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Discussion Forum

Splicing skirt boards?

CVBReno | Posted in Construction Techniques on August 15, 2007 10:11am

I have two 14′ long MDF 1x12s to use as skirt boards in the stairway.  Problem is, there are 90-degree turns in the hallways at both the top and bottom of the stairs, so there is no way to get the long skirt boards around the corner and into the stairway from either end. 

If I cut the skirtboards in two, what’s the least-visible way to splice them back together prior to nailing in place?  Biscuits, pocket screws, or just cross-cut at a 45 degree angle and nail them in place?  The skirt boards will be painted.

 

 

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  1. CAGIV | Aug 15, 2007 10:56pm | #1

    I'd scarf joint them, glue and nail. 

    You can use Bondo and sand to smooth them out.  Since it's painted with enough patience and work you should be able to make the seam nearly invisable.

     

    Team Logo

  2. User avater
    Brady T. | Aug 16, 2007 01:03am | #2

    I'd cut them on a 22.5 rather than a 45. Nail one. Glue both pieces, and install second skirt. And Bondo...... every time I mix Bondo, I kind of feel like I'm playing with fire, but it always seems to turn out OK. But if you do apply Bondo to the joint, it should virtually disappear after its painted.

  3. DonCanDo | Aug 16, 2007 02:52am | #3

    How about making a half-lap joint.  Then you can trial fit and sand as needed to get a near perfect fit before you take it into the stairway.

  4. User avater
    hammer1 | Aug 16, 2007 03:06am | #4

    I'd scarf them too but with an angle less than 45°.

    Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
    1. User avater
      Sphere | Aug 18, 2007 12:28am | #11

      Funny how a true scarf joint is more of a ratio than a degree. A running scarf as I've been taught, is along the lines of a 1:8.

      But that is beyond most site tooling available, or the inclination to expend the labor to do it, but is still the de-riguer in boat building.

      Not pickin a tussle with ya, just wondering why you'd go less than a 45? A longer scarf has more glue surface, and a better feather-ability. 

      1. User avater
        hammer1 | Aug 18, 2007 02:28am | #12

        Boats are a little different in that they may be structural and you want to keep out the water. A skirt board, in this case, is just a decorative item. Crosscutting a 1" x 12" (nominal +-) at a 45° bevel is a strenuous cut for most saws. Since the main reason for making a scarf cut in this situation is just to avoid a 90° butt joint, any bevel will accomplish this. Rather than attempt to make a 45° bevel, which may not cut accurately, causing a questionable fit, it's easier to reduce the angle. My saws bevel at 15° or 30° easier than they do at 45°. The less complications when installing difficult trim, the better.I often do the same if I have to splice a piece of baseboard on a long wall. Another place is something like a french cleat, you don't really need a steep angle in order for it to work. If the original poster decides to cut the scarf on a stud, this will involve a compound angle and those are even more difficult for saws. In looking at the cut and it's purpose, I don't see a significant reason for making the bevel any steeper and a few reasons not to. I was looking at a clapboard job on an old New England church a while ago. The pine clapboards are original and date from 1732. They were scarfed at the joints but the scarfs looked like they were cut with an axe or adze, not too precisely either. In that case, a steeper angle is easier to cut when you use those tools. Appearance seemed to be a secondary concern on that job. Keeping the weather out was what mattered, 1:8 or more was called for and it wouldn't surprise me if those installers had some ship building experience.
        Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

        1. User avater
          Sphere | Aug 18, 2007 03:04am | #13

          Thanks, that makes sense. Yer right, a 45 on a slider saw is harder on the saw, and can possibly deflect in the kerf.

          I use 30 on base and such..just cuz I don't have to swing the saw around so much...lazy. 

      2. User avater
        Brady T. | Aug 18, 2007 03:44am | #14

        The 1:8 ratio thing has got me interested.... I'd like to here more about that.But here's why I go with less than a 45 on any and all spliced moldings including skirtboards.Reason #1 - There is more material to line up a 45 degree splice. The diagonal is twice as long as the diagonal of a 22.5. I don't know if having less material to line up really makes fitting a good joint any easier, but it makes sense to me. Joints spliced on a 45 are simply more noticeable than those cut on a 22Reason #2 - Material cut to the long of a 45 is thinner and more prone to damage from any bumps or bangs it encounters while on its way from the saw to the wall. This may sound petty, but when you work with some of the cavemen that I do, every little bit of damage protection helps.Then only advantage that I see on a 45 degree splice is the glue-a-bility issue. More room for more glue is always a good thing. Kind of like more nails, right? Well maybe not but anyway......Oh yeah, I almost forgot.... Sphere, tell me more about this "feather-ability" that you speak of.

        1. User avater
          Sphere | Aug 18, 2007 04:02am | #15

          Feather-a-bilty, is my made up word for having a longer, thinner taper-to-nothing point, that can be sanded or planed to eliminate or at least better conceal the abrubt ness of the two meeting pcs.  A line ( or better a smear) that won't telegraph as noticeably under a coat of paint.

          I also correlate it to the longer taper allowing a cheat trick..a board stretcher of sorts...take a 1x8 say 4' long and rip it corner to corner ( diagonally) , now glue it back together with a total new with of say 6"...you'll find that it is now longer than 4'...LOL.  You just stretched a board.  On some woods like Red oak, the grain may even match so well, that the "fix" is hard to spot.

          The 1:8 ratio was what was called out in a set of plans for a boat I was building ( never finished it) I needed 16' of 5mm Okume Plywood, and the way to get a good glue joint was a LONG scarf..done with a block plane.  That was some dang expensive ply too, LOL.

          Just so happens 1:8 is also a common Dovetail ratio for tail taper, the other is 1:6 for hard woods.  Old school numbers, now it seems that bits are sold by the 14 degree or whatever angle is created by the bit. 

  5. grpphoto | Aug 16, 2007 05:50am | #5

    I cut them at a 45 degree angle, lapping the joints. I place the joint over a stud, so that I can drive finishing nails through the joint into the stud. I cover over any imperfections with Elmer's wood putty and sand flat before painting. If you're real careful, even that isn't needed - I have used this trick on varnished oak trim.

    George Patterson
  6. arcticcat | Aug 16, 2007 06:54am | #6

    It also helps to place the spice near the nose of a tread - makes for a shorter seam.

    Mike

    1. CVBReno | Aug 16, 2007 05:55pm | #7

      Thanks everyone for good suggestions!  Sounds like a strong consensus. 

      1. wane | Aug 16, 2007 07:32pm | #8

        bring them in through an upstairs window!

        1. CVBReno | Aug 16, 2007 07:38pm | #9

          That's a good idea, but the only window even close to the stairway is a picture window that does not open!

           

           

          1. DanH | Aug 16, 2007 07:51pm | #10

            > a picture window that does not open!You're just not trying hard enough. One "Oops!" will solve your problem.
            So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin

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