"Bill" wrote in message
I was just reading this article about casing doors (not
that I needed to read it of course...just because I was
curious).
http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/2012/...-doors-part-3/
My door is about 7' high, the molding is 2" wide and
1.25" thick.
My strategy was that I would fit and mark the moldings
to size, cut them with a hand miter saw I have, and nail it up. Since
I'm not nailing through drywall, I figured 2.5" finish nails
would be appropriate. If 2" finish nails would be suitable, I
happen to have those on hand (please comment).
I was even planning to go through the extra effort of
priming the ends, before I nailed it up.
This isn't adequate for the fellow who wrote the article.
He wants to tack it down, and then glue his molding using
"spring clamps" which I have never seen before, and then go back and nail
it
down. Hell, I think I'll be wrestling the molding to the wall (as I
bend around two of my drywall seems! : )
I do like his idea of using a "spacer" tool, to make the
reveal perfectly uniform. I would not have thought of that, and
I can improvise that.
I wanted to share these words in case anyone is willing
to comment on anything. I intend to go buy the molding
tomorrow morning. The stuff I ripped down 3 years ago
seemed ratty at the time (and was put up by someone even
less ambitious than I am!) I guess that partially addresses my concerns.
I suppose there are lots of ways
to address most any project. Whatever I do, it will be
better than it was!
)
The fellow in the article even blunted or cut off the
ends of the nails to keep from splitting the wood. Is that a technique
you
use? To my intuition, it seems like it might make more
sense for much thinner molding.
If your door is "standard", it is 80". A molding 1.25 thick and 2" wide is
wierd. Is this a casing mold or a brick mold? If for an interior passage
door, I sure wouldn't want it.
Either of your nail lengths should be fine. I've done very few doors other
than mine but I prefer to use screws and face grain plugs.
I've never glued mitered casing (in fact, I've rarely used mitered casing)
but it would help keep them together. Those spring clamps are often used by
picture framers; I never used them when I was making same because they leave
deep gouges.
Whether or not one needs/should blunt nail points depends upon whether or
not what you are nailing through tends to split.
____________________________
In a perfect world, the side jambs would be perfectly vertical and parallel
to each other and they would be at right angles to the top jamb; all would
be flush to the wall surface on each side.
It isn't a perfect world.
Because it isn't a perfect world is why casings are relieved on the
back...the hollow between the two edges helps bridge too thick drywall.
That relief also means that you need to nail through the non-relieved part
to avoid the possibility of splitting the casing down the middle.
Because it isn't a perfect world is also the reason I avoid mitering casing.
Instead, I use corner blocks...the ends of the casings are cut square and of
the proper length to align with the reveal. The open square left is then
filled with a slightly thicker and larger square piece of wood; thicker so
it will be proud of the jambs; larger so it will be wider than the jambs on
both edges. A "stopper". Corner blocks often have a decorative rosette; I
don't have a rosettes cutter so I just rout a decorative edge all around.
Final thought: if the mold you intend to use is actually 1.25 x 2, how are
you going to open the door? The pivot point of the door hinges should be
far enough out so that the door can open fully without interference from the
molding.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
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