# Wainscotting



## Steve Maskery (1 Oct 2016)

Ok, ok.

I have a 1905 house. Nice house, dumpy area. Well it will be nice if I ever get it finished. I can't see it ever being anything other than a dumpy area, though.

I'm decorating my living area downstairs, two rooms originally, now they are knocked through into one. One half is going to be the lounge, the other dining. I want a contrast between the two areas, though obviously they also have to sit together without jarring. So whilst the dining area is going to be fairly light and contemporary, I want my lounge to be more in keeping with its age.

When I moved in 3 years ago I had a wood-burner installed. Daft idea unless you live in the country, but I was bonkers at the time. It looks nice, it's not easy to keep clean. Pretty but High Maintenance.

To the left of it there was, originally a built in cupboard, floor to ceiling. I am going to reinstate that, plus a low-level cupboard in the right alcove. I want this to have a "Gentlemen's Club" feel to it. Leather, Persian carpet, a butler on hand for an immediate brandy, that sort of thing. And as part of that I am fitting wainscotting to the lower half of the walls. In an ideal world I would use oak, but I've gone for the considerably cheaper option of Canary Whitewood (or American Poplar, or Tulipwood, all the same stuff, just different names).

And they I've wasted all that saved money by buying too much timber. A lot too much. Hey ho.

I want something a bit fancier than just a plain V-groove and I want the boards to fairly wide, so I've opted to make separate moulded beads and T&G everything together.

I started by milling up some enormous boards. 4m+long. 40mm full thick. 380mm wide. On my own. It nearly crippled me. I cross-cut them to 1.4mm lengths, then ripped to 130mm, then crosscut to 700mm. Then I could handle them!

I made the beading first, using the offcuts that were too narrow to use as the main board. I've bought a 16mm staff bead cutter. I used that to mould the edge of a board, then ripped it off on the TS. Mould, rip, repeat.

















The will each have a rebate cut in the bottom edge to leave a tongue, but not yet.

Then it was over to the bandsaw. I fettled it a couple of weeks back and it is singing. I have two small problems, one of which I can do something about, the other I don't think I can.

The fence is no longer straight. I don't mean the ali extrusion, I think that's fine, I mean the MDF fine adjuster fence I made in my old workshop. Two years in a damp barn has not done it any favours. I need to replace it. another TUIT, I fear.

The other is that the two halves of the table, when the blade goes in, are no longer in line with each other there is best part of 1mm step between them. I don't think there is much I can do about that 

So although the tracking is set up very well, there is the curve of the MDF fence to cope with, so I attached my single-point fence and sawed freehand. It worked a treat and each cut of 700mm took about 2 mins.
















Not all the boards were that pretty






BTW, we've been talking bandsaws a lot recently, this is my blade tracking nicely






For the life of me I cannot see how you can get it to track properly if the teeth are over the front edge. If you can explain it, I'm always willing to learn.

So now I get an idea of what it's going to look like


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## Steve Maskery (1 Oct 2016)

I decided to have a bit of a V but not 45°. I canted my TS blade to 30° and fitted a false fence. My normal SUVA guard was in the way, so I've removed it and used my magnetic guard instead. This is the setup.











After a few cuts, however, I found my mind wandering and I cut a couple of boards without checking which was the face side. Fortunately all was well, but I figured I was getting tired and it was time to quit.

I now have a dilemma.

I was intending to stain this dark oak. Or maybe walnut. I used to have dozens of tins of Colron, I could have tried a few options. But I quite like the Canary when it is creamy, not so much the green, although, as we have said in another thread, it will fade in time. So do I leave it, but it won't look much like a Gentlemen's Club, or stain it dark oak, or walnut. I don't know what to do, TBH. I don't want to ruin it. But I like the dark oak or walnut idea. But which?

Incidentally. Liberon Spirit Stain 250ml, Axminster £3.96, Screwfix £6.89. Same product as far as I can make out.


