That's sort of the way we've been approaching the crown molding project this week, namely from a lack of fancy equipment. And despite some hitches, we've made good progress.What we were missing was an (expensive) electric table saw. Instead, we had the kind of saw that you use arm power to run and a guide (see photo) you can mount on your workbench to keep your cuts straight. Only we had no workbench -- just a lightweight table with a particle-board surface. It was left behind in our laundry room by the previous owners of our house, and we had no use for it, so we figured, why not?
It's really hard to saw anything if your entire workbench jiggles.
Enter the Two-Person Weighted Sawing System. One person sits on the table while the other person saws. Easy solution!
Well, not quite.
In the photo, you see D positioning a piece of molding on the guide, which is screwed down to the table. Note that the molding has to be cut at a 45-degree angle through its cross-section (or so I'm told), which requires it to be held at the tilt pictured. There is no way to secure the molding with the clamp that came with this guide unless the molding is lying flat (as in, parallel to the table surface). So in order to accomplish the proper cut, one person has to hold the molding firmly while the other person applies the saw. Hmmm.
In the end, we revised the TPWSS slightly -- D sawed while sitting on the jury-rigged workbench and I became a human vise for the molding. I do not recommend this approach unless the person sitting on the workbench is heavy enough to make jiggle practically nonexistent. Otherwise, your thumbs will hurt A LOT.
So last night, we finished cutting the last piece for the guest bedroom. This weekend, we're going to get everything mounted. We had originally planned to make do with a hammer and nails. Fortunately, one of D's colleagues owns a nail gun, which we are definitely going to borrow!
4 comments:
You own a Work Bench....whoa. Wicked Impressed over here.
Awww, TKW, now I'm blushing. Really, the surface isn't even 2' by 2' and it's no more than 2' from the ground. See that office chair in the background holding up the other end of the crown molding strip? Real carpenters would never use a TPWSS ;)
Did you write that whole post in Greek? Seemed like it. It may sound too tradition of me, but I am really glad my husband and his brother take care of that stuff. I am very overwhelmed by hands-on projects that involved precision, tools, and instructions.
GEW, there is no way I would have been able to write the post if I hadn't been there to observe the process. Even now, I'm not sure I know what happened in D's head to figure out how those pieces of molding had to be cut. I bow down before his carpentry skills! I also tried handling the saw for about 30 seconds and promptly relinquished it. Sawing is tricky.
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