an hour picking through the pile)... and cut them down to make 2-1/2" wide by 2-3/4" tall rail blanks. I used nice tight, straight-grained stock with very few knots (the blank on the right has 21 rings per inch).

2. 
   popawheelie | Aug 16, 2009 06:15pm | #2

   I like the look of it. It has that one off old world look. I love going into an old home that has a lot of custom woodwork.

   "There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."
   Will Rogers
1. 
   basswood | Aug 16, 2009 07:36pm | #7

   Thanks. It is a nice, vintage look.

3. 
   coonass | Aug 16, 2009 06:27pm | #4

   basswood,

   I am surprised since that is such a common detail down here in bayou land. I even bought the triple bead bit. Usually a little flatter with a cove on the bottom.

   KK

1. 
   basswood | Aug 16, 2009 07:42pm | #9

   Here that profile is mostly in Victorians, but it is not stocked at the yards. I've heard that it is still a stock profile in the NorthEast too.

4. 
   Scott | Aug 16, 2009 07:32pm | #6

   >>>let me know if you want to see/discuss the process

    

   Of course!!! Looks great. More pics, Man!!

    

   Scott.

1. 
   basswood | Aug 16, 2009 08:15pm | #11

   Three passes with the beading bit on each side, then the roundover, and then I turned the rail on it's side and shaved a 5* slope on the top of the rail from the center of the top down to the rounded shoulder on the tablesaw. Need to run a sample by the inspectors office to see if it meets their notion of grippable (might have to run the beading down deeper).

   
1. 
   stevent1 | Aug 16, 2009 08:24pm | #12

   Brian,I always enjoy following your informative threads. Thanx for posting.Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood

1. 
   basswood | Aug 16, 2009 09:29pm | #16

   Hi Chuck,Thanks for the nice comment.Brian

2. 
   Scott | Aug 16, 2009 08:43pm | #13

   Is that a track saw you've adapted?

1. 
   basswood | Aug 16, 2009 09:31pm | #17

   EZ guide with router base made for it.

3. 
   KenHill3 | Aug 16, 2009 08:49pm | #14

   Hi, Brian-You are using Dino's rail jig or similar?That has got to be about the best method that I can think of outside of using custom knives on a shaper with power feed.In the pic it looks like you have a longer piece of stock than the jig will accommodate. Will you next slide your stock toward the camera. Registering to that last end of cut(s), man I'd be really sweating it, I think. Why not indexing offa the stock with a guide ?Nice work! I'm hungry for the details!View Image

1. 
   basswood | Aug 16, 2009 09:47pm | #18

   I milled 3 12" rails and a 6' practice piece (cut in half--big knot in the middle). The rail and jig is about 8', so I milled half the rail, lifted the plunge router, slid the rail down, and ran the rest.Using a similar set up, with the same router and rail for fluting, I learned that as I route from left to right to push lightly away from me with me left hand and pull with the right hand on the router handle. This does two things... eliminates play in the guide (play can make for ugly wobbles in the bead or beads of inconsistent width) and prevents binding on the rail (binding occurs as you push to the right and the router guide base rotates counterclockwise on the rail and locks up). This is a "Zen and the Art of Routing" thing... very easy to do after the first 100 hours of router and rail work. ;o)

1. 
   kostawood | Aug 18, 2009 06:03am | #20

   Nice method.What keeps the router level to the track and workpiece?
   There is any adjustments to the router base or you have to seam the workpiece and/or the track? Do you have to reposition the track for every pass?
   There is any play on the router slide? The black piece?
   Any adjustments for the play? If any?How much for the setup?
   I watch few videos on youtube but not sure if this is the same setup.Thanks for posting.kostawood.

