Wainscotting

[Steve Maskery]

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

 

[Steve Maskery]

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.

 

[Bm101]

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.

 

[Jacob]

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.

 

[Steve Maskery]

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.

 

[monkeybiter]

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.

 

[Beau]

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."



I don't entirely understand it Steve but guess its the same as a belt sander which have no crown. Easy to set so the belt runs off the edge and perfectly stable.


Nice project by the way

 

[No skills]

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.

 

[Steve Maskery]

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.

 

[Harbo]

Van Dyke crystals - dilute to taste.

Rod

 

[Steve Maskery]

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.

 

[Jake]

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.

 

[bucephalus]

Thanks for this Steve, looking forward to learning lots.

+1 for the dark oak gentleman's club

Cheers

Gavin

 

[lurker]

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

 

[AndyT]

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?

 

[Steve Maskery]

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.

 

[Steve Maskery]

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.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

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

 

[Steve Maskery]

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.

 

[Steve Maskery]

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!