Help duplicating moulding on cabinet

[wallace chapman]

Hey guys, need your help. What is the best way to duplicate the molding in the middle of the doors on this credenza?

[Bill Orbine]

I suppose that depends on how much quantity you need to duplicate and what tools and machinery you have. Shaper? Router? Lathe (for the radius corners). Please advise.

[Peter Quinn]

Your wondering about how to make the curves? I'd use a curved carriage on either the router table or a shaper. A curved carriage is essentially a curve the same as the outside radius of your curve that is clamped to the fence of your tool to guide the curved piece for molding. Then another board is clamped or screwed to it to hold the stock tight to the cutter. It must be a perfect radius and be well centered on the bit or cutters apex. You will need a template for each side of the curve. First create blanks that will give you roughly three times the length of the section of the curve you need. Then bandsaw off the outside radius and flush trim to your pattern. Run this through the curved carriage to create the molding profile, bandsaw off the piece along its inside radius AFTER shaping and flush trim using the inside radius template. Easier than it sounds to do once set up, but keep your hands free of the cutter at all times.

You should be able to get two corners worth of molding from a segment three times the length you need. Good hold downs and feather boards are crucial. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PASS MOLDING THAT SMALL PAST A CUTTER HEAD IN ANY EVEN ON EITHER A ROUTER OR SHAPER.

The straights will use the same cutter though I would mill stock thick enough to run along the edge grain and rip the molding off of a wide board as needed. I can't make out the molding detail in the photos.

Another option is a mini molder like a W&H or shop fox with a curved fence, but if you don't already have one it hardly makes sense for a single job that size.

[wallace chapman]

Hey Bill, sorry I didn't elaborate. Just two doors. I have basically all tools..tablesaw, panelsaw, routers, shaper, jointer, bandsaw, even a woodmaster moulder. I know the moulder could make the trim but not sure if I want to order knives for just two doors.

Peter, that sounds exactly like what I may need. I'm not really familiar with that method, so I will have to read and re-read your post to get it down.

Thanks for the quick replies. I have the piece built but needed a quick way to do this moulding.

[Peter Quinn]

If you have a shaper book like Lonnie Bird's I think he has a picture of one in there (curved carriage), if not check the Williams and Hussey web site for their owners manual in PDF. They have a great description of how to do it and good pictures, you just need to translate the geometry in your head to make sense for a vertical spindle machine. I have seen guys run bigger curved things on the shaper with one wheel of a power feed on the blanks, the other two removed for a radius that tight, though I'd probably run a molding that small on the router table myself.

It is critical that you leave material on the inside radius of the curve until after shaping so thing don't tip into the cutter and your hands don't get near the cutter at the end of each pass. Good luck with it.

[Tony Joyce]

Like this?
131441

[Tony Joyce]

Or this?
131442

From - Bendix Architectural Products

[Sean Hoag]

Or this?
131442

From - Bendix Architectural Products
Tony - I was just about to suggest Bendix premade moldings to him but you beat me to it! - S.

[David DeCristoforo]

"I can't make out the molding detail in the photos."

It appears to be a fairly simple profile, a half round bead with a small step on each side. "Easily" done using Peter's method, but do not ignore his warning! The Bendix mouldings are "similar" but not "the same". If you want an exact match, you may need to make them.

[Paul Atkins]

I make router bit custom by getting something close out of HSS and grinding to match. For short runs this works well. A scratch stock will work too, but is a bit tricky. The corners are lathe jobs. I've made corner mouldings from 2" radius to 24 inch radius on the lathe.