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## Bm101 (1 Oct 2016)

Funny enough Steve, I just bought a couple of dvds on setting up a bandsaw. If you're after any advice I could rent them to you for a reasonable price. Don't tell the fella i bought them off though.


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## Jacob (1 Oct 2016)

That last photo - much safer if you have a standard pattern push stick - one in each hand. 
It's actually easier - you don't have to reach so far for starters.


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## Steve Maskery (1 Oct 2016)

I use both Jacob, as you know. See the picture further up.

BM. Be careful, there are a lot of people out there who talk nonsense. Are you sure this fella knows what he is talking about? He might be some Johnny-cum-Lately who is all talk and no trousers. You have been warned.


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## monkeybiter (1 Oct 2016)

Thanks for starting this WIP Steve, it will provide lots of food for thought and 'third party experience' which can save false starts and mistakes.
When I get around to having a go on my stairs [with a left turn at the top!] I will be painting it white. It won't be as 'fancy' as yours, probably MDF rails, stiles and fields with timber mouldings covering all edges. I'd like dark brown, maybe in the living room if I'm allowed.
Are your earmuffs the musical type? I don't wear them ATM and I should, maybe Christmas list.


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## Beau (1 Oct 2016)

Steve Maskery said:


> BTW, we've been talking bandsaws a lot recently, this is my blade tracking nicely
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## No skills (1 Oct 2016)

Only samples will tell you on the colour front, if you said dark oak I would think old boys/gentle men's club with smoking jackets - walnut would make me think of somewhere posh but more modern.


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## Steve Maskery (1 Oct 2016)

Mike - no, no music. Good defenders though, comfortable when it's noisy, but I take them off as soon as the noise stops, as I find that the "quiet" is an unpleasant sensation.

Beau - it's not like a sander at all! Tracking a sanding belt has no effect on the effectiveness of the direction of sanding, tracking a saw blade is entirely different. But we have done bandsaw to death recently, I don't want to perpetuate this.

NS - thank you for that. It's interesting that the different colours conjure up a different atmosphere. Good food for thought.


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## Harbo (1 Oct 2016)

Van Dyke crystals - dilute to taste.

Rod


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## Steve Maskery (1 Oct 2016)

Rod, that is not a bad idea. I wonder if I still have some. I did do, in a previous life. I shall have a hunt tomorrow.
The only problem I can see is that as they are water-based I may get a lot of raised grain. But I'll do some tests. Thank you for the idea.


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## Jake (2 Oct 2016)

I think you should go with what grips you, as the last thing it is going to be is authentic to the house. In saying that, I am not an authenticist. So build your favourite film-set, why not.


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## bucephalus (2 Oct 2016)

Thanks for this Steve, looking forward to learning lots.

+1 for the dark oak gentleman's club

Cheers

Gavin


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## lurker (2 Oct 2016)

Steve,

This has prompted me to point you towards a company I spotted on t internet within spitting distance of your gaff who do paint finishes.

Here you go
http://tungoil.co.uk/where-to-buy/

Delve a bit deeper and they appear to do lots of different wood finishes
His prices are steep but include p&p so assume collection would make it a lot cheaper


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## AndyT (2 Oct 2016)

Steve, is there any special reason for making the beading on separate little strips, rather than just working a bead next to a tongue on one edge and a groove on the other?


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## Steve Maskery (2 Oct 2016)

Lurker 
Thanks for that, I know where wigwam Lane is. I'll give them a shout tomorrow. I can't find place in Huthwaite, Google is not being my friend. It doesn't help not being able to remember the name, of course. 

Andy 
Good question! Yes there is. I want fairly wide boards and it is better use of the timber to do it this way. As it has turned out of might have looked better not being quite so wide, but it's too late now. It'll look fine. I hope.


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## Steve Maskery (8 Oct 2016)

Well I have been getting on with the decorating project (of which this wainscotting is a part), but very slowly.

