The front door of our house has what a little searching tells me are
called "fluted pilasters" on either side. Style-wise, they look very
much like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fypon-90-...9#.UnOt8lP-2Jo

.... but mine are made of wood and are 60-odd years old and rotted at the
bottom. I could buy replacements like the one shown, or possibly more
expensive ones I have seen elsewhere. But so far those have been made of
some non-wood substance. So I have a few questions.

Firstly, I assume those non-wood substances don't rot, but I wonder
about their general toughness. When I carry luggage or my music gear
through that door, will I take a bite out of the trim if I hit it?

Second, the price of some of the pilasters I have seen so far would buy
me a plunge router. Would I be crazy to consider making the pilasters
myself? What's there now is made of several pieces; the "plinths" are
separate. When answering this question, pretend that your experience and
skills are on the "weekend-blunderer" end of the scale.

And third, should I decide to take this on, should I use pressure
treated lumber, or something else? If PT, will I endanger my health
routing it?

On 11/1/2013 8:49 AM, Greg Guarino wrote:
The front door of our house has what a little searching tells me are
called "fluted pilasters" on either side. Style-wise, they look very
much like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fypon-90-...9#.UnOt8lP-2Jo


... but mine are made of wood and are 60-odd years old and rotted at the
bottom. I could buy replacements like the one shown, or possibly more
expensive ones I have seen elsewhere. But so far those have been made of
some non-wood substance. So I have a few questions.

Firstly, I assume those non-wood substances don't rot, but I wonder
about their general toughness. When I carry luggage or my music gear
through that door, will I take a bite out of the trim if I hit it?

Go to that Big Box and look at their solid plastic (or whatever) trim
pieces like brick mold, etc. The stuff I bought at Menard's to frame
out replacement windows, doors, etc. is VERY dense and has stood up well
(without painting) for better than 5 years now.

I would "guesstimate" that the plastic stuff I used is tougher than pine.

The item that you show in that URL is RETURNABLE. Order it, and if the
density doesn't see as dense as the in-stock brick mold, return it on
the spot and move on.

I'm sold on the plastic trim pieces. Even put it on the shed as facia
and it's held up great.


Second, the price of some of the pilasters I have seen so far would buy
me a plunge router. Would I be crazy to consider making the pilasters
myself? What's there now is made of several pieces; the "plinths" are
separate. When answering this question, pretend that your experience and
skills are on the "weekend-blunderer" end of the scale.

That you're "expert" enough to know that you need a plunge router to do
the job properly and quickly, tells me you can do the work. Just think
it through and take your time.


And third, should I decide to take this on, should I use pressure
treated lumber, or something else? If PT, will I endanger my health
routing it?

Use a dust mask and preferably do your work outside or in well
ventilated area so you're not working in a cloud of dust.

Alternatively, go back and use the plastic trim - that's what I'd do.

On 11/1/2013 8:49 AM, Greg Guarino wrote:

And third, should I decide to take this on, should I use pressure
treated lumber, or something else? If PT, will I endanger my health
routing it?

The fluting is the hardest part, and that's not hard to do at all with a
plunge base router ... do one and it will be a guaranteed forehead smack
as to how easy it is.

You can actually buy jig to do the fluting:

http://www.rockler.com/router-fluting-jig?Max=999

.... or you can also make a jig based on the same principle; or the old
fashioned way, set up a fence on one edge of a piece of plywood and use
spacers to provide the distance between the flutes.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with PT material, you will have trouble
with the painting until it dries sufficiently. Use a wood like white oak
which, once primed and painted, will last longer than you when properly
maintained.

While it is certainly possible, if you want to go composite/plastic, the
material is going to be expensive, for the thickness you need, probably
in excess of $10/lf:

http://epsplasticlumber.com/files/Se...bruary2012.pdf

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://plus.google.com/114902129577517371552/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

On 11/1/2013 10:03 AM, Unquestionably Confused wrote:
On 11/1/2013 8:49 AM, Greg Guarino wrote:
The front door of our house has what a little searching tells me are
called "fluted pilasters" on either side. Style-wise, they look very
much like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fypon-90-...9#.UnOt8lP-2Jo



... but mine are made of wood and are 60-odd years old and rotted at the
bottom. I could buy replacements like the one shown, or possibly more
expensive ones I have seen elsewhere. But so far those have been made of
some non-wood substance. So I have a few questions.

