Bending Shoe Molding for Curved Wall

[Brett Bobo]

What suggestions do you have to bend a 3/4" shoe molding for a curved bay window wall? I believe the radius is approximately 4' and the length of molding is approximately 7' in this area. The molding is made from soft maple.

I've tried soaking the molding with water and then quickly installing but that stick broke. I've considered making kerf cuts along the length of the molding on the back side, every couple of inches, but I'm not sure if that would work either. I'm trying to avoid buying the plastic, flexible molding suited for these types of situations.

Thanks,
Brett

[Tony Joyce]

Steam.

Tony

[Tom Ewell]

Might be able to plane the backside of the trim removing some of the beef. With the back almost flat leaving front profile intact, careful installation to match up with the straight runs, sort of like a mini crown molding.
We did same with 5/8" oak shoe around a curved hearth, it will roll some but should be able to get pretty close without noticeable deformity.

[Dave Zellers]

Pine might make that bend.

If I was going to kerf it, I'd kerf the front so they close with the bend but use a very fine saw with a very narrow kerf (like the Veritas flexible flush cutting saw) and make lots of them. You could experiment with the depth and closeness of the kerfs on a scrap to try to get them to close tightly when pressed into the bend.

Of course filling and sanding that would be fun. Not

[russell lusthaus]

If is just the one piece - - you could maybe nail the center in place, and using a heat gun, work your way to the ends, nailing as you go. Predrill for the nails or you may end up doing all over again. Regular shoe molding should make that bend, I would think. Good Luck.

Russ

[John A langley]

Brett. If you can protect the floor and make a jig, you could use the wall as your form and laminate 6 thin pieces, let it dry for 24 hours using yellow glue. After it is dry, remove it from the form and clean it up. Several companies make router bits with a base shoe profile. You have to have a router table for the bit and a jointer to clean up your stock.

[Peter Quinn]

I'd do a lamination, thickened epoxy works well because it requires low pressure, make a foam inside caul or just put blocks every so often and nail the trim to the base with wax paper as a separation. Protect the floor well. Make it a little tall so you can plane it flush, get it close enough so jointer is not neccessary. Then mold with a router. Or use flex moldings or polyurethane molding for the curve if it's paint grade, poly can be heat bent with a heat gun.

[Jamie Buxton]

Four foot radius? I'd expect shoe molding to bend around that. I'd look for molding with nice straight grain, not wild grain that cuts across the molding.

[Chris Rosenberger]

As Jamie said, find a piece or make a piece with straight grain. A trick that has worked for me is to put filament tape on the back side of the shoe. If those fail, laminate a piece.

[Ryan Baker]

As Tony said, you need steam. About an hour in a steam box and it will go around that curve no problem. Kerfing never produces acceptable results, IMO.

[John T Barker]

Steam or lamination or Woolite. If you soak the wood in Woolite it will become pliable. What's in Woolite? Ammonia?

[Tony Joyce]

No ammonia listed?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolite

Tony

[Mel Fulks]

I have no idea if the Woolite would help bend wood.In my youth I tested grocery store ammonia for bending wood ,its useless. Anhydrous ammonia works,is dangerous,and probably hard to get.

[Mark Bolton]

What suggestions do you have to bend a 3/4" shoe molding for a curved bay window wall? I believe the radius is approximately 4' and the length of molding is approximately 7' in this area. The molding is made from soft maple.

I've tried soaking the molding with water and then quickly installing but that stick broke. I've considered making kerf cuts along the length of the molding on the back side, every couple of inches, but I'm not sure if that would work either. I'm trying to avoid buying the plastic, flexible molding suited for these types of situations.

Thanks,
Brett

Kerf'ing wont work because you will be kerfing just a corner of the material and then it wont bend on the floor plane but rather on an angle in relation to the face of the shoe. As Tom said it will "roll". Anytime Ive tried it on a fairly tight radius even with small trim its been a less than desirable outcome and wound up in the burn pile.

A lot of depends on whether its stain grade or painted trim. You mention PVC and bending trims so I am assuming its paint. If its painted I would cut your losses and buy a piece of PVC trim. If its not available a piece of PVC and a router bit or two and make a reasonable match.

If its stain I would laminate or segment and route but it would have to be one juicy piece of shoe. Your talking about a piece of shoe molding that will be worth hundreds of dollars when your done.

[Jim Galvin]

Try this place http://flexiblemouldingconcepts.com/t/flexible-moulding/?per_page=20

may cost a little more but its worth it

Jim

[Richard Wolf]

If you take two lengths of shoe molding and rip them in half, allowing for the saw kerf, you will most likely make the bend with just the two pieces. Nail the first piece up than the second piece, light sanding and paint.

[scott vroom]

"I'm trying to avoid buying the plastic, flexible molding suited for these types of situations."

If this is a paint grade job I believe you already have your answer :)

[Brett Bobo]

Thanks, I appreciate everyone's input. I guess I left off two pieces of critical information: all of the shoe molding is stain grade and this particular area is an interior curve. Since it's an inside curve (a bump out at the bay window), I wouldn't be able to route the profile after the bent lamination like I would be able to do with an outside curve. So, it sounds like my best option is to steam bend a single piece (or do sections) but I'm not setup with a steam box. Originally, I figured this large of a radius wouldn't be an issue, like others have mentioned, but it's just too tight for the soft maple to make that radius.

[Mel Fulks]

You can route one side just as easily as the other. Make the material a little wider to provide a place for bearing,then rip off the extra. Or use a curved special plywood fence . Or both.

[Mel Fulks]

One more thing....Steaming a finished pc might give you a curved piece too twisted or rolled over to use .

[Mark Bolton]

Richard has the bee's knees answer above. A perfect solution.

[Mel Fulks]

That way works better with curve going the other way. Can leave facets going the way op needs. Worth trying.