Cuttin quarter round for boler floor trim

[Pat C]

I installed new Allure flooring in my boler last year.I used quarter round molding around the perimeter on the bottom level. Had no problem mitering the corners each 45 degrees. However I am now trying to add the same trim to the upper portion of the floor area and find the angle at each side by the step (closet and counter) is not a 45 degree angle. I have no idea how I should cut the molding or even measure what the angle is ....Any one able to help me with this...Pat.

[Tamid]

I installed new Allure flooring in my boler last year.I used quarter round molding around the perimeter on the bottom level. Had no problem mitering the corners each 45 degrees. However I am now trying to add the same trim to the upper portion of the floor area and find the angle at each side by the step (closet and counter) is not a 45 degree angle. I have no idea how I should cut the molding or even measure what the angle is ....Any one able to help me with this...Pat.

Sorry I know how but when writing the explanation I would have problems following it. I started to draw a diagram but I've run out of time. If this thread is here on Monday I will attempt to provide a proper explanation. Have a good weekend!

[Dave Fish]

As a hobbyist woodworker, I would get one of those adjustable "squares" to measure the angle and copy it to the work piece. Mine is called a square but it is for angles on rafters, You should not need to spend much. any hardware, home supply or WalMart should have them. I am assuming that you have an adjustable miter saw or box in which to copy the angle. If you are sawing free hand, you may need to draw the angle on the bottom of the piece then support it upside down to get an accurate cut.

Remember that the angle you cut is half the angle you measured. (90/2 = 45, 120/2 = 60)

Hope this gives you a start.

Dave

[Rarebird]

HI,
What about the flexible mouldings? I think it is made of plastic of some sort, and comes in various sizes and shapes to mimic wood moulding.
This trim is paintable, so even though the floor is not painted, the mouldings can match each other with whatever color you choose.
Marjie

[peterh]

Detail carpenters install trim in one of two ways. The first is to miter the edges of the two pieces to be joined, much as you did when you trimmed the first section of your floor, but unless you have an adjustable miter saw or box you're limited to making perfect 45-degree cuts to fit perfect 90-degree corners.

If you do have an adjustable saw, use a craftsman's protractor like the one suggested by Dave Fish, divide the angle off the protractor by two (e.g. 90-degrees divided by two is 45-degrees) and make a pair of trial pieces using some scrap wood before cutting the good stuff up.

If you don't have an adjustable miter saw and can only cut 45- and 90-degree angles you do a "butt-detail" or "coping-saw" trim cut. It's a tedious process and I'd practice it a few times before trying your luck on the "good wood," but it only requires one, fairly inexpensive new tool and produces results that can look even better than a miter-cut. Rather than explain how to do it I Googled up a website that shows how to do it.

[Pat C]

Detail carpenters install trim in one of two ways. The first is to miter the edges of the two pieces to be joined, much as you did when you trimmed the first section of your floor, but unless you have an adjustable miter saw or box you're limited to making perfect 45-degree cuts to fit perfect 90-degree corners.

If you do have an adjustable saw, use a craftsman's protractor like the one suggested by Dave Fish, divide the angle off the protractor by two (e.g. 90-degrees divided by two is 45-degrees) and make a pair of trial pieces using some scrap wood before cutting the good stuff up.

If you don't have an adjustable miter saw and can only cut 45- and 90-degree angles you do a "butt-detail" or "coping-saw" trim cut. It's a tedious process and I'd practice it a few times before trying your luck on the "good wood," but it only requires one, fairly inexpensive new tool and produces results that can look even better than a miter-cut. Rather than explain how to do it I Googled up a website that shows how to do it.

I do have a compound miter saw but i am going to purchase the protractor as both you and Dave suggested.The problem is I don't know what the angle is and the protractor will help me to calculate that.Thanks for all the help.