Firstly, I assume those non-wood substances don't rot, but I wonder
about their general toughness. When I carry luggage or my music gear
through that door, will I take a bite out of the trim if I hit it?

Go to that Big Box and look at their solid plastic (or whatever) trim
pieces like brick mold, etc. The stuff I bought at Menard's to frame
out replacement windows, doors, etc. is VERY dense and has stood up well
(without painting) for better than 5 years now.

I would "guesstimate" that the plastic stuff I used is tougher than pine.

The item that you show in that URL is RETURNABLE. Order it, and if the
density doesn't see as dense as the in-stock brick mold, return it on
the spot and move on.

I'm sold on the plastic trim pieces. Even put it on the shed as facia
and it's held up great.

I used the vinyl or plastic for brick mold around my garage doors. I got
tired of replacing the wood that rotted quickly each time. I have those
45 degree corners that rot quickly.

One thing about the vinyl/plastic/pvc.. I would recommend you use liquid
nails to join the corners b4 nailing. In the winter I get a big gap from
shrinkage. And I think Liquid nails would have held that together. and
pulled the pieces as the length shrinks. I don't know for sure, but
that's just an opinion.




Second, the price of some of the pilasters I have seen so far would buy
me a plunge router. Would I be crazy to consider making the pilasters
myself? What's there now is made of several pieces; the "plinths" are
separate. When answering this question, pretend that your experience and
skills are on the "weekend-blunderer" end of the scale.

That you're "expert" enough to know that you need a plunge router to do
the job properly and quickly, tells me you can do the work. Just think
it through and take your time.


And third, should I decide to take this on, should I use pressure
treated lumber, or something else? If PT, will I endanger my health
routing it?

Either will work... wear a mask. Just prime and paint all sides and cuts
b4 assembling.

Use a dust mask and preferably do your work outside or in well
ventilated area so you're not working in a cloud of dust.

Alternatively, go back and use the plastic trim - that's what I'd do.


--
Jeff

On 11/1/2013 10:18 AM, Swingman wrote:
set up a fence on one edge of a piece of plywood and use spacers to
provide the distance between the flutes.

I had originally envisioned a custom base for the router with a fence to
ride along (one) edge of the work. I'd set the fence to center the first
flute, then add a spacer to the fence for the two flutes that flank the
center one (doing one from either side to ensure they'd be symmetrical
about the center line). Then I'd add a second spacer of the same
thickness and repeat on each side.

The Rockler jig has two advantages as I see it.

1. It has two fences, preventing me from losing contact between the work
and the single fence I had in mind. That seems like a good idea.

2. All of the routing would be done from one edge, meaning that one set
of "end stops" would be used for all of the flutes, ensuring the ends of
the flutes would line up.

The disadvantage is mostly the cost, for an item I'd be unlikely to use
very often. I could try to build something like it, but I wonder about
my ability to make it accurate enough to get the flutes symmetrical and
evenly-spaced without doing them from either side and with spacers.

I suppose I could still do it my way, but add a (movable) secondary
fence for the second side. Then I'd just have to make sure the router
was centered on the custom base (in the "length" direction) so the end
stops would correctly from either side.

What material would you make the fences (and spacers) out of? Something
smooth, I imagine, not ply. Hardwood scraps? Plastic? Aluminum angle?

As always, if any of this seems ignorant, it is.

On Fri, 01 Nov 2013 09:49:34 -0400, Greg Guarino
wrote:

The front door of our house has what a little searching tells me are
called "fluted pilasters" on either side. Style-wise, they look very
much like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fypon-90-...9#.UnOt8lP-2Jo

... but mine are made of wood and are 60-odd years old and rotted at the
bottom. I could buy replacements like the one shown, or possibly more
expensive ones I have seen elsewhere. But so far those have been made of
some non-wood substance. So I have a few questions.

Firstly, I assume those non-wood substances don't rot, but I wonder
about their general toughness. When I carry luggage or my music gear
through that door, will I take a bite out of the trim if I hit it?

