Barge boards. Making ornate versions.

[rich1911]

I need to replace the barge boards on two dormer gables. The originals are actually 4x2 timber with a tiny bit of moulding on the bottom edge. There is also a strip of moulding to cover the edge of the sofit boards (which are above the bargeboard, just under the verge).

I have seen some houses with quite ornate barge boards. Are these difficult to make? I have a laser cutter that can make accurate 3mm ply templates, but only up to about A4 size. I have a router, band saw and fret saw too.

Assuming I use 8x1 inch board, what's the best process to cut the decorative edge and pierced pattern? Rout out

I also need to make cladding for the front of the dormer gable and the T&G boards I took off had half round and triangular pointed ends. I guess these could be stacked and cut 3 or 4 at a time?

 

[Adam W.]

A fret saw or a jig saw will do it. The jigsaw would work better as you move it rather than the board. Finish with a quality hand stitched rasp or sharp chisel.

 

[Doug71]

Jigsaw will be fine, I'm guessing it's probably 20'+ high so nobody will be looking that closely.

 

[hlvd]

I need to replace the barge boards on two dormer gables. The originals are actually 4x2 timber with a tiny bit of moulding on the bottom edge. There is also a strip of moulding to cover the edge of the sofit boards (which are above the bargeboard, just under the verge).

I have seen some houses with quite ornate barge boards. Are these difficult to make? I have a laser cutter that can make accurate 3mm ply templates, but only up to about A4 size. I have a router, band saw and fret saw too.

Assuming I use 8x1 inch board, what's the best process to cut the decorative edge and pierced pattern? Rout out

I also need to make cladding for the front of the dormer gable and the T&G boards I took off had half round and triangular pointed ends. I guess these could be stacked and cut 3 or 4 at a time?

I think the ornate barge boards of old were of a heavier section than ex 8”x1”, and were probably a finished 1 1/4” thick maybe.

Best way to cut them out is drill through, cut close to the line with a jigsaw then clean up with your router and template.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Jigsaw will be fine, I'm guessing it's probably 20'+ high so nobody will be looking that closely.

A jigsaw with the correct blade, fine enough but enough set for the curves. You don't need to clean it up much 1/ because as Doug says it's 20' in the air, and 2/ the edge being a little rough is an advantage - it'll hold the paint better, there's a lot of end grain there.

 

[deema]

They are relatively easy to make, carefully consider the piercing shape that you want, some are easier than others. A template is a good place to start, A4 will be fine. I’d also attach a fence on the top edge to keep it nice and even. Mark out with your template, drill hole, rough out with a jig saw close to the line. Now use a router to finesse the shape with the template using a bit with a top bearing. Round over the same way, bit with bottom bearing. Some of the orange piercings won’t allow the router to get right into the corners, so the jig saw it fret saw is used to complete the cuts followed by a gauge chisel to continue the round over.
I have ornate barge boards with piercings, blinking pain to make, take ages.

 

[Blackswanwood]

This is the most elaborate barge board I have ever seen. I saw it when on a course at Andrew Crawford’s place back in 2018. There was a skilled craftsman (and gentleman) in a workshop next door making all sorts of amazing stuff and these were for the renovation of a house belonging to Brian Ferry’s ex-wife. She tragically committed suicide so I don’t know if the project was completed but it doesn’t change the fact that it is an awesome piece of work.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

F me! I've never seen a Grinling Gibbons' barge board.

 

[Limey Lurker]

Very often, the the 'fancy' bits on a barge-board are just planted, especially when a pierced effect is desired. A friend once showed me dozens of 6 inch wide, very shallow 'V's that he'd cut on a bandsaw, to be later glued and pinned to the barge-boards where it looked really good! Doing it that way also avoided damage to a finished board.

 

[TRITON]

How about something like a large Celtic knot ?. Heavy wide so that it gets noticed from 20' up in the air. Might find fine detail is just lost to the eye at that type of height.

 

[Abel Magwitch]

I am with Limey Lurker on the plantage side. You can pick out a repetitive phrase, say 450mm, work it all out with templates and when you have refined the templates on some scrap pieces, you can rout/jigsaw/bandsaw loads of them out, until you have enough for your boards. WCS, you can only mess up 450mm at a time. Easier than working on a 6m board. Plenty of places to get that sort of pattern to copy off the net. Celtic knot Triton said, has got me all fired up to try doing some. It is not impossible to buy ready made wooden decoratives to glue on in addition to your cut outs. All this you will just need to glue and pin to the bottom edge of the board if not to the top edge. You will have the best looking barge boards in Casterbridge