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Does anyone know how to make pyramid caps for newell posts?
Is a table saw the best tool to ue
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a newel post implies interior finish..
by a pyramid cap i assume you are talking about the four sides being cut at a bevel so they form a pyramid.. right..
if this were a finish stair newel.. you could make it up on almost any saw with a good blade.. the bevel would be normally between 30 deg. to 45 deg. depending on taste.. a chop saw would be the tool of choice..
if you are cutting railing posts on a deck this is usually done with a skill saw free hand with a square marked all around after the cut-off height is determined...
practise, practise, practise...
*To be precise, a pyramid has a point on the top of it, Mike; yours is truncated. And maybe that's why she's asking, because it seems a dangerous cut to make on a table saw, especially is it's a thick piece of wood for the cap. Since she's considering a tablesaw, i can't see that she's talking about a post already installed and cutting the finial in place.I'm a wimp, cynthia. Set the BANDSAW table at an angle, use a fence, and enjoy the fact that your fingers are way safer, especially since you're smart enought to use a push stick if necessary. This leaves a rougher texture, but a belt sander can clean it up fast, or it may be interesting to leave the blade marks, especially if for outdoors.
*well EXCUSE ME.. sg.. how did mine get truncated ?did i turn my back ? did you do it when i wasn't looking?.. what am i missing here ?a bandsaw for a bevel cut on a post?gimme a break... and why should there be something that needs touching up with a beltsander ?you set it up on a chop saw at 45 deg. make the first cut, roll the post, 2d cut, roll the post... 3d cut,, roll the post last cut.. no truncate... no saw marks... it's woodworking 101....you oughta stick to your literary pursuits..
*We did some pyramid blocks from 5/4 cherry for some dogear trim on door casings a few years back and I cut them on a chopsaw and can still count to 10, although I was pretty nervous while cutting. IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP: if you ever wonder "Why in the Hell am I doing this?" you need to stop RIGHT NOW!Go down to the local lumber yard and see what they got to offer in a manufactured cap. Lots are available in both PTP and cedar, some with copper flashing, and you don't have to worry about keeping your fingers. Some are even attractive, and don't cost too much.If I was gonna cut them into the post top, I' use a chopsaw like Mike suggested. If I'm making them as add-ons, I'd probably use splinter's method. No way I'd try to use a tablesaw. You've got far too much blade and too little stock for this to be a safe operation. You could start with a piece of long stock, cut the angles on a chopsaw, and then crosscut to thickness, but this would leave you with an end-grain top, which I would avoid for outside use. Or you could cut compound miters on 4 separate pieces and biscuit them together to form your pyramid. Or you could hand-carve a pattern, make a mould, and cast them in epoxy or fiberglass.I'd go buy the damn things.
*And, as mike said, if it's an exterior post already in place.....or an interior for that matter....tack on little "ledger" boards on all sides and use them as guides. Set the saw and and knock her off. Jeff
*Sorry, Mike, a matter of defintion, not testosterone. I use the term to describe a corner knocked off a square edge, a synonym for chamfer, but i think it could be just a matter of degree, not kind, of difference as well. Don't cross your legs cuz i said "truncated", OK?No, i wouldn't suggest a bandsaw for a post in place, or a whole post, as you must know, but i made the distinction that it sounded to me like she's not talking whole posts to "pyramid", but CAPS, since that's what she wrote, and i give the benefit of the doubt where these things are concerned.Having a background in amputation, i tend to play it safer than some. Cynthia is posting here because she's inexperienced; an experienced person would know the answer to this simple question. It seemed prudent to give a tool option least likely to hurt her when dealing with small pieces of wood. I have kids come into my shop to make stuff sometimes and i'll let them use the bandsaw, but i'd never turn them loose with my 10" and 12" mitersaws.We're not sure here whether it's an inside or outside application, but when i do woodwork for interiors--and hell, exteriors too!--i always clean up my saw marks with sandpaper; i've even been known to sand between coats of finish, but i don't advertise or everyone would want that, all the time. I think bandsaw blade marks are interesting, however, and could see leaving it for texture, even indoors. Even my LU85's leave marks enough to bother me--please tell me what blades you have.And i guess i'd rather not stay in Woodworking 101 with you, nor in the attitude of that other thread.
*if all you are making is caps .. and they are loose.. then you want to avoid the end grain..in that case i would select my stock. and make two ripping passes with the blade set at the correct bevel .. 30 deg. would be more appropriate for interior....that 's the first half of the operationthen i would set up a chop saw and set the same bevel... and slice off caps from the ripped piece..use the clamps on the chop saw to hold the piece in place .. and don't use any dull bladesseal the caps before installation .. and make more than you need so you can select the best ones.. and the ones least likely to split and check...
