skirting board scribed joints

[Con Owen]

Hi
I have prepared new skirting board for my daughters terraced house (200 years old) using the above method. This is the first time I have done this, whilst the scribe joints are not 100 percent perfect they still look a pretty good fit (I took a lot of time doing them using the mitre saw to give me the cut line and a coping saw for doing the cutting plus sandpaper and files), where there is not an exact fit what should I use to fill, they are not painting them but staining and varnishing? I intend to attache to the walls with gripfill but what I am not sure of is whether I should glue (is titebond OK?) the actual scribe where it butts up with the other board. Any advice is much appreciated. May I take this opportunity to thank members for their advice in advance.

Cheers
Con

 

[Digit]

The way I avoid seeing or filling a gap is to make sure that the gap does not face where people can see it.
For example, imagine you walk through a doorway close to a corner of the room, the piece alongside the door should be uncut and the piece that meets it should be cut to the form.
Also it helps to cut the form at a slight angle so that the face of the formed part meets the other piece cleanly.
Hope that makes sense.

Roy.

 

[dennis]

Con

I never glue scribe joints, it is best to slightly undercut them as Digit says and make them tight for length as this pushes the scribe up tight.If you have cut them slack for length you can prise them up with a bolster chisel or wide wood chisel then put a wedge in to keep the joint tight.As the house is 200 years old how straight are the walls,you may have to use the odd fixing as well as gripfill if they are not very straight.There are good two part woodfillers that will take stain if needed.

Dennis

 

[Con Owen]

Hi Guys

I did respond to your advice a couple of days ago but for some reason something has gone wrong as I see it is not posted.

First of all thank you for you helpful comments. Now should I glue the external mitres? I do have some titebond glue that says on the bottle it is for mouldings would this be OK?

Cheers Con
Hope this posts OK

 

[Digit]

If the timber curls outward I doubt any glue will stop it. It is better to have any cupping positioned so that the top and bottom edges stay in place, and leave the timber in the room where you intend using it, if that is possible.

Roy.

 

[johnf]

external mitres use mitre glue mitre bond or similar plus a few brads or lost heads that should keep the mitre together

john

 

[Scrit]

If the timber curls outward I doubt any glue will stop it. It is better to have any cupping positioned so that the top and bottom edges stay in place, and leave the timber in the room where you intend using it, if that is possible.

The traditional "quality" approach I was taught was to add a small bare-faced tenon to the end of the flat part of the scribed piece with a matching vertical mortise in the flat part of the non-scribed piece. That way any cupping will be effectively checked and glue won't be necessary (in any case I doubt very much that glue on a scribed joint is in any way effective). This was normally only used on those girt great 12in and taller skitings you'd see in baronial mansions, board rooms and solicitors offices, etc.

Scrit