Scribing to a stone wall

[Prizen]

Hi all

missus wants me to do a built in alcove unit beside the fireplace. Thing is, the walls are clad with stone and are very uneven.
She doesn’t want free standing units so I’ll have to scribe a filler strip to the wall.
Has anyone managed to get a good result with scribing to a clad or natural stone wall?

thanks

 

[Jacob]

Hi all

missus wants me to do a built in alcove unit beside the fireplace. Thing is, the walls are clad with stone and are very uneven.
She doesn’t want free standing units so I’ll have to scribe a filler strip to the wall.
Has anyone managed to get a good result with scribing to a clad or natural stone wall?

thanks

The process is to 'offer up' the strip to the wall - scribe a pencil line running your finger along - cut the line - offer up again - cut the line again - as many times as it takes to get a fit to keep the old lady happy.
Easiest to rough most of it out with a carpenters axe until you get to fine details then a block plane etc.

 

[planesleuth]

The process is to 'offer up' the strip to the wall - scribe a pencil line running your finger along - cut the line - offer up again - cut the line again - as many times as it takes to get a fit to keep the old lady happy.
Easiest to rough most of it out with a carpenters axe until you get to fine details then a block plane etc.

lol You need a good pair of scribers and a line to follow the vertical edge of the cabinet Prizen. The above comment will only help you if you live in a castle...carpenters axe.. lmao.

 

[baldkev]

I would prop up/ wedge the side piece/s to be scribed, so the front is level ( upright )
Now measure off from the back of your board to the widest point in the gaps.
Cut a piece of batten to about a foot long, then cut a wedge off the side to create a taper from 0 to 45mm over say 3 inches. Measure off the point the distance of the gap and mark. Drill a pencil sized hole... now use that as your scribe with a sharp pencil, keeping it horizontal as you follow the stonework. At times you will need to flip the scribe to stop the wedge section being in the way. You can go all the way down, missing the points where the wedge fouls the stonework, flip the scribe and go back up catching the areas you intentionally missed.

Dies that make sense??

 

[Daniel2]

After scribing the initial line, I remove the bulk with a jigsaw.
Then I offer the piece up again, scribe, and remove the waste with a coarse rasp.
Rinse and repeat until satisfied.

 

[Jacob]

lol You need a good pair of scribers and a line to follow the vertical edge of the cabinet Prizen. The above comment will only help you if you live in a castle...carpenters axe.. lmao.

What's "a pair of scribers"? You need a pencil in your hand and an axe to rough it out.
PS had a look - there are gadgets called "scribers" but you don't need any of them. Unless you mean a pointy metal thing - mine's an old dart with a handle. Good scribing for some things but not this, a pencil is better.

 

[PerryGunn]

It may be because I'm getting older but I find reducing the number of times I have to move heavy things into/out of position makes my body complain less the following morning

As a consequence, for anything that's heavy, bulky or awkward to move, I normally scribe & cut a large piece of stiff cardboard (sometimes with a batten attached to aid rigidity) to get the correct shape, then transfer that line to the 'real' surface, make an initial cut just inside that line to remove the bulk and then refine it from there.

 

[Ollie78]

I would use a bit of thin plywood or mdf. Get that perfect as it will be easy to trim. Once satisfied it is spot on ( note the thickness of the final material and check it will work for the full depth ). Transfer it to your final work and job done.

Ollie

 

[peter-harrison]

I agree with Ollie- get a bit of 6mm MDF to fit, then put it to the wall and use your long level to draw an upright line on it to line up with the front face of your cabinetry. You can then use it as a template with a following cutter in your router (if you have one) Having used Jacob's method and the scriber method (current favourite the Trend one) I would go 100% for the scriber.

 

[TheUnicorn]

I would also go for a first pass in ply or mdf, or really any scrap wood that has suitable dimensions.

Depending on just how detailed / jagged you need your piece to me, I'd go for a pencil rolled against the inside of a washer as means of scribing.

you might also want to look into 'ticking sticks' (also several other names) on you tube, a way of transferring awkward shapes

 

[Jones]

If you use a template that is thinner than the filler strip it may not match with rough stone.

 

[Doug71]

Alternative approach, can you keep the filler strip straight and fill the uneven gaps with cement/trowel mastic/caulk or something?

Often when I have done scribes to really uneven stone or brickwork I have stood back and thought it looked a bit rubbish and wasn't really worth the effort as it kind of makes the unevenness stand out more.

I generally use an old school pair of compasses when scribing, you see lots of scribing tools these days with flat bottoms or sides but you need a point! Things like pencils in washers don't work for intricate things.

Every time I do a complicated scribe I wish I had a Veritas Log Scribe, might treat myself at Christmas

https://woodsmithexperience.co.uk/product/veritas-transfer-log-scribe/

 

[Jacob]

If you use a template that is thinner than the filler strip it may not match with rough stone.

Good point. That is why you undercut the filler strip so it will match at the visible edge but not necessarily underneath. And you don't need a template and have to do the job twice.

 

[Jacob]

......

https://woodsmithexperience.co.uk/product/veritas-transfer-log-scribe/

A simple school compass will do exactly the same for about 100th of the price but it's easier anyway with a hand held pencil. Or a scribe point if you can't afford a pencil. A sharpened nail perhaps?
"Bi-directional level bubbles" sound interesting!

 

[Ollie78]

If you use a template that is thinner than the filler strip it may not match with rough stone.

That's what I was on about.

( note the thickness of the final material and check it will work for the full depth ).

Perhaps badly described.

I agree with the compass method for more precision on awkward and deep shapes. The washer method is fine on smoother, less complex scribes.
I have an accuscribe which is quite good as it has an extending pin.

Ollie

 

[Prizen]

Thanks all, some great suggestions there

 

[jcassidy]

You don't need a scriber or an axe, what you need is a crate of beer and invite Jacob and Planeslueth over to see who has the better result.

You can sell tickets to the show and with the large amount of money earned (cos we'll all go) hire Adam to build your cabinets.

 

[Jacob]

You don't need a scriber or an axe, what you need is a crate of beer and invite Jacob and Planeslueth over to see who has the better result.

You can sell tickets to the show and with the large amount of money earned (cos we'll all go) hire Adam to build your cabinets.

Scribing a board with a pencil and an axe is (was) well known trad technique. I was taught how to do it and it was one of the main uses for a carpenters axe. I used it most often for scribing inside linings of sash windows during restoration work - they need to be a good fit for plastering.
Other trades do it with variations - "tick" sticks and the likes, especially boat builders.
It was a lot easier before people forgot how to do things and started inventing gadgets instead!
One key trick is to undercut, so that by the time you get to fine detailing of the finished edge you are only trimming the thin undercut top surface, and not the whole thickness of the board.
PS The ticking stick works for 3D curves too - e.g. a piece of bendy hardboard pressed into a splayed arch and marks transferred to it with a ticking stick and then to some bendy plasterboard, or whatever else you might want to do with it.

 

[Simon89]

I put a couple of strips masking tape on the wall, top & bottom, to make sure you are offering up the piece to the same place each time. It can be a real pain if you slightly move your piece and it no longer fits

 

[MikeJhn]

The professional way is to put a tile on top of the tile one away from the wall and scribe with a tile this gives you the cut line against the wall, very simple, don't forget a grout space against the wall.