All the boards had a groove cut into both edges. I've borrowed this slotter from the Community workshop. It's not very sharp, to put it mildly. I really ought to buy a new set.






I started to sand the boards. I don't have a huge range of abrasives any more, and those I do have are not really suitable for wood. The Festool Brilliant are not actually brilliant on wood. I should have read the spec more thoroughly before buying them.

So I decided to order some Abranet from Axi. I use the small rectangular pads for hand sanding, so I know how good it is. But immediately after ordering it I read the reviews and one reviewer was complaining that the discs didn't stick to his Fessy. 

So I rang Axi to check that they really are suitable. I once had a tour of the Festool factory and I do know that Festool make their own Velcro (or at least have it made). It is different to ordinary anorak-cuff stuff.

The lady I spoke to couldn't answer me, and the tech staff had gone home, so it was the next day before I could talk to someone. Sam was very helpful, and when I explained the problem he said that they would recommend the use of a pad-saver, and thin layer of DS velcro that sits between the pad and the Abranet. The problem is that the Abranet is so thin that the hooks of the velcro pad poke through and get worn out by the sanding process, so they don't grip any more. Now I have recently had to replace the pad on mine, and they are expensive (it disintegrated, quite spectacular, actually), so I didn't want to ruin it so quickly. So I bought the pad. Flipping expensive for what it is, but better than having to buy a £40 pad.

I sanded and sanded and sanded.

I also bought some Morrells Light-Fast Stain. I went for the Jacobean dark oak, from a colour chart in the shop, but when I tried it on a sample it was dark. Very dark. Very dark indeed. What to do?

After a couple of experiments I've mixed the Jacobean with the Pine that I already had, 2:1, and it's more like what I wanted. I've brushed it on and wiped it off.






And run out of rack space. I knew I should have made two of them.






It looked good, but as it is drying it is beginning to look rather patchy. I hope it evens out as it dries, this is not what I wanted.


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## sometimewoodworker (8 Oct 2016)

Steve Maskery":3vq0wc7e said:


> BTW, we've been talking bandsaws a lot recently, this is my blade tracking nicely
> 
> 
> 
> For the life of me I cannot see how you can get it to track properly if the teeth are over the front edge. If you can explain it, I'm always willing to learn.


It depends on the bandsaw. If you have an Inca it doesn't have crowded tyres, so the instructions say to run all but the ⅛" blade with the teeth off the front of the tyre. It is only the fretsaw blade which is run in the centre of the wheel.

One way to get it tracking parallel to the fence is best demonstrated in https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JNsLNJsMj0o
Also For the Inca bandsaw another way that you adjust for blade drift is by changing the angle of the fence relative to the blade, the rip fence is designed to be adjustable to some degree. 

Of course if you have a bandsaw with crowned tyres then adjusting for blade drift can usually (and should usually) be done by adjusting the tracking on the wheels to change the blade orientation slightly. 

AFIK almost all non industrial bandsaws have crowned tyres


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## Steve Maskery (8 Oct 2016)

sometimewoodworker":oxcwpu7i said:


> Also For the Inca bandsaw another way that you adjust for blade drift is by changing the angle of the fence relative to the blade, the rip fence is designed to be adjustable to some degree.



No, no, no. I'm sorry but this is wrong.

It is certainly true that you CAN compensate for drift by skewing the fence, but it is a very poor solution, because it makes the mitre slot unuseable. OK if your table doesn't have a mitre slot then I accept that it is OK to do this, it makes no difference.

But if you have a BS with a mitre slot and want to use it, then the blade MUST be tracked to be parallel to the mitre slot AS WELL AS the rip fence, and the only way you can do this is to have the rip fence parallel to the mitre slot (which is what those adjusting bolts are for!) and then track the blade to both.

On wheels that are not crowned, it really doesn't matter on narrow wheels like on machines such as ours. The tilt of the wheel produces a differential between the top and bottom of the blade which is exactly equivalent of a crown. I'm sure I've already illustrated this on a post on here some time ago.

