Paneled wall... got it started (1)

[Bill Webber]

I had asked some questions about paneled wall systems here a while back. I’ve been working on it for a while now, think I started about mid February. The problem to be solved was the living room and family room run together with only a framed opening between them. No real separation of the functions of the rooms. Additionally, I wanted more wall space, specifically a place to put the big TV. Here’s a picture of the problem. Note also the stand-alone post there. That needs to go, too.


I have a lot of junk walnut and I thought I might be able to come up with enough usable wood to do a design like this. I’ve seen designs with the small raised panels before, so it is not completely unusual.




Initially I was thinking I would resaw some of the 6-inch boards and make book-matched glue ups for the panels. I tried that but found I didn’t have enough thickness to make a good raised panel. I tried making a flat panel, but the design was too lifeless.

I was working with a new shaper and a new cutter set. I made a bunch of test cuts to get the settings recorded and repeatable. Here’s a mockup pic with a flat panel and a raised panel.



I took a little break from the shop to fix the walls. I filled in the space between the post and the adjoining wall with dry wall. I then framed the offending opening for the paneling system.





I roughed out all the panels. I found I could get pretty good looking panels if I paid attention to the color of the boards. Cutting two pieces from the same 6-inch board and then flipping the pieces around seemed to work well. I planed to rough thickness and here they will sit until I’m ready to complete them.

[Bill Webber]

Well, thought the pictures might come out in order, but I guess you can figure it out...

My shop area is not big enough to do all the pieces at one time. I thought I’d better try just doing one row at a time. We had that wonderful weather, what was it early April? I thought I’d be ready to spray that first batch a couple weeks ago, but they had to sit for awhile. I kept the finished pieces clamped together to minimize any more movement.

Anyway, the weather was pretty near perfect on the right coast this weekend, so time to start spraying. My spray booth is in a shed outback. I mounted two attic exhaust fans in a framed frame. That’s not redundant, it just means it stands by itself. I just set in the garage door opening and drop the door down on it.



Thereis a pic of the set up inside. That’s a plastic lazy susan on the box there. It’s a handy gadget for getting to both sides of the panels and stiles.



Here’s another shot in the shed lest someone suggest, again, that all I do is take pictures. :)

[Bill Webber]

I corbled together a drying rack. When I hardware store went out of business a while back I bought a bunch of the merchandise hangers. They are great to set parts on while they are drying. I couldn’t get to any of the wall space in the shed. So, I stuck some 2-bys and pegboard on the end of my strip tank. I was only a little worried about the whole thing tipping over. :)



I had been worried for weeks as to how I would hold the pieces in place as I assembled the wall. Starting from one end, it’s insert a stile, insert a panel, insert another stile, etc. I thought I would have a problem with the pieces moving as I worked from right to left.
I was figuring on all kinds of clamps and other problem solvers. In the end the pieces all stayed relatively tightly where I had placed them. I had a whack the stiles back down a couple times but they all stayed aligned vertically without much trouble. I did check them all each time I put in another stile. So, anyway, I got the first row done. Here’s the overview.



Here’s two close up pictures. One with a flash and one without. Certainly changes the coloring.



Everything worked without a hitch. Now that I know how to do it, it’s just a matter of getting the rest of it done. I think I’ll try to do two rows at a time for the next try. The limiting factor is the time it takes to sand and spray finish the parts between coats and the room (space) I have to do it in. So far so good!

If you got all the way here, thanks for looking. :rolleyes:

[Bill Webber]

This picture, with a flash, didn't make it through the first time...:confused:

[Tim Lynch]

Looking great! I like paneling and will probably undertake something like that someday. I appreciate you putting the photos up.

Good luck with the rest of it!

[frank shic]

what are the biscuit slots for?

[Bill Webber]

what are the biscuit slots for?

I'm trying to minimize the number of exposed nole holes. That rail is 6-inches wide. It will get some sort of chair rail added later to provide a little more visual interest to the design. In this instance, the paneling will get nailed to the studding, then covered with the chair rail. The other rails are 3-inch. Those will have to get a few well place nails, set and filled. Additonally, there will be a baseboard molding, something to trim out the sides, and a crown molding or something at the top.