Second, the price of some of the pilasters I have seen so far would buy
me a plunge router. Would I be crazy to consider making the pilasters
myself? What's there now is made of several pieces; the "plinths" are
separate. When answering this question, pretend that your experience and
skills are on the "weekend-blunderer" end of the scale.

And third, should I decide to take this on, should I use pressure
treated lumber, or something else? If PT, will I endanger my health
routing it?

See what you can find in PVC, lasts does not rot, takes paint,
machines great. The dust however sticks to everthing.

Mark

On 11/1/2013 11:02 AM, Greg Guarino wrote:
On 11/1/2013 10:18 AM, Swingman wrote:
set up a fence on one edge of a piece of plywood and use spacers to
provide the distance between the flutes.

I had originally envisioned a custom base for the router with a fence to
ride along (one) edge of the work. I'd set the fence to center the first
flute, then add a spacer to the fence for the two flutes that flank the
center one (doing one from either side to ensure they'd be symmetrical
about the center line). Then I'd add a second spacer of the same
thickness and repeat on each side.

The Rockler jig has two advantages as I see it.

1. It has two fences, preventing me from losing contact between the work
and the single fence I had in mind. That seems like a good idea.

2. All of the routing would be done from one edge, meaning that one set
of "end stops" would be used for all of the flutes, ensuring the ends of
the flutes would line up.


The disadvantage is mostly the cost, for an item I'd be unlikely to use
very often. I could try to build something like it, but I wonder about
my ability to make it accurate enough to get the flutes symmetrical and
evenly-spaced without doing them from either side and with spacers.

There's no accuracy in the jig. you can easily build one that doesn't
have measuring and still be accurate.
Here's how:
if you want equal spacing lay a ruler across the grain at an angle.
put the 1" mark on one edge, and find how many equal marks line up
across the ruler and put whatever inch marking on the other side.

So lets say the board is dimension 6" wide (really 5.5") and you want 3
flutes
using 1" markings would be too many flutes, but using markings 3" , 5"
and 7" would give you 3 flutes.

Mark the board on those marks.
Now with your home built jig or 2 fences on rods put a V grooving bit in
and make the V hit the mark. Lock your fences (homebuilt or fence) and
replace the bit with a core box bit.

put a fence where to stop on both ends and you are done.

It's real easy.

See http://imgur.com/HsVYr7e

for the ruler pic so it becomes clearer.
Fluting is easy. BTW you can make a shop made fence for your router so
you have 2 very easily to capture the board. That's easier than you think...
or build a jig, but don't worry about the accuracy , it's how you
measure it, not the measurement from the jig.


I suppose I could still do it my way, but add a (movable) secondary
fence for the second side. Then I'd just have to make sure the router
was centered on the custom base (in the "length" direction) so the end
stops would correctly from either side.

What material would you make the fences (and spacers) out of? Something
smooth, I imagine, not ply. Hardwood scraps? Plastic? Aluminum angle?

As always, if any of this seems ignorant, it is.


--
Jeff

On Friday, November 1, 2013 9:18:36 AM UTC-5, Swingman wrote:

The fluting is the hardest part, and that's not hard to do at all with a

plunge base router ... do one and it will be a guaranteed forehead smack

as to how easy it is.

You can actually buy jig to do the fluting:


http://www.rockler.com/router-fluting-jig?Max=999


... or you can also make a jig based on the same principle; or the old

fashioned way, set up a fence on one edge of a piece of plywood and use

spacers to provide the distance between the flutes.


Once again, I agree with Karl. I made a set of these, and was ready to do it again just for fun.

But... I am a field man for the most part. As a variant on Karl's plywood bed and spacers (talk about going back some years there, buddy!), I have made these trims with a router table, a table saw, and a router edge guide, all out on the job.

For the router table (homemade) it was easy. I put the right bit in the router, checked for depth, and simply laid out the fence positions on my table and when happy with the appearance on a cut piece, I put a large pencil mark on the table for fence position (formica topped table) to make each cut a snap. A piece of tape 6" of center of the bit in each direction allowed a pencil mark to let me know where to stop and where to start.

