[RussL.]

I want to lay with doing carved molding, but I don't want to buy a router...at least not yet!

What do any of the wood workers on the message board know about old fashioned molding planes for doing small volume/ multiple profiles hand planes for carving molding?

Thanks in advance,

RussL.

[ChrisS]

What length of moldings do you want to carve?

If you make them by hand you will need a little extra wood length.
You will need to find molding planes that match the molding you want to make. They can cost more than and inexpensive router. Then you will need to be able to sharpen the profile by hand so it will have a good edge. I have never bought an old molding plane that had a sharp blade. You might need different planes for the different forms you want to plane.

You will need to plane the molding in small passes adjusting the hand plane a little at a time. You will need to make the molding on a wide board and once you have it formed cut it off on a table saw. If you are good you can do it by hand but you need to practice. It is very hard to cut a long straight molding by had. It can be done but you will need a good saw and flat surface to clamp the wood to. You can mark the cut line with a gage. There are many ways of doing. it. If you want long moldings you are in for some long hours.

With that said if you want to make short moldings you can draw the shape on the end of the wood and cut it out on a band saw. Then finish it by hand sanding. You can cut sounding blocks to match your moldings. I have made hundreds of moldings for furniture this way. You are limited by the height of your band saw. I am lucky, I have 3 band saws 2 have a 12 + clearance. If you use this method make sure your band saw blade is tight and the table is square in both directions. The tension of the band saw blade is very important. You can find listings on how to set the blade on many sites on the internet. Some band saw tables can be out from front to back. Make sure your blade stop is not pushing the blade out of vertical. If you are out of square your molding will not be true. It will have run out.

There are many good listings on the internet on how to use hand planes. I would expect that you will spend several hundred dollars on planes, saws and gages to do the job. Make sure the planes you buy are in good condition. If the wood molding edge is not good you will not make a good molding.

Good luck and have fun. Finding the right planes can take a while. Ebay is a good place. There are many private antique tool dealers listed on the net. I have had dealings with many of them and had no problems. The only thing I can tell you about the private dealers is hold on to you wallet. They will tell you the condition but will want top dollar. Most Ebay listings the people have no clue as to the condition of the tool. You will need good pictures of the sides, bottom and end profile. Then you will need to know the tool market. Some planes will bring hundreds of dollars because of the maker. If you are not collecting you will do well to buy good user planes. As for the saw I would never buy one that I could not hold in my hand. You can not tell the set of the saw by a picture. They can be dull and most of the time they are. I would only buy new ones.

Go for it!

[RussL.]

Chris,

Thank you so much for your reply. I found it very educational and enlightening...just the sort of thing I was looking for, and just what I was afraid of. ;-)

I think I will shop the lumber yards in our area a little closer to see if I can find some ready-made molding close to the profile(s) I'm looking for.

Thank you again.
I really appreciate your taking the time and sharing your knowledge on this subject.

Best regards,

Russ

[Tom H]

Russl, Remember, you can "stack" various molding profiles to achieve a different or larger more interesting profile> Good Luck.

Tom H

[RussL.]

Tom,

That's a great idea!
Duh! ;-)

Thanks,

Russ

[ChrisS]

Originally Posted by RussL.

Chris,

Thank you so much for your reply. I found it very educational and enlightening...just the sort of thing I was looking for, and just what I was afraid of. ;-)

I think I will shop the lumber yards in our area a little closer