A good bandsaw is set up to ELIMINATE drift, not just compensate for it when ripping.


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## Steve Maskery (8 Oct 2016)

Here you are. It's all greatly exaggerated for clarity, of course. The black rectangles are the blade in section. You can see that even though the wheels on the left are flat, as soon as the top wheel is tilted it puts the blade in almost exactly the same position as when the wheels have a crown. It makes very little difference on small machines like ours.






There are not that many things on which I really do know what I'm talking about, but bandsaw setup is one of them!


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## sometimewoodworker (8 Oct 2016)

Steve Maskery":35yyc284 said:


> sometimewoodworker":35yyc284 said:
> 
> 
> > Also For the Inca bandsaw another way that you adjust for blade drift is by changing the angle of the fence relative to the blade, the rip fence is designed to be adjustable to some degree.
> ...


Well I've been using both a slightly skewed rip fence and the mitre fence in its slot for the last 40+ years, so my experience disagrees with what you claim.

And yes the top wheel of course is adjustable in angle. But THERE IS NO WAY to use that to change blade drift. The only thing that does is to get the blade to track correctly over the edge of the tyre or incorrectly on the tyre. Any adjustments to the wheel angle change the positioning of the blade on the tyre.


As I have said what you say applies to the majority of bandsaws. It does not however apply to the Inca.


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## sometimewoodworker (8 Oct 2016)

Steve Maskery":1f9ng2uu said:


> Here you are. It's all greatly exaggerated for clarity, of course. The black rectangles are the blade in section. You can see that even though the wheels on the left are flat, as soon as the top wheel is tilted it puts the blade in almost exactly the same position as when the wheels have a crown. It makes very little difference on small machines like ours.
> 
> 
> 
> There are not that many things on which I really do know what I'm talking about, but bandsaw setup is one of them!




Sorry your illustration is showing a wrong setting for the flat tyre Inca. The blade teeth run just off the tyres on both the top and bottom wheels when correctly adjusted. So while the blade on the top wheel could easily be correct, the position on the bottom wheel is not. To be correct the blade will be positioned to the right in a similar place to the top wheel position.

The video under looks as if the blade setting is correct though I can't be 100% sure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLgSoyvMWTo


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## Steve Maskery (8 Oct 2016)

As I've said many, many times before, it doesn't matter where the blade rides. What matters is that there is no drift. If your blade sits with its teeth off the front and still tracks true north then that is fine, that is where they belong.

The point of my illustration above however, is that tilting a flat wheel and tilting a crowned wheel have virtually the same effect.

If you are saying that your fence is skewed away from true north, so that the fence and the mitre slot are not parallel, yet ripping and crosscuts are, nevertheless, despite being pushed in different directions, cutting true, then you have a very special machine there. I do not understand how that is physically possible.

But this is a wainscotting thread. Can we please get back on topic? I'm getting tired of repeating myself.


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## Jacob (8 Oct 2016)

Right o. 
Wainscot - I'd apply finish, whatever it is, only after it's all been installed with every last detail. Otherwise you'll get all sorts of changes from one batch to another, and it's much easier to paint (etc) when it's fixed.


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## monkeybiter (8 Oct 2016)

Jacob":ry82vfp0 said:


> Right o.
> Wainscot - I'd apply finish, whatever it is, only after it's all been installed with every last detail. Otherwise you'll get all sorts of changes from one batch to another, and it's much easier to paint (etc) when it's fixed.


 What about potential white bits showing up if the panels shrink?


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## Steve Maskery (8 Oct 2016)

I'm planning to use Osmo. It needs two coats, so I was going to apply one coat before installation and the second in situ. Does that sound about right to you, Jacob?


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## Jacob (8 Oct 2016)

Steve Maskery":1sxnfhcl said:


> I'm planning to use Osmo. It needs two coats, so I was going to apply one coat before installation and the second in situ. Does that sound about right to you, Jacob?