On the table saw, it was the same procedure except I used a dado blade set with 3/8" wide cut instead of using a bit. I had no trim to match as I made it all new, so the customer wasn't concerned with the square cuts. I lightly rounded the square cut edges with a pice of dowel wrapped around sandpaper. It looked great when painted. The hardest part was stopping and starting on the marks on the fence, but I crept up on the marks slowly and it was fine.

This one was the sneakiest. I had to match a piece of existing trim. Thankfully, the trim we were replacing was only damaged from water rot, so when removing it I had the dimensions and placements of the flutes literally in my hand. I took my Bosch D handled router, put a 3/8" box bit and set for depth. I attached the optional fence and simply set the fence to match each cut position by simply putting the bit in the groove and tightening the fence. The fence made it easy since it had one of those old "micrometer" style adjustments. I tacked a piece of wood on my new trim board to use to stop the router on both sides. I simply routed until I banged into the "stop" and my start/stop cuts were perfectly aligned. My only problem here was keep the router spot on when cutting across the length. I had a helper, so it wasn't bad. But it was fast, easy, and I used what I had on hand. I still remember; I cut the fluted section out of perfectly clear hard pine, and stopped it from the concrete about an inch up, and used white oak for the base and head details.


Personally, I wouldn't bother with PT material, you will have trouble

with the painting until it dries sufficiently. Use a wood like white oak

which, once primed and painted, will last longer than you when properly

maintained.

Worse, when the PT (or as I know it, **** wood) won't cut right. I just finished off a deck repair, and I used a 3/4" round over bit to the top piece of the hand rail. It was so wet that it cut the wood off in strings! The PT I get around here is so damn wet it is almost useless. No reason at all to spend your time and effort working with crap that won't last.

As always... only my 0.02...

Robert

"Greg Guarino" wrote in message

The front door of our house has what a little searching
tells me are called "fluted pilasters" on either side.
Style-wise, they look very much like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fypon-90-...9#.UnOt8lP-2Jo

... but mine are made of wood and are 60-odd years old
and rotted at the bottom. I could buy replacements like
the one shown, or possibly more expensive ones I have
seen elsewhere. But so far those have been made of some
non-wood substance. So I have a few questions.
Firstly, I assume those non-wood substances don't rot,
but I wonder about their general toughness. When I carry
luggage or my music gear through that door, will I take a
bite out of the trim if I hit it?

I have no idea about the plastic having never used it but my guess is that
it would be fine.

But there is (may be) another option. How much is rotted? Do they bear any
weight or are they purely decorative and attached to the wall?

If decorative and only the square part is rotted and it doesn't go too high
you could dig out the rot to good wood and rebuild with good ol' Bondo.
I've done that on several exterior doors where the bottom couple of inches
of the jamb had rotted (which is inevitable given the way they are
constructed). Even if some of the fluted area were rotted, one could
rebuild it in the same manner. (After digging out bad wood it doesn't hurt
to treat the good wood with a rot preventative, just be sure it is totally
dry before using a filler).

One can't fill the entire void at one shot (unless it is small) as the Bondo
will slump...fill some, let it set, fill some more, etc. Once filled, it is
easy to sand flush to the original wood surface; primed and painted and it
is invisible. And won't rot.

If it is a sizeable area, one can make a little form for the last Bondo
layer...take a piece of masonite narrower than the hole is wide but taller,
put plastic packaging tape on one side, tack the masonite to the good wood
tape side in, pack the void as much as you can with filler, let cure, remove
masonite. That gets you *almost* full; fill the rest using the surface of
what you did before to screed off flush.

One other thing, if the void is sizeable, one can fill it almost full with
expanding foam and Bondo over that. Had to dig into a concrete block wall a
while back to fix a hose bib that had a rusted out nipple; filled the hole
mostly with foam, thinset mortar over that.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

Greg Guarino wrote:
The front door of our house has what a little searching tells me are
called "fluted pilasters" on either side. Style-wise, they look very
much like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fypon-90-...9#.UnOt8lP-2Jo

... but mine are made of wood and are 60-odd years old and rotted at
the bottom. I could buy replacements like the one shown, or possibly
more expensive ones I have seen elsewhere. But so far those have been
made of some non-wood substance. So I have a few questions.

