Jason Roehl
06-05-2015, 8:04 AM
I've done a bit of trim carpentry over the years ("While you're here painting, can you do...?", which has turned into bigger carpentry jobs). I know I'm not fast at it, and there are plenty of situations where I would have to do some head-scratching to get it done while a full-time carpenter would jump right in and have it done in no time.
I was prepping a front porch rail and columns for paint yesterday. The top part of the column, above the rail, is turned. The bottom portion is wrapped/boxed, probably 12" square, at least. The corners were all mitered, and several had opened up. No problem, says I, I'll just throw a few ring-shanked siding nails in there and draw them back together after I cut out the old, bad caulk job. No dice. It turns out that the wrap was measured too tight, and either it has shrunk, or the center has swollen. Caulk it is...(rebuilding is not in the budget).
Like I said, I'm no master carpenter, but even I know that when you wrap a column, you measure large by probably at least 5%, which allows for you to deal with maybe some twist and allow for some seasonal movement, especially on exterior columns. Another little tip I've picked up over the years is that it's good for the miter rips to NOT be a perfect 45º, but rather a touch larger so that there's a slight gap on the inside of the corner, and the outside of the corner will come together tightly.
Okay, I've got that off my chest now. Still tired of seeing people pick up a nail gun and call themselves a carpenter.
I was prepping a front porch rail and columns for paint yesterday. The top part of the column, above the rail, is turned. The bottom portion is wrapped/boxed, probably 12" square, at least. The corners were all mitered, and several had opened up. No problem, says I, I'll just throw a few ring-shanked siding nails in there and draw them back together after I cut out the old, bad caulk job. No dice. It turns out that the wrap was measured too tight, and either it has shrunk, or the center has swollen. Caulk it is...(rebuilding is not in the budget).
Like I said, I'm no master carpenter, but even I know that when you wrap a column, you measure large by probably at least 5%, which allows for you to deal with maybe some twist and allow for some seasonal movement, especially on exterior columns. Another little tip I've picked up over the years is that it's good for the miter rips to NOT be a perfect 45º, but rather a touch larger so that there's a slight gap on the inside of the corner, and the outside of the corner will come together tightly.
Okay, I've got that off my chest now. Still tired of seeing people pick up a nail gun and call themselves a carpenter.