# How is this made?



## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

Any idea how this was cut was made? Since the post is built up with 5/4 stick around a 4x4 the edge treatment must have been done after the post was built. I can guess that the bevel was probably made with a 45 degree bit but how was the transition to the curved part made?


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

A Picture would be nice.
Herb


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

Herb Stoops said:


> A Picture would be nice.
> Herb


I was editing the picture trying to get it turned right but it's still wrong...sorry


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## boogalee (Nov 24, 2010)

Try this.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Probably before the trim was added.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

mgmine said:


> I was editing the picture trying to get it turned right but it's still wrong...sorry


I have problems like that too.

Is that a wood post, it has the appearance in my eyes as a concrete column. I have no idea how they were made other than by hand,they seem to have a curve rather than a flat chamfer.
Herb


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Band saw would do it, or a router and then a band saw or some sort of hand saw.

Lay a corner into a 90 degree cradle and cut most of the 45 degree cut, reverse it and cut the other half. Then use the band saw to cut a nice curve, while still in the cradle. In the field it could be done with a sabre saw, but there's less repeatability that way. Use a pattern to mark it up. The give away is the straight cut at the transition from the 45 cut to the curve.

Probably a job for an apprentice.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

A skil saw can go to 45 degrees ,and have a guide air nailed to the post . My other though was doing it the hard way with a router . Build a sled for the router that attaches to a 45 degree angle


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Art
That profiles is called a lamb tongue ( I usually cut the 45 with a routr and finish with a hand chisel )





The video shows making a double tongue your profile is a single tongue if you practice with a sharp chisel you can learn to make that single tongue pretty quickly

I was able to find a video showing how to hand cut lambs tongue


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

The post IS resting in a cradle. That was 12 minutes per lambs tongue, that's almost an hour per set of 4. At say $50 an hour, that going to be $80 in labor, plus whatever material. I think this could easily be done with a band saw, and done much faster. Unless, of course, you have a premium customer, or an appreciative wife, or just love hand work.

The cradle will hold the angle, the band saw blade set at 90 will cut the 45.


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## mimac (Dec 13, 2009)

DesertRatTom said:


> The post IS resting in a cradle. That was 12 minutes per lambs tongue, that's almost an hour per set of 4. At say $50 an hour, that going to be $80 in labor, plus whatever material. I think this could easily be done with a band saw, and done much faster. Unless, of course, you have a premium customer, or an appreciative wife, or just love hand work.
> 
> The cradle will hold the angle, the band saw blade set at 90 will cut the 45.


 Pretty hard to get a porch post up to a band saw.


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## gmercer_48083 (Jul 18, 2012)

Semipro has posted the answer.


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

@Semipro, the video is impressive, but for a porch post, do you think a rotary planer plus some files would do the trick? DRT has a point about how long it would take - for porch posts.


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

Wolfcraft in Germany have a “universal shaper” that might do the trick. I had one forty years ago, stupidly parted with it when I got my first router. For some things, it could not be beaten. The old model was also much better-built than the current one.
http://www.wolfcraft.com/uploads/tx_commerce/3001000_116310001.PDF


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Art ask how the profile was made, This is 2 ideas on how to do it, I guess if he was going to mass produce two or 300 of them he needs to find a faster and better way of doing it but we just need to replace one post on his porch don’t think it’s a big deal
Just looking at the pictures I would bet that a Craftsman build them on job site.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

Thanks one and all. The video helps and it looks like the best way to build the post is to build it in the shop and clad the 4x4 later. From the first video, it almost looks like the 45 degree bit made the whole thing. Before he started the finishing work the end on the right looked as if it had the little curve in it. I'll experiment and see what happens. I agree that it would be easier to remove the bulk with a saw so I'll try the band saw first since I'll be able to stop the blade cut exactly where I want it. I'm not sure when the post was built but it was a lot of years ago. I have seen two other houses with the identical posts so it was either a common practice or the same carpenter did all the porches. I think I'll shoot a question to the YouTuber he can probably offer some tips. I only have to build one of these sp time isn't an issue. In addition to the post, there is some trim on the top and bottom that I have to replicate.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

mgmine said:


> Any idea how how was the transition to the curved part made?


chisel or gouge...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DesertRatTom said:


> The post IS resting in a cradle. That was 12 minutes per lambs tongue, that's almost an hour per set of 4. At say $50 an hour, that going to be $80 in labor, plus whatever material. I think this could easily be done with a band saw, and done much faster. Unless, of course, you have a premium customer, or an appreciative wife, or just love hand work.
> 
> The cradle will hold the angle, the band saw blade set at 90 will cut the 45.


wow!!!


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Semipro said:


> Art
> That profiles is called a lamb tongue ( I usually cut the 45 with a routr and finish with a hand chisel )


I'm w/ you...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

coping saw...
square the chamfer w/ a saw too..


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## mimac (Dec 13, 2009)

From the looks of the age and size of that post I would say the lamb's tongue was cut with a turning frame saw (ancestor of the coping saw, larger and more robust).


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Lots of ways to skin that cat. A one off, I'd do with hand tools.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

It seems to me a good sized 45deg bit would do the whole thing...except for the transition between the two sections...

It will cut the 45 on the length and it will cut the small section with the radius cutting the curve at the end. Then a bit of handwork/sanding to smooth the transition...


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## Biagio (Mar 2, 2013)

I must say that for four lamb tongues, I would reach for the Dremel planer attachment. I believe it is about $20 in the USA, cuts 2,25 inch wide. Might hav to clean up the end of the cut near the 45 degree chamfer by hand, but should be little work.
There use to be a similar drill-driven concept, but I cannot remember who made it - think it was Wolfcraft, but if so, no longer.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

I did it about 50 years ago with a router and 45 deg bit. Then followed up with a very sharp chisel to carefully hand carve the lambs tongue at each end. Then repeated the process on all for corners. It was for a very fancy Colonial post replacement that had to duplicate the original as close as possible. I didn't install it, just made it. No pictures...sorry.

Charley


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## friendly1too (Sep 25, 2004)

Given the age of the post, it is likely that a hand plane was used to cut the chamfer. The lamb's tongue was probably created using a jig, for the sake of repeatability and speed, though, as previously shown a chisel can do it. Likely a rasp could, too.


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## johnjory (Sep 19, 2013)

The cut is called a lamb's tongue and I believe they are usually done by hand with a chisel.


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## ventifact (Nov 24, 2008)

Probably done with a copeing saw in the day.


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## bfblack (May 2, 2012)

*porch post trim*

The attached photo shows five porch posts of about 30 that I did on my house about 25 years ago. The trim work was done after the posts were installed. It was done with a hand held router with a chamfer bit. The only jig was a top/bottom stop block. I did not do the fancy lamb's tail stuff at the beginning and end of the cut so it was not as fancy as the video someone posted. After doing the first post, I turned the work over to my son. Unfortunately, I sold that house about 3 years ago.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

bfblack said:


> The attached photo shows five porch posts of about 30 that I did on my house about 25 years ago. The trim work was done after the posts were installed. It was done with a hand held router with a chamfer bit. The only jig was a top/bottom stop block. I did not do the fancy lamb's tail stuff at the beginning and end of the cut so it was not as fancy as the video someone posted. After doing the first post, I turned the work over to my son. Unfortunately, I sold that house about 3 years ago.



Looks a lot like what I'm doing


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## SurgSsg (Oct 29, 2018)

The transition was probably made by hand with files/sandpaper.


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