How to match this moulding?

[aaronfude]

Hi,

The previous owner cut part of the crown moulding so he could fit built in closets. Now the closets are gone (good riddance) and I would like to repair the moulding. Also, I'm adding an internal door that I would like to have the same moulding. The following is not a good picture, but you can tell the shape:

is my best strategy for finding moulding like that? I have visited every single lumber yard and every mill shop in the 10 mile radius (I'm in Philly) with now luck. One mill shop said they would do it for $200

• /lf. Obviously, this is unaffordable.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

Aaron Fude

[hallerb]

make cardboard template of shape and have custom knife cut, knife may cost 200 bucks but will last a lifetime.

this old house does this. local machine shop could likely make the knife

[Jim Northey]

[Don Young]

You might be able to make a satisfactory section using a shaped template and some sort of patching plaster or similar material. You can mark and cut the template from the cut edge of the old molding. The new section could be built up with wood or foam in the back.

A piece of similar molding might be modified by building up or trimming down where needed. Sometimes you can add on a small strip of wood and use a router to shape it as needed. Foam is pretty easy to shape with sharp or hot tools. Anything you make will take quite a bit of work and some skill. A friend with woodcarving or craft skills might have some better ideas.

Don Young

[Mike O.]

This looks like an old-style molding that I've seen in older houses. You might look around to see if there are any older homes being demolished in your area or if you can find a construction company that does demolition and salvage. They may be able to come up with what you are looking for. Another suggestion might be robbing the molding from somewhere else in the house (to patch the more visible areas) and replacing the robbed pieces with newer available molding. Crown comes in various sizes so you should be able to come close to the same size even though the new profile may be slightly different. That old style molding was usually nailed from the top but newer molding has the back removed to save material. It normally nails from the front. You can add a nailing strip to the top of the existing header and attach the new molding to that to achieve the same look. As has been suggested, you could have knives cut to match but you could probably replace all the molding with new for what the knives will cost.

Mike O.

[R. Pierce Butler]

[e-mail] wrote in news:1153793193.035264.276830 @m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com:

cutting a differnt area. I have made some interesting picture frames that way.

[dadiOH]

1. Buy router bit(s) and cut it
2. Make a mold from existing and cast it

[Upscale]

From the picture, it looks like a large ogee moulding with the addition of a strip of inside quarter round and then something similar to a 2"x3" backer piece of wood for spacing. Inside quarter round is readily available as well as router bits to cut it. So, all you really need to do is buy or create the large ogee section. Should be relatively easy to route with a single suitable bit, with several passes needed for each curve. I'd cut off a section of the moulding and take to the store to match it up with suitable router bits.

?c=3&p=30187&cat=1,46168

[Colbyt]

Is it just the return portion of the window trim that you need? It looks like the guy just broke off the return and cut the 45 angle off? If this is correct I may be able to suggest a decent looking, low cost repair.

[I Love Lucy]

Pretty molding. You might find some at habitat restore or some architectual salvage place, but that is a crap shoot. I'd bite the bullet and pay or rip the old molding off and replace it with the new stuff that looks nice but will not mesh as well with the architectural integrity of your home.

Maybe you could check further out and find a millwork place in a smaller town where they don't charge big-city prices. You are not likely to find a good price of a web storefront.

You might want to check on rec.woodworking. Some of those people might have a better idea, some of them have routers and can probably do their own.

Good luck!

[Teamcasa]

Snip

Do you just want to buy the moulding or how to make it?

Dave

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[bf]

If it was me, I'd probably just take down the old stuff and put all new crown in the entire room.

The only other option is to bite the bullet and pay the custom kniving charges.

I don't have a lot of confidence in trying to buy router bits and duplicate it on a router table. The odds of you getting a good match are very small.

[EXT]

Look at this website:

# 323 is very close. Probably not close enough to butt end to end, but either to replace what you have or to use in a location that does not touch the existing moulding. Pull some of the old stuff off and replace with new, use what you pull off to patch into other areas where it will butt end to end.

The down side. This outfit is in Toronto, Canada. It may take a day trip from where you are to get it. But it is not that far and will be cheaper than having it custom made. Plus you will help the flagging tourist industry in Toronto as well.

I have used their mouldings. Managed to perfectly match a 50 year old moulding on a job I was working on.

[MDT at Paragon Home Inspection]

If you want a perfect match call the service desk at an established lumber yard (NOT a "big-box" like HD) and ask for the name of the nearest "custom millwork" shop. (If you happen to live in Chicago, I use Skokie Millwork, 847-673-7868)

If they give you the name of a "custom cabinet" shop instead, that shop will likely know who does millwork

When you find them, hanging on their wall will be *hundreds* - perhaps thousands - of custom shaper knives they have made over the years, likely one will be very close to your profile.

They will charge your a setup fee, maybe an minumum job fee, and materials, and run a few feet if you need it or ten-thousand feet if you want it - and if you want to pay a additional fee, they will custom grind a knife from a sample of your molding.

Michael Thomas Paragon Home Inspection, LLC Chicago, IL mdt@paragoninspectsDOTcom

847-475-5668

[Al Bundy]

[e-mail] wrote in news:1153793193.035264.276830 @m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com:

Just replace it all. Considering total time (research, travel, etc), custom make costs, price of gas, etc, it will be less expensive. If you are trying to maintain originality, well, that's the cost to do that.

[bamboo]

[New Wave Dave]

Duplicate it as close as you can. The cove part is easy enough. Match the ogee with a router bit profile that gets close. Replace the entire closet's worth. I've been replicating interior door and window casing treatments in a 1923 Montrose house here in Houston. It turned out to be a two-part deal, one for the cove and one for the ogee.

[Al Bundy]

"New Wave Dave" wrote in news:L5Lxg.9149$Cn6.3830 @tornado.texas.rr.com:

There's a good reason to put the time and effort into it.