2. 
   basswood | Aug 19, 2009 12:27am | #23

   I set the guide rail up 1-1/2" above the benchtop and the router base attachment was adjustable enough the handle the rest of the rail width. I tracks nice and straight and level.http://eurekazone.com/products/detail/srs.htmlThe router base is about $150 and the rail varies by lengths you need.I left the guide rail in the same location, the router base has a screw knob adjustment for distance from the rail and I used a practice piece to determine the setting for each pass and marked these settings with a sharpie.There is some play, but if you pull toward you on the right handle of the router (lightly) and push away with your left hand the play is eliminated and it prevents any lock up on the rail (assuming running from left to right).I hope that answers your questions,Bass

3. 
   kostawood | Aug 19, 2009 02:34am | #26

   Thanks.
   I found this on youtube.
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKCtgdou9IE&feature=channelYou describe it better (quick and simple) than the video.
   thanks again.

4. 
   mikeroop | Aug 16, 2009 08:57pm | #15

   bring it . always enjoy your posts.

1. 
   basswood | Aug 16, 2009 09:49pm | #19

   Thanks Mike!I'm too much of wood nerd for most people. :o)Bass

1. 
   mike585 | Aug 19, 2009 07:55pm | #29

   "I'm too much of wood nerd for most people. :o)"

   Nerds are cool these days.

   This is timely for me. I have to duplicate some porch railings this fall and I was thinking about how I would do the beading. I have the ez smart and the router guide. Now I know how I will go at it.

   Mine will be painted.  What would you use?  I was leaning toward DF.

2. 
   basswood | Aug 20, 2009 12:38am | #31

   Mike I visited the inspector today... they are having me plow the beads 5/16" deeper, but just on the stair rail (just one 5' section), the guardrail sections are fine as is.I also found out that they should be 1/4" narrower (2-1/4"), but they will let that slide.DF would be great.All the best,Brian

5. 
   doodabug | Aug 16, 2009 07:47pm | #10

   I am always interested in your stuff. We do some things in a similar way.

   I don't always comment but interested. Keep showin!

6. 
   user-64511 | Aug 18, 2009 07:45pm | #21

   Nice work !! I hope you have a good dust collection system ! Keep the pic's coming.

1. 
   basswood | Aug 19, 2009 12:31am | #24

   Thanks Bruce,I have a dust collector on my table saw, and use the Fein vac on the sanders and router table. When routing on the rail the dust just flies, but this time of year I run two industrial fans in the shop (one blowing out and another blowing in at the other end of the shop)... so it is like working in a wind tunnel here with a constant flow of new fresh air and exhausting of dusty air.Cheers,Bass

7. 
   jimjimjim | Aug 18, 2009 07:53pm | #22

   Bass,

   Beautiful work, nicely done.  I assume you're matching an existing rail.

   Where I am in California, the handgrip portion of the rail must be 1 1/4" to 2" wide.  If your rail is 2 1/2" it wouldn't be approved.

   Regards,

   Jim x 3 

1. 
   basswood | Aug 19, 2009 12:35am | #25

   Thanks Jim,Here we go by IRC which allows up to 2-3/4" wide. The question is on the graspable thing, they may want the beading recessed 5/16" to pass. Most of this is guard rail on a porch, so it may not matter there. The short section on the 4 steps may need to have beading plowed deeper.Bass

8. 
   bd | Aug 19, 2009 01:11pm | #27

   Brian,

   I'm guilty of not saying thanks often enough to those that take the time to post & enlighten those of us with fewer talents & skills.

   I always enjoy your threads, but very seldom have something worth adding. Definitely would like to see whatever you can make the time to post.