[Pat C]

HI,
What about the flexible mouldings? I think it is made of plastic of some sort, and comes in various sizes and shapes to mimic wood moulding.
This trim is paintable, so even though the floor is not painted, the mouldings can match each other with whatever color you choose.
Marjie

I did use a piece of the flexible moulding to go around to curved back end of the floor.That DANG wood just would not bend,LOL.However I would prefer to use the wood on the rest of the top section so it matched the bottom.If I can't figure out how to calculate the angle I need to cut I will go with the flexible moulding.Might save my sanity.

[Pat C]

As a hobbist woodworker, I would get one of those adjustable "sqares" to measure the angle and copy it to the work piece. Mine is called a square but it is for angles on rafters, You should not need to spend much. any hardware, home supply or walMart should have them. I am assuning that you have an adjustable miter saw or box in which to copy the angle. If you are sawing free hand, you may need to draw the angle on the bottom of the piece then support it upside down to get an accurate cut.

Remeber that the angle you cut is half the angle you measureed. (90/2 = 45, 120/2 = 60)

Hope this gives you a start.

Dave

Thanks Dave.I am going to purchase one of the protractors to help me calculate the angle.Never had to work with anything other than a 45 degree so this is really new to me.As you can tell I am a complete novice at this.HOWEVER,i do have a compound miter saw.Thank heavens.

[Pat C]

Sorry I know how but when writing the explanation I would have problems following it. I started to draw a diagram but I've run out of time. If this thread is here on Monday I will attempt to provide a proper explanation. Have a good weekend!

Thanks I would appreciate any help you can give me.

[Dave Fish]

Thanks Dave.I am going to purchase one of the protractors to help me calculate the angle.Never had to work with anything other than a 45 degree so this is really new to me.As you can tell I am a complete novice at this.HOWEVER,i do have a compound miter saw.Thank heavens.

My uncle says that no project is complete unitl you have done 2 things - got a new tool, and drawn blood. You are half way there let us know how the other half goes.

Dave

[james kent]

I just finished cutting trim for a bathroom at home. I used the trim method mentioned by Peterh.
Cut each piece full length and then cut your angle to be "close". Finish with a drum sander, sized to fit your trim, in your portable drill and you can pretty well match any angle.

[Bonnie]

My uncle says that no project is complete unitl you have done 2 things - got a new tool, and drawn blood. You are half way there let us know how the other half goes.

Dave

That is sooo true. Your Uncle = smart man.

[Steve Hilby]

You might try "coping" the corners:

http://www.kelleher.com/documents/Coping.pdf

It's a better way to do an inside corner when the corners aren't quite square.

[Tamid]

So here goes my Monday reply. On an outside corner lay one molding along one wall and the other along the other wall so that they are overlapping at the corner. Run a pencil line down both sides of the both moldings marking the opposing moulding. Draw the diagonal line on each moulding starting at the inside corner and then cut along the diagonal line.

On an inside corner again run both mouldings into the corner and overlap making sure the inside of the moulding is tight against the corner. If the angle of the wall is less than 90 degrees then you will have to trim the end of the moulding back a little so it will fit tight in the corner. Mark both mouldings where they overlap on the corner. Now draw a line from the inside corner of the moulding to the pencil mark. This should be a diagonal line. Then cut along the diagonal line.

This technique will only work with low mouldings, no more than about 1 inch high. Since you are using quarter round this shouldn't be a problem.

[Pat C]

So here goes my Monday reply. On an outside corner lay one molding along one wall and the other along the other wall so that they are overlapping at the corner. Run a pencil line down both sides of the both moldings marking the opposing moulding. Draw the diagonal line on each moulding starting at the inside corner and then cut along the diagonal line.

On an inside corner again run both mouldings into the corner and overlap making sure the inside of the moulding is tight against the corner. If the angle of the wall is less than 90 degrees then you will have to trim the end of the moulding back a little so it will fit tight in the corner. Mark both mouldings where they overlap on the corner. Now draw a line from the inside corner of the moulding to the pencil mark. This should be a diagonal line. Then cut along the diagonal line.

This technique will only work with low mouldings, no more than about 1 inch high. Since you are using quarter round this shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks so much.Sounds like a plan I can follow.Going to try it tomorrow.Got me a contractors protractor and if I find this won't work I will go with planB.