any tip for cutting and fitting cornice/pelmet

[benpost]

i've got white gloss kitchen units and originally didnt buy a cornice / pelmet but soon after realised it looked like something was missing. so i bought the white gloss cornice/pelmet (same top and bottom) from b and q (kitchen from homebase). first of all i'm hoping it will be an exact match when fitted it looks ok but you can never tell.

anyway i have a cutting machine which can be tilted to 45 degrees. my plan is to measure the cabinet widths and depths and cut the wood to the right lengths with the mitre joints. then glue the joints with clear silicon before fitting to the underside and top of the units with screws. i guess cutting from the front (gloss side) is best for smooth cut.

any tips before i attempt this tomorrow/sat is appreciated.

[mark]

I think I would glue them with glue.

You might want to devise a method of clamping the mitres firmly in place whilst the glue sets.

Also consider using those white plastic blocks for securing the mitres, the same blocks you'd use for securing the cornice and pelmet to the units

mark

[benpost]

hi mark when you say normal glue do you mean pva? i have plently of that left! as for securing to the units, the cornice has a thinner section along the back which seems ideal to drill through and drill into the cabinet, right length screws of course. i didnt consider any other way of securing to the units.

[Frank Erskine]

That makes sense... :-)

[Rod]

I have seen kitchen fitters use 'instant' glue (two part superglue) for this purpose.

E.g. - from Screwfix:

No Nonsense Mitre Adhesive 200ml

200ml/50g. Fast bonding Adhesive and Activator for wood, rubber, plastics, ceramics and metals. From £6.84 Mitre Adhesive 200ml Quote No: 91838

[The Medway Handyman]

Rather than trying to measure each piece you might find it easier to cut them slightly oversize & then offer them up & mark exactly where the cut needs to be.

[Alang]

[Dave Liquorice]

I wouldn't glue them before bing offered/fixed to the cupboards. They may look square but I bet they aren't at least not when you are looking at a

2m run under a couple of wall cupboards.

Simple measuring seems a bit iffy to me as well with a mitre on each end, like on the front piece. Where do you measure to/from on the angle and don't forget the moulding? Cut one mitre and drill fixing holes as required. Position that mitre in the right place relative to the cupboard, lightly fix then mark where the other mitre should be from the cupboard.

For the side pieces similar approach but don't assume that the bits will match, a certain amount of "heel and toeing" maye well be required, due to errors in the cut angle and the cupboard not being exactly square.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

That's a bit vague. A jigsaw or hand held circular saw can usually have its bed tilted to 45 degrees - but isn't really suitable for this. For a decent accurate cut you either something like a compound mitre saw - or a mitre block and good handsaw.

Silicone is messy stuff and not a good adhesive. There is a two part glue available for just this purpose if you must have a fast setting one - or use ordinary wood glue and a mitre clamp.

This finish is rather easy to chip. Personally I'd use a mitre block and a good tenon saw.

[John Rumm]

Something to keep in mind, if the cornice is the type that mounts at an angle (so that it sticks out over the top of the units), then the mitre you need to cut will not be a simple one on one axis - but rather a compound one. There are two approaches to this: you can either attempt to lay it flat and cut both angles together using a suitable compound mitre saw, or you can build yourself a mitre box that will hold the cornice at the final fitted angle, and then cut a simple mitre straight down through this.