   Ed

1. 
   basswood | Aug 19, 2009 03:04pm | #28

   Ed, I appreciate your nice words. Good to know that others get something out of these threads. Have a good day,Brian

1. 
   bd | Aug 19, 2009 10:00pm | #30

   >Good to know that others get something out of these threads.Always!......I'm sure a lot of times when you, & others, try to decide what to post, you're thinking, "is anybody going to be interested in this trivial step of the process. Is it actually worth my time to paste that picture in & talk about it." The answer is YES. To other people of your skill level some steps or processes may be trivial because they've done them a hundred times, too. For the rest of us that come here to learn, we frequently know that we need to get from, say, point A to point B, but may see either no path to follow or a myriad of ways to get there & not know which is the best from the point of view of our skill set or the available tools.Learning how people do similar tasks with different tools sets & techniques on the threads posted here are about the only way that many of us are going to be able to serve our "apprenticeships" -- and learn the secrets of the pros.Thanks again, to you and everyone else that takes the time to post such threads.Ed

1. 
   basswood | Aug 20, 2009 12:43am | #32

   Thanks again for the feedback. I try to post when I have something that might be of interest.Cheers,Brian

1. 
   dovetail97128 | Aug 20, 2009 04:03am | #33

   FWIW ..
   Everything I have seen of yours is of interest.
   They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.

2. 
   basswood | Aug 20, 2009 04:31am | #34

   My little carpentry business seems to based on more oddball--nobody else around here will do this--stuff, each year. The novelty of some of these projects adds interest to my threads, and I suppose the problem solving to make it happen is another key.Glad to hear that you find this stuff interesting.Regards,Brian

3. 
   jesse | Aug 20, 2009 07:09am | #35

   Good stuff. I gotta admit that if someone came to me with that I would find someone with a moulding machine/shaper. But I guess that's what happens when you start out working with guys that own unbelievably powerful moulders that were discarded by Andersen Windows.

4. 
   basswood | Aug 20, 2009 08:29pm | #36

   Thanks, I work in a market that seems to lack local millwork. I have a place that could do it about an hour away. For a run of about 40', the custom knives and set up charges would be a couple hundred $$. Add drive time and gas... This customer pays for the work, by the hour, so I just say, "Yep, I can do that." Then I figure out a way to do it. <g>

5. 
   basswood | Aug 21, 2009 01:30am | #37

   Met with the inspector yesterday and was told that the stair rail had to be reworked. Today I plowed the beads 3/8" deeper (code required 5/16"). Also shaved down the "flange" at the base of the rail (it stuck out too far after the beading was deeper and looked goofy). Now the rail is officially "gripable".

   
6. 
   mike_maines | Aug 21, 2009 08:07pm | #38

   Looks great Brian--another article-worthy piece!  Too bad the inspector made you re-do it.  I've never seen that profile, but I've made similar rails using a hand-held router.  One snag and you're all done. 

   The EZ-setup looks like a great way to go, and would be good for column flutes, soffit vents, and other things too--

7. 
   basswood | Aug 21, 2009 09:34pm | #39

   Thanks Mike,I'll see if FHB is interested in it.Fortunately, I only had to rerun one short section (for the stairs), the guardrails did not have to meet the "grasp code". It did take 3 hours to redo the rail though.TGIFBrian

8. 
   kostawood | Aug 23, 2009 07:58pm | #40

   A question (s)?
   Anyone tried making moldings using the ez tunnel method?
   I found some info but not enough to understand the whole concept.
   Looks like you can make some moldings with a simple setup where you feed the wood under a routing tunnel instead of a norm routing table.
   The ez forum at SMC was closed and all info was deleted.
   I visited the "ez focus group" but there is no activity there.

9. 
   DikH | Aug 30, 2009 12:18pm | #41

   There is now a new forum: http://tracksawforum.com

9. 
   Hazlett | Aug 30, 2009 02:58pm | #42

   basswood,
   not to "de-rail" your thread---- but if you should ever come to ohio for another "Petefest"--about 30 minutes away from pete's house is a place you might like to tour

   Try http://www.stanhywet.org

   house is maybe not your style-- but spectacular none the less---acres of really nice woodworking examples including hand carved "linenfold" wainscoating and a hand planed hand rail overlooking the great hall that is maybe 30 feet long if i can remember

   walter would Certainley appreciate the slate roofs as well
   stephen