Nope. Fix first, clean up, then finish. The fixing very likely will disturb any finish previously applied and very likely will show up.


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## sometimewoodworker (8 Oct 2016)

Steve Maskery":1eli1qd6 said:


> But this is a wainscotting thread. Can we please get back on topic? I'm getting tired of repeating myself.



No problem, but *you* did bring up the subject and ask.


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## custard (8 Oct 2016)

monkeybiter":1709xvln said:


> What about potential white bits showing up if the panels shrink?



I've heard them called "grins", when a panel shrinks and the bare wood then grins at you. I generally finish panels prior to assembly, not fully finished, but enough to prevent grins.


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## Steve Maskery (30 Oct 2016)

I've been making slow progress on this, but progress, nonetheless.

The first few boards I nailed in place, over three horizontal piece of 2x1 screwed to the wall. But it does mean nailing in a funny position, and if I tilt my head my contact lenses fall out. It's not good to be grovelling amongst plaster dust to retrieve them. So I went out and bought a compressor and nail gun. I should have done it years ago, it's brilliant.

The boards went up quickly, some trim over the top and underneath that, and a radiator cover which is an integral part of the design. I've bought some French Cane to use for the vent panels themselves.

It's all quite dark, which is what I wanted, so these photos are rather over-exposed, and they make it look a bit motley, I think. It does look better in the flesh, honest!






















I'm really pleased with the nailer. The nails are set perfectly every time. Most of them do not need an filling at all, mainly because I can't actually see them, they are so discreet. There is just one that twinkles a bit and another I fired too close to the edge and it has poked through, so I've had to punch that back. But the damage is tiny and I think I don't need any filler, just wax will do.

I've also made skirting to match, but I can't fit that until I've got rid of all the old floor.

This decorating project has been going on since July and has been dragging me down. But now I am starting to make it look better every day, rather than worse, I'm getting motivated to get it done. Carpet down before Christmas.


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## Andrewf (30 Oct 2016)

Out of curiosity, what is the pattern on the floor in front of the radiator from?


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## Steve Maskery (30 Oct 2016)

LOL!
The (new) radiator was white and I didn't want it grinning through the cane panel, so I sprayed it brown. The top cover and ends come off, so I removed them and sprayed them on the floor in front of the radiator. It's come out lovely.

I've left the old floor down as long as possible as I hope to keep the underlay fairly intact. Unless the carpet man says it's a bad idea, I want to use is as underlay for the underlay. It will add a few mm of extra cushioning.

Incidentally, that laminate flooring there is on a layer of underlay, which is sitting on a previous laminate floor, which is sitting on its own layer of underlay!


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## Racers (30 Oct 2016)

Coming along nicely, Steve.

Pete

p.s. are you turning into :norm: ? :wink:


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## monkeybiter (30 Oct 2016)

That looks excellent, the dark brown seems perfect. 
Now you've got some in place, and it looks so good, if you find yourself taking a downhill stroll maybe take a break for a day or two and I guarantee that when you return to the job and look at what you've achieved your motivation will flood back, along with a proud smile.


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## lurker (12 Dec 2016)

Progress report?


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## Steve Maskery (12 Dec 2016)

I'm painting window shutters at the moment. Carpet arrives Wednesday, sofa and chair arrive Thursday 

You won't recognise the place


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## lurker (12 Dec 2016)

Empties gone to re cycle :?:


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## Steve Maskery (12 Dec 2016)

As it happens, yes, this morning!


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## lurker (12 Dec 2016)

Do we need to bring slippers & smoking jacket when we visit, from now on?


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## pollys13 (6 Jan 2017)

Very nice work, impressed


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## tomlt (8 Jan 2017)

Looks lovely Steve, very impressed with the tulip wood staining, never thought it would turn out that good, only thought it was good for taking paint!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk


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