Firstly, I assume those non-wood substances don't rot, but I wonder
about their general toughness. When I carry luggage or my music gear
through that door, will I take a bite out of the trim if I hit it?


Ummmm... Greg - do you really believe that if you whack that trim that is
made out of wood, that you won't damage it? If you don't have the very
evidence of this in your house, then you live a vastly different life than I
do. Hell - I have dings all over the place. Conclusion - show me a piece
of wood that is not going to ding.

Second, the price of some of the pilasters I have seen so far would
buy me a plunge router. Would I be crazy to consider making the
pilasters myself? What's there now is made of several pieces; the
"plinths" are separate. When answering this question, pretend that
your experience and skills are on the "weekend-blunderer" end of the
scale.

Really? I'm kind of surprised at that. HD and Lowes have them at very
reasonable prices - or so I thought. I think you'd probably find you'd
spend more to build them up yourself - only to find that it's all just wood.
It's going to submit to abuse in the very same way that the stuff in the big
box stores do.


And third, should I decide to take this on, should I use pressure
treated lumber, or something else? If PT, will I endanger my health
routing it?

Seal regular wood well and it will last for decades. Just look around at
old homes. Will PT endager your life - yes... it will kill you...

--

-Mike-

On 11/1/2013 1:19 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"Greg Guarino" wrote in message

The front door of our house has what a little searching
tells me are called "fluted pilasters" on either side.
Style-wise, they look very much like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fypon-90-...9#.UnOt8lP-2Jo

... but mine are made of wood and are 60-odd years old
and rotted at the bottom. I could buy replacements like
the one shown, or possibly more expensive ones I have
seen elsewhere. But so far those have been made of some
non-wood substance. So I have a few questions.
Firstly, I assume those non-wood substances don't rot,
but I wonder about their general toughness. When I carry
luggage or my music gear through that door, will I take a
bite out of the trim if I hit it?

I have no idea about the plastic having never used it but my guess is that
it would be fine.

But there is (may be) another option. How much is rotted? Do they bear any
weight or are they purely decorative and attached to the wall?

Purely decorative, attached to the (brick) wall. But yes, some of the
fluted section is rotted. I think replacing it will be easier than any
attempt to repair it.

On 11/1/2013 2:42 PM, Greg Guarino wrote:
On 11/1/2013 1:19 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"Greg Guarino" wrote in message

The front door of our house has what a little searching
tells me are called "fluted pilasters" on either side.
Style-wise, they look very much like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fypon-90-...9#.UnOt8lP-2Jo


... but mine are made of wood and are 60-odd years old
and rotted at the bottom. I could buy replacements like
the one shown, or possibly more expensive ones I have
seen elsewhere. But so far those have been made of some
non-wood substance. So I have a few questions.
Firstly, I assume those non-wood substances don't rot,
but I wonder about their general toughness. When I carry
luggage or my music gear through that door, will I take a
bite out of the trim if I hit it?

I have no idea about the plastic having never used it but my guess is
that
it would be fine.

But there is (may be) another option. How much is rotted? Do they
bear any
weight or are they purely decorative and attached to the wall?

Purely decorative, attached to the (brick) wall. But yes, some of the
fluted section is rotted. I think replacing it will be easier than any
attempt to repair it.


If you are putting wood directly on brick, put a piece of tar paper
behind it. Brick soaks up water and puts it back in . tar and tyvek, or
even the self adhesive membrane for roof edges would protect the wood
from further detioration. Just cut it to fit hidden behind the molding.

--
Jeff

On 11/1/2013 2:19 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Greg Guarino wrote:
The front door of our house has what a little searching tells me are
called "fluted pilasters" on either side. Style-wise, they look very
much like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fypon-90-...9#.UnOt8lP-2Jo

... but mine are made of wood and are 60-odd years old and rotted at
the bottom. I could buy replacements like the one shown, or possibly
more expensive ones I have seen elsewhere. But so far those have been
made of some non-wood substance. So I have a few questions.

