# Colonial Base Molding



## rzaccone (Sep 10, 2004)

I have several rooms in my house that need new base molding. The home center has Colonial style molding but it sells for $1.49 per linear foot. It occured to me that it might be cost effective if I made my own with my table router setup. Woodcraft told me they do not sell this type of router bit. Any tips or suggestions are welcome.


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## ejant (Sep 10, 2004)

A multiprofile bit may help you.

http://www.sommerfeldtools.com/products.asp?ID=51


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## DONALD (Sep 12, 2004)

You might try a few lumber yards. I buy all my molding from a lumber yard for less than HD and far less than Lowes. The one that I deal with has a large display showing the types of molding they carry. They usually have paint grade and stain grade.


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## BobandRick (Aug 4, 2004)

Taking in cosideration the cost of material and setting up your router to cut to your molding specs it might be cheaper to purchase the moldings. Making moldings are sometimes a difficult operation that require a consistent feed speed. 

Just my thoughts,


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## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

Purchase the finished moulding required
Tom


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## dhergott (Oct 9, 2004)

*Making moldings*

Here's a different view for you to concider.

I now make all my own moldings and won't use premade moldings as they are
grossly over priced.

I make the trim with a router in a horizontial table that I made. 

The first time I made trim I tried it on a vertical table and found it near to impossible at is was a bit difficult to hold down the long pieces if the board moved the profile would be screwed up.
I though about alternatives and remember reading about horizontal router tables. I made a table and tried it, it was 100 times better, but
I didn't like putting my hands near the cutter area. 

S0... I purchased a small power feeder made by General International, it has electronic variable speed.

Buying the power feed was by far the best thing I ever did for making table routing safe.

I the powerfeeder for making my raised pannel doors and anything else that will work the router table. Actually very few things that require some kind of profile don't work.

With the power feeder my hands are never in danger as they can't get near the bit, the bit is covered by the feeder. I situate the bit between the feeder rollers.

Save your money and you will never ever regret purchasing a power feeder for your router table. 

My router tables and power feeder are mounted on the right side of my table saw table. 
My table saw has a 52" cross capabilty that I don't use often. Thus I keep the router and feeder installed all the time.

The first time I saw a horizontal router table in a jig book I though it was ridiculous, but it wasn't until I wanted to make 6" ash base (which you can't buy at lumber store) for my house that I tried it out.

I've run trim for other people with this setup and it works like a breeze.

Dan


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Dan, sounds interesting. Don't suppose you could show us a picture of this set up? I haven't seen this power feed you speak of. Thanks - Dave


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## Mr Lumpy (Oct 10, 2004)

Hey Dan
Im the begining stages of building the same type of routing system your talking about.
I also have a small powerfeeder that i use on my Table Saw and will also use on the Horizontal table. It would be nice to see some pics of the uniy that you've built and any tips you can send my way.
MrLumpy


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## ecarkoski (Sep 24, 2004)

*molding*



rzaccone said:


> I have several rooms in my house that need new base molding. The home center has Colonial style molding but it sells for $1.49 per linear foot. It occured to me that it might be cost effective if I made my own with my table router setup. Woodcraft told me they do not sell this type of router bit. Any tips or suggestions are welcome.



I have seen on this old house they used a molding head cutter on the saw that was that made by modifying a stright blade.


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## Putzger (Sep 13, 2004)

ecarkoski said:


> I have seen on this old house they used a molding head cutter on the saw that was that made by modifying a stright blade.


Sears sells a Moudling Head cutter with a fairly generous starter assortment of HSS cutters for about $80 (less 10% during Craftsman Club days). The package price is a pretty good deal compared to individual piece purchases. Sears also sell a fair variety of other cutter blades to add on / round out a collection of cutters for the moulding head. 

(This moulding head certainly isn't a fancy as the dedicated moulding cutter I've seen Tommy Silva use on This Old House, but it's a heck of a lot less expensive!)

The Moulding Head fits directly onto the arbor of (most) any 10" table saw (it replaces the regular blade). 

I've been making a lot of "sorta-somewhat" Mission-style baseboards and other trim work for my house by using my router table and a variety of bits, but now that I have a really decent table saw this moulding head cutter is starting to look "good" to me. Even though the cutters are HSS, I suppose they might be OK as long as one stays with cutting Alder or clean Pine -- too bad they don't have carbide-tipped cutters (although those would likely be way too co$tly).


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## Woodnut65 (Oct 11, 2004)

Putzger said:


> Sears sells a Moudling Head cutter with a fairly generous starter assortment of HSS cutters for about $80 (less 10% during Craftsman Club days). The package price is a pretty good deal compared to individual piece purchases. Sears also sell a fair variety of other cutter blades to add on / round out a collection of cutters for the moulding head.
> 
> (This moulding head certainly isn't a fancy as the dedicated moulding cutter I've seen Tommy Silva use on This Old House, but it's a heck of a lot less expensive!)
> 
> ...


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## Woodnut65 (Oct 11, 2004)

The sears moulding head is a good buy, I have had one for years. The cutters are cheap enough and they last quite awhile. It's a good way to make trim mouldings
if you don't need hundreds of feet. A multi router bit in your router table will also
help in making mouldings.

Good luck, Woodnut65


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