OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

271918 Frank Filippone <bmwred735i@g...> 2020‑10‑13 Re: crown molding application to bookcase
I am surprised the traditional method has yet to appear.....

ITOD, the moulding was applied using a sliding dovetail.  Male mounted 
to the cabinet, female routed on the molding.

Sometimes the DT section applied in a single continuous strip, but more 
commonly in short sections...  You would glue/screw/nail the male piece 
to the cabinet, keeping the alignment.  With short sections of DT, you 
just nail or glue them on.

Then the actual molding is applied to this DT strip.  The molding is 
applied to the sides by gluing/nailing the first couple of inches along 
the front, then allowed to be free moving along the back.... 
expansion/contraction being the issue. The movement becomes an issue 
only along the back, away from the observer, so it "disappears".....

Since the front piece does not have an issue with cross grained 
movement, you can glue/nail this section along its length, or spotty gluing.

With your very wide/thick molding, it is an option....... and it hides 
the carcase DT well.

But it is LOT of work.  Especially doing it all with hand tools.


Note on the male DT strip: It is usually made from the end of a board, 
meaning the grain along the DT is not aligned with the length, but 
perpendicular to it.... think short grain along the length.

This way, if the carcase wants to tug at the DT, the DT breaks off, and 
the cabinet side is not constrained.



>> GGs,
>>
>> (snip)
>> I now find myself having made a crown moulding for it to hide the dovetails.
>> The moulding is 2-1/4" wide (it's from p. 192 of Bickford's book, taken
>> from a Rhode Island chest). I'm planning to join the corners of the moulding
>> with miters, but I'm worrying about expansion and contraction. What's the
>> best way to affix a crown moulding to a carcase? Nail the front and sides?
>> Nail the sides only? Nail the front only? Glue seems like a bad idea,
>> regardless, but I'd rather not see a big ol' seasonal gap on my mitered
>> corners.
>>
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-- 

*Frank Filippone*

*BMWRed735i@G...*

Recent Bios FAQ