Looking For Info: Finish Carpentry

[Jared McMahon]

I've been working on a light remodel of the house and there seems to be a lot of tips and tricks to making trim/finish/interior carpentry look good and work well. I'm mostly putting up baseboard molding but also some window sills, a little door work, etc. Can anyone suggest any good resources for this sort of work? Y'know, best practices, typical pitfalls, etc. I'm getting better as I go, but I'd rather be learning from interesting mistakes instead of from brain-dead ones! <:O

Thanks, all.

[Joe Adams]

Gary Katz has an excellent DVD series on finish carpentry as well as a couple of books. His website is GaryMKatz dot com.

[Victor Robinson]

+1 on the Gary Katz DVDs. Yes, they are pricey, at nearly $50 per. You'll probably want all 3 (Mastering Miter Saw, Baseboard/Casing, and Conquering Crown). Sometimes you can find them used on woodworking/carpentry forums. And you can always sell them after you are done with them. Lots of great practical tips and best practices to save time and get better results. I've read most of the modern finish carpentry books out there in the last few years and by far, these DVDs were the most helpful.

[Sam Murdoch]

Here is the link to Gary's web site - http://www.garymkatz.com (http://www.garymkatz.com/)
Check out the "resources and articles" section for some immediately available tips. -http://www.garymkatz.com/trim_techniques.html

But as Joe and Victor have written the DVDs are worth the investment.

[Robert LaPlaca]

I am sure that the Gary Katz DVD's are great, but I will propose a more 'old school' approach.. I can recommend the book Trim Carpentry Techniques by Craig Savage published by Tauton Press, I believe the book is about $20. Good Luck

[Lee Schierer]

Here's a few tips:

1. On all new work make everything square and plumb as possible.

2. Make sure the crown on all your lumber faces the same way in any given ceiling, wall or floor.

3. Make sure you understand the difference between load bearing and non-load bearing structure in your house before you start.

4. Use the best materials you can afford to give the highest chance of success. Nothing looks worse in the end than a cheap material or product that didn't work as well as it was advertised.

5. If you don't know how to do something hire/get an expert. It will save you time and money in the long run.

6. Be aware that the typical folks selling product at the Borg are being paid minimum wage, do not do construction or remodeling for a living and are therefore not always experts.

7. Take your time and do it right.

[Jared McMahon]

Thanks a ton, all. I glanced at the Katz material, I'll see if I can lay hands on it. Thanks as well for the tips, this sort of work seems like it's really easy to do in a clumsy way even with the best intensions and efforts.

[Matthew Dunne]

Another Taunton book is the Trim Carpentry volume of their "Build Like a Pro" series. I've found that very helpful for trim and built-ins.

[Kevin Stricker]

Gary wrote some articles and a video recently on thisiscarpentry.com on installing casing. Looked like pretty good material.

My recommendation is to tune up your miter saw and use your trim and not your tape measure to determine your cuts. Nothing beats a good story stick, and while it takes longer it is much more reliable than the measure-mark-cut approach.

[bob gregon]

+1 on the Gary Katz - I've seen some parts of DVD's - it's really helpful.

[Bill A Hagen]

Go to your local library or book store and browse the books. they all pretty much will tell you the same things.

Some things to keep in mind.

1. Nothing will ever be perfectly square to make you like easy.
2. Stained trim has no wiggle room it has to be dead on.
3. Painted trim, caulk is your best friend
4. Get yourself a decent angle gage (I prefer digital)
5. Make sure your angle gage and miter saw agree with one another
6. If you are going to use more than one tape measure make sure they agree.
7. Mitered inside corners are easier, buy coped usually look better if done right.
8. Prime and Paint or stain and finish trim before installing
9. Use a pneumatic nail gun. (you will end up filling a lot more nail holes, it's just so easy and fun to pull the trigger, then using a hammer and nail set, you will need those anyway, there are always a few nails that stand proud)
10. Start/Practice in a closet where no one will really see your work and its the toughest to do too.
11. The taller/wider the trim the more compound cuts you will make
12. I think a double bevel compound miter saw makes life alot easier then a single bevel.
13. Work left to right or right to left depending on if you are right or left handed
14. Don't rip all the trim out of your home and think it will only take a month or two to put back
15. Get a miter saw stand and have a convenient location to work. (it's no fun walking back and forth, up and down stairs with long pieces of trim)
16. Make lots of test cuts (I try to use scraps a foot or two long, really helps when wall and floors are really out of whack.)
17. Take you time and enjoy and be proud of your work.

[johnny means]

I find that Youtube is the most comprehensive collection of tips and tutorials. I literally have become a decent plumber, electrician, mechanic, appliance repair man along with a thousand other things just watching free videos on Youtube. The best thing is it's all free.

[bobby milam]

I find that Youtube is the most comprehensive collection of tips and tutorials. I literally have become a decent plumber, electrician, mechanic, appliance repair man along with a thousand other things just watching free videos on Youtube. The best thing is it's all free.

+1 on that. Nothing quicker or cheaper to get info from than youtube. It may not always be right but you can usually weed out the bad ones. Lots of professionals make videos on there for the do it yourselfers. Add that to the other examples given and you should be set to start. Trim your garage out to learn on.

[Jared McMahon]

Thanks again for the info, all. I have a DVD and a book from Katz on the way, I'm sure I'll fill in gaps with online content. And yes, I'm totally in that phase where I say "Huh, has it really been two years since I tore out all the old trim...?" Thankfully I have an entire office (converted bedroom) to try out techniques without causing the wife any additional grief.

[phil harold]

Finish carpentry is not rough carpentry
End grain should never be Visible!

[Jared McMahon]

A quick follow up. I got the Katz book and first two DVDs. They're good, after he gets done with his not-so-subtle ad for the saw and stand he uses. They're fairly workaday info, and the Craig Savage book I just recently got is much more in line with what I was originally looking for, but when it gets down to actually cutting pieces of trim and getting them onto the wall, I'm sure they'll both prove their worth.

Now all I need is a four-dimensional protractor to deal with the "angles" in my house.