Matching old architrave - make or buy?

[David WE Roberts]

We have to get some new architrave, and would like to match the existing architrave (possibly from the 1930s).

Nothing available in sheds or builders merchants matches - it is just a simple angled profile about 15mm thick, 60mm wide in total, and starts to taper about 18mm in from the thick edge down to about 4mm on the thin edge.

I need about 36m of this.

My options seem to be: (1) Pay someone to make the profile for me (2) Use a router (table?) to put an angle on a standard piece of wood (3) Get some other wood working tool to produce a simialr profile.

If I could get a table saw that would lean over that far then this could in theory cut the wood.

I will probably pay for it to be done by somone who already has the tools, but I would like to be able to price buying the kit to do it myself.

Suggestions please.

Dave R

[Andrew May]

Have you tried a Google search for 'Period Architrave'? Lots of people sell a range of old designs. You might find something of the shelf.

[stuart noble]

Have you checked the pukka timber merchants? People like Travis Perkins and Jewsons have a big range of mouldings, and this one doesn't sound too complicated or unusual. I did something similar with a planer but that was just for a foot or so. I set up a jig so that the edges of the planer base followed a set level and angle, but I wouldn't fancy doing 36m that way. IME whatever you use won't notice as long as it's 60mm wide :)

[Martin Brown]

This lot might have something close enough.

I got my close enough to be fiddled Visctorian skirting boards from.

How about Dado rails? I have a complex Victorian profile I would like to match. I only need about 5m and the setup costs for professional machining are exhorbitant (approx 100mm x 26mm). An ASCII art version follows. ____ _ / \O¬ ( )v \O¬

One of the \O¬ steps is convex and the other concave. I have looked pretty hard and it looks like I have to go bespoke. I did manage to make up bought modern "Victorian" skirting board with cladding and half round dowel to match the originals close enough to pass muster. But this dado rail stuff has so far defeated me to match.

[David WE Roberts]

Travis Perkins are my best mates at the moment. Jewsons have also been asked, as have Ridgeons. Can't seem to locate anyone who does this.

I thought about a template for a planer but as you say 36m is a lot of wood.

[David WE Roberts]

Thanks - just trying that now. From the first site I see that 'chamfered' is one of the standard profiles. The period ones all seem to be fancy twiddles and twirls.

However the chamfer on the profile is minimal - barely clips the corner. I need a chamfer over about 65% of the width.

Still, I now have a new search term.

Cheers

Dave R

[David WE Roberts]

Much the closest so far but still not a match - ours is a very wide chamfer.

[John Rumm]

This sounds like something trivial to make on a table saw...

Whereabouts in the country are you? (You are more than welcome to use mine...)

I would expect a fair number of timber merchants would have the ability to cut such a profile. If you are prepared to take it sawn rather than planed (i.e. smooth it yourself) - then anyone with a table saw or bandsaw could do it. 36m is only 6 lengths of 3m, so less than 10 mins work all in.

Thinking about it, you could even do it with a hand held circular saw. A

7.5" one will have the depth of cut. Slap all your bits of timber side by side to make them wider. Use the rip fence and set the blade to the required angle. Profile the rightmost strip, then move it to the left of the bundle and do the next rightmost. Repeat til done, and finish with a quick lick on a planer.

[Andrew May]

How about a taller one with a suitable sized chamfer and rip it down with a circular saw?

[Dave Liquorice]

I am surprised that you can't get that or some thing very similar from a merchants. Says him with skirtings like that around the walls of this room. There is plenty of chamfered stuff about on the web but I do note a lot is rounded on the narrow edge.

Might have to buy something wider overall maybe 100mm but with a 40mm wide chamfer and rip it down. Possibly twice if the chamfer is too wide?

I don't think a circular saw will really leave a good enough chamfer surface for painting. It needs a spindle moulder or planer to do that IMHO.

[David WE Roberts]

I live in sunny Felixstowe, Suffolk [Harwich for the Continent, Felixstowe for the incontinent.]

Thanks - yes it doesn't seem that tricky but most builders merchants used to be able to do this but now they have ripped out all the woodworking equipment allegedly due to H&S and training issues.

Waiting for the guy to come round and tell me how much.

Cheers

Dave R

[David WE Roberts]

Yes - if I can get a wider strip it is easy to cut back nearly to the start of the chamfer.

90mm is an option (architrave seems to come in 60mm or 90mm) as long as the chamfer starts about 50% across the wood/MDF.

[Tim Streater]

Yes, round here East Kent Timber seems to be an example of this. Probably costs though.

[Paul D Smith]

...snip...

We have a real timber merchants nearby (Enfield, N. London) and they've managed to reproduce stuff for me in the past. Admittedly it wasn't too complex (a 1930s picture rail) but I'd certainly give them a go it I had your requirements.

Paul DS.

[David WE Roberts]

Guy has just been round. Said he would normally use a moulder but for such a simple job he would probably use a surfacer at an angle. Came across as an old style woodworker - no fuss and competent. In and out in about 5 minutes and took away a sample with all the details written on the back in pencil :-)

Waiting for the price.

[Roger Mills]

Pardon?

[John Rumm]

well half way there ;-)

(I was of course implying you get wider stock, profile both edges and then rip it down the middle.... honest!)

[GMM]

Sounds like you've solved it now but (I would have said) my timber merchant has a whole range of sample profiles they have cutters set up for and will make up new cutters to pattern, although your profile sounds much simpler than most of theirs. I had a room's worth of skirting (about 20m) cut in the summer. Cost a fortune but it was 10 inches deep. I would have thought pretty much any major timber merchant would offer this.