[frank shic]

clever use for biscuits - glad to see that my PC 557 has not been rendered COMPLETELY obsolete!!! can't wait to see the finished product.

[Jim Becker]

Interesting project, Bill. And it looks great so far!

[Charles Wilson]

Those fans for dust collection in the garage/shed/workshop?

Chuck

[Bill Webber]

Those fans for dust collection in the garage/shed/workshop?

Chuck

Yes, I think, maybe not. :) I'm not certain what you are asking. The fans in the picture are just used when I'm spraying in my 'shed'. They are not for dust collection. The 'shed' is mostly storage and overflow tools. My 'shop' is in the basement in the house. Did I answer your question? :confused:

[Don Bullock]

That is going to be a very beautiful wall. I love paneled rooms, especially when done with walnut. Super job!!!

Where did you get all that fantastic wood?

[Jim Hager]

That is gonna be a classic!!

[Bill Webber]

That is going to be a very beautiful wall. I love paneled rooms, especially when done with walnut. Super job!!!

Where did you get all that fantastic wood?

More than you want to know, perhaps, but I pulled this story off my web page. It was January or February of 1996 when we decided to re-decorate the kitchen. We wanted a new cherry cabinet over the stove to carry a microwave and we needed to finally make the louvered doors for the little pantry (kitty's hidey-ho). We also decided to make oak floors to match the random plank floor in the family room. I started watching the classified ads in the newspaper for wood for sale. I found an ad for some and went to see what the fellow had to sell. This young man (air line pilot) apparently was a wood worker wannabe, but had decided that his first efforts in pursuit of this goal would be to amass a selection of wood. He had collected about 4000 board feet of oak, cherry, walnut, and birch and had it all nicely stacked, stickered, end-sealed and dated. He also had a garage full of salvage lumber from a barn building in Bruceton, West Virginia. It may have been that he thought he was leaving town or it may have been that his spouse wanted her garage back, but he had decided to part with his collection. So, after some haggling I wound up buying everything he had. Moving the wood, building a shed to store it and a few other projects put the kitchen re-modeling on hold for another year.

Turns out the wood was mostly not very good, but I've resolved to use it up. There was a lot of wood discarded in order to get those panels. That's why the remaining panels will only be 12 by 12-inch. There are a lot of drilled-out knots on the back of those panels, some places where the pith runs down the back, too. I paid a $1 a foot for this stuff, buts it's worth a lot more now, considering the number of times I've moved it. :rolleyes:

[Don Bullock]

More than you want to know... I paid a $1 a foot for this stuff, buts it's worth a lot more now, considering the number of times I've moved it. :rolleyes:


Not too long at all. Thanks. That sure was a great price. Maybe perhaps I'll run into that kind of luck. You sure putting the walnut to a good use. I'll be checking for the pictures when it's finished. Thanks for sharing.

[Dave Shively]

Bill,

It looks great so far! You are doing a fantastic job. I did the same thing for
my home and you will love it when your done! Can't wait to see it when your
finished.

Dave

[fRED mCnEILL]

I'm interested in your comment about drilling out the knots. Can you elaborate on that?

Thanks

Fred Mc

[Bill Webber]

I'm interested in your comment about drilling out the knots. Can you elaborate on that?

Hi Fred,

When I'm planing rough lumber, I try to take equal amounts off boths sides of a board after I've gotten it flat. If there is a pin knot or some other defect on the 'bad' side, I drill it out so I don't hit it with my planer knives, before I start. Sometimes I use a drill bit but usually I use a 1/2-inch straight router bit in my drill press. I can generally one-hand it to route the offending knot down below the surface so the planer knives won't hit anything bad. My old Sears drill press runs at 6000+ rpm. I wouldn't recommend trying this with conventional low speeds.

[Charles Jackson III]

Nice start!