Firstly, I assume those non-wood substances don't rot, but I wonder
about their general toughness. When I carry luggage or my music gear
through that door, will I take a bite out of the trim if I hit it?


Ummmm... Greg - do you really believe

If I had sufficient knowledge to "really believe" one way or the other,
I wouldn't need to ask. I find it an asset to be aware of the limits of
my knowledge.

that if you whack that trim that is
made out of wood, that you won't damage it?

Dent? Sure. But I doubt I'd take a chunk out. Maybe that doesn't happen
with the plastics either, but when I don't know, I ask.

If you don't have the very
evidence of this in your house, then you live a vastly different life than I
do. Hell - I have dings all over the place. Conclusion - show me a piece
of wood that is not going to ding.

Second, the price of some of the pilasters I have seen so far would
buy me a plunge router. Would I be crazy to consider making the
pilasters myself? What's there now is made of several pieces; the
"plinths" are separate. When answering this question, pretend that
your experience and skills are on the "weekend-blunderer" end of the
scale.

Really? I'm kind of surprised at that. HD and Lowes have them at very
reasonable prices - or so I thought. I think you'd probably find you'd
spend more to build them up yourself - only to find that it's all just wood.
It's going to submit to abuse in the very same way that the stuff in the big
box stores do.


And third, should I decide to take this on, should I use pressure
treated lumber, or something else? If PT, will I endanger my health
routing it?

Seal regular wood well and it will last for decades. Just look around at
old homes. Will PT endager your life - yes... it will kill you...

Greg Guarino wrote:


Ummmm... Greg - do you really believe

If I had sufficient knowledge to "really believe" one way or the
other, I wouldn't need to ask. I find it an asset to be aware of the
limits of my knowledge.


I understand that Greg, but don't you live in a world that you can look
around and observe?

that if you whack that trim that is
made out of wood, that you won't damage it?

Dent? Sure. But I doubt I'd take a chunk out. Maybe that doesn't
happen with the plastics either, but when I don't know, I ask.

I don't blame you for asking when you don't know - in fact isn't that what
we should do? No shame in not knowing. It's hard to believe you can't see
or haven't seen that you can take a chunk out of a piece of wood trim. I
guess, maybe it's true, so I'll just say yes - you can indeed take a chunk
out of both pine and a good hardwood. I'd really have to believe you could
find evidence of this around your life - after all - it's really common.
Sometimes it's just that we don't think to look, I guess.

--

-Mike-



--

-Mike-

"Mike Marlow" wrote in
message

Seal regular wood well and it will last for decades.

Very true. The problem lies in sealing it *everywhere*. And keeping it
sealed.

I suspect Greg's pilaster bottoms out on a slab; hard to seal there. I also
suspect it is made of multiple pieces of wood, joined; all those joints are
going to move, there goes the seal.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

dadiOH wrote:
"Mike Marlow" wrote in
message

Seal regular wood well and it will last for decades.

Very true. The problem lies in sealing it *everywhere*. And keeping
it sealed.

I suspect Greg's pilaster bottoms out on a slab; hard to seal there. I
also suspect it is made of multiple pieces of wood, joined; all
those joints are going to move, there goes the seal.

Well - I know what you're saying but look at all the old homes around you.
I'll grant you that today's wood is not the same quality as yesteryear's and
that poses some problems, but they didn't get too carried away sealing every
possible surface way back then, either.

--

-Mike-

On 11/1/2013 9:23 AM, woodchucker wrote:
On 11/1/2013 10:03 AM, Unquestionably Confused wrote:
On 11/1/2013 8:49 AM, Greg Guarino wrote:
The front door of our house has what a little searching tells me are
called "fluted pilasters" on either side. Style-wise, they look very
much like this:

One thing about the vinyl/plastic/pvc.. I would recommend you use liquid
nails to join the corners b4 nailing. In the winter I get a big gap from
shrinkage. And I think Liquid nails would have held that together. and
pulled the pieces as the length shrinks. I don't know for sure, but
that's just an opinion.