*This task is best performed with a Makita LS 1013 sliding compound miter saw with it's standard blade and a Rousseau stand and fence with stops. It can be done with other miter saws, but you won't enjoy it as much. You may choose whatever degree chamfer that appeals to your eye or feel but don't turn it into a spear unless this is for your mother in law. I would not attempt this maneuver on a table saw unless you have a sliding table and even then you may wish to wear chain mail. Be sure to back the car out of the garage.SG, I must admit I am confused by the bandsaw choice.I am certain I am correct, but I could be wrong.Bill
*P.S.In my excitement I forgot to add that you should cut the pyramid on a post, then remove it with another pass @ 90%.It's a good thing,Bill again
*Bandsaw choice was merely for safety for a relative novice, Bill, and because i think a lot more homeowners have a bandsaw or access to one than a sliding compound miter saw. Also, angle on the miter saw is limited to approx. 45 degrees, bandsaw can cut any degree, freehand. And i suppose in my mind i was imagining something a bit spear-like, fortressy--wonder why??? :)))You still get end grain cutting off the post end. I didn't address orientation of the grain, glad others did. Also to make extra: did 60 post caps for my personal fence last year for 56 posts and have to make more "spares" still, and this was heart redwood, primed, painted--flat grain, though. Still get cracks in such small pieces subject to attack from all sides--getting to like plastic in all its incarnations...
*Doh,I missed the end grain thing.Being the bulldog I am, I'll stick to my method, only once they are cut, shrink wrap them in 60 mil poly. Now, how do I attach them.. Epoxy! That's the ticket! Be sure to sand the poly before you paint it, but be sure to sand it less than 60 mil.Oh shucks, just ignore everything I've said. :) (I can't get the hang of these faces)Bill
*Bill?What faces...? I thought it was Navajo...
*Just made three of them for the box newells I built up for my staircase. Used 6/4 oak cut into triangles and glued up to make the squares. No end grain. I then stuck them to a block to run thruogh the tablesaw. Used some of that super sticky double sided tape to attach them to the jig, then ran 'em through 4 times at a 22 deg. bevel. I had my doubts about the tape until I went to pull the first on off. Couldn't get it to budge until I worked a chisel under it, and then it took some work. All in all I got about two hours in these things and they look good and were relatively safe and easy to do.
*See what I mean? What did I say?I'm a little light headed, I just had my big toenail ripped off. On purpose.Woosily,Bill
*Cynthia, the question Mike asked... "interior or exterior" has to be answered.Exterior caps (loose) are manufactured using automatic (tractor) feeders and swing-blade table saws. No fingers near the workpiece.Four passes through, and you've a pointed cap.Interior caps are usually waaay bigger, and therefore a little easier to do by the glue-up method mentioned below.Don't forget to bore a 1 inch diameter hole in the top, a wooden "Newel Post Button" goes there... with the house mortgage rolled inside the matching bore in the post.When the house is paid for, off comes the wooden button... the mortgage is burnt, the ashes put in the hole, and an Ivory Newel Post Button replaces the original wooden one.I'd guess these days, a "polymer ivory" button would be more "correct".
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I actually have used the method that Mike Smith outlined and it worked really well. Probably the safest method that I have read in this thread (well, except for the buy them prefabricated suggestion). Although I think that I will try wedgehead's "triangle" method next time, sounds like it might work pretty snazzy too. I did once make some using the table saw exclusively. After buzzing eleven of them through I finally relaxed a little tiny bit on the last one.... I still have the scar on my chest. Lucky it wasn't my pretty face. good luck and be careful out there!
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Yo SG: What does that mean, "background in amputation"?
*Why do you think i had to go in for an ass-widening?
*No splintergroupie, I like you and wanted to project some concern and affection.
*Well, in that case...!I was running some cutting boards about 6" wide through my Unisaw when the fence vibrated loose, pinched the blade and tipped me and the board over into the blade. The problem was that i'd not had the handle exactly perpendicular to the rail when i locked it down and the handle didn't seat in the track well. Seems a bad design to me, but i haven't heard of anyone else making the same error. I'm quite safety conscious, always telling the help to wear earplugs, etc., so it was pretty embarrassing to ask to have me and my index finger taken to the doctor for a crummy pinned lap joint--seems at the least he could've given me a mortise and tenon for $7000. The up side is that there's no knuckle so when i'm driving everyone thinks i'm doing the country "wave" thing and gives me the one-finger wave back! (No, not THAT finger!)
*SG,What fence was it? I'm thinking of getting a replacement, and I'll want to avoid the one you were using. I hope it wasn't the unifence.Looking at the bright side I bet you can dial a phone fast, and you are always prepared to pick your nose (depending on the nostril).Bill
*Yes, it's the Unifence. I bought the saw in near-new condition, and it came with. The guy i got it from forgot to give me the splitter when i picked up the saw, sent it the week after the accident...Not too much later, Delta began offering the Biesmeyer as an option. Always wondered if Delta figured out that the necessity of locking the handle exactly perendicular was a design/safety flaw. I should get another fence, maybe, but you can imagine how careful i now am, and i NEVER put my hand between the blade and fence, always use push sticks instead. Thought about asking Delta for a different fence, though...send 'em my med. bills...Delta, you listening?Dialing for boogers...
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Does anyone know how to make pyramid caps for newell posts?
Is a table saw the best tool to ue