Rather than liquid nails, I went with white silicone caulk. As the
original installation using the plastic was replacing windows with vinyl
clad Pella's, I wanted the whole thing well sealed and truly maintenance
free. Laid a good gob of silicone into the mitered corners, nailed them
well, filled the nail holes with white silicone and smoothed them over.
No gapsg and no maintenanceG

On Fri, 01 Nov 2013 11:02:57 -0400, Greg Guarino
wrote:

On 11/1/2013 10:18 AM, Swingman wrote:
set up a fence on one edge of a piece of plywood and use spacers to
provide the distance between the flutes.

I had originally envisioned a custom base for the router with a fence to
ride along (one) edge of the work. I'd set the fence to center the first
flute, then add a spacer to the fence for the two flutes that flank the
center one (doing one from either side to ensure they'd be symmetrical
about the center line). Then I'd add a second spacer of the same
thickness and repeat on each side.

The Rockler jig has two advantages as I see it.

1. It has two fences, preventing me from losing contact between the work
and the single fence I had in mind. That seems like a good idea.

2. All of the routing would be done from one edge, meaning that one set
of "end stops" would be used for all of the flutes, ensuring the ends of
the flutes would line up.

The disadvantage is mostly the cost, for an item I'd be unlikely to use
very often. I could try to build something like it, but I wonder about
my ability to make it accurate enough to get the flutes symmetrical and
evenly-spaced without doing them from either side and with spacers.

I suppose I could still do it my way, but add a (movable) secondary
fence for the second side. Then I'd just have to make sure the router
was centered on the custom base (in the "length" direction) so the end
stops would correctly from either side.

What material would you make the fences (and spacers) out of? Something
smooth, I imagine, not ply. Hardwood scraps? Plastic? Aluminum angle?

As always, if any of this seems ignorant, it is.

I have a vague memory of Brian at Garage woodworks doing a project
with flutes and I think he built a jig. I could be wrong but he
usually documents what he builds might be worth a look.

Mike M

On Fri, 01 Nov 2013 15:02:35 -0400, Greg Guarino
wrote:

On 11/1/2013 2:19 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Greg Guarino wrote:
The front door of our house has what a little searching tells me are
called "fluted pilasters" on either side. Style-wise, they look very
much like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fypon-90-...9#.UnOt8lP-2Jo

... but mine are made of wood and are 60-odd years old and rotted at
the bottom. I could buy replacements like the one shown, or possibly
more expensive ones I have seen elsewhere. But so far those have been
made of some non-wood substance. So I have a few questions.

Firstly, I assume those non-wood substances don't rot, but I wonder
about their general toughness. When I carry luggage or my music gear
through that door, will I take a bite out of the trim if I hit it?


Ummmm... Greg - do you really believe

If I had sufficient knowledge to "really believe" one way or the other,
I wouldn't need to ask. I find it an asset to be aware of the limits of
my knowledge.

that if you whack that trim that is
made out of wood, that you won't damage it?

Dent? Sure. But I doubt I'd take a chunk out. Maybe that doesn't happen
with the plastics either, but when I don't know, I ask.

If you don't have the very
evidence of this in your house, then you live a vastly different life than I
do. Hell - I have dings all over the place. Conclusion - show me a piece
of wood that is not going to ding.

Second, the price of some of the pilasters I have seen so far would
buy me a plunge router. Would I be crazy to consider making the
pilasters myself? What's there now is made of several pieces; the
"plinths" are separate. When answering this question, pretend that
your experience and skills are on the "weekend-blunderer" end of the
scale.

Really? I'm kind of surprised at that. HD and Lowes have them at very
reasonable prices - or so I thought. I think you'd probably find you'd
spend more to build them up yourself - only to find that it's all just wood.
It's going to submit to abuse in the very same way that the stuff in the big
box stores do.


And third, should I decide to take this on, should I use pressure
treated lumber, or something else? If PT, will I endanger my health
routing it?

Seal regular wood well and it will last for decades. Just look around at
old homes. Will PT endager your life - yes... it will kill you...


I work with a lot of western red cedar from an old mill pond stash.
It's soft You work with it and the dings and stuff are part of the
character. On the other end I think Karl's recommendation of white
oak might fit the bill. I consider most dings in wood as character.
Except where I can be charged with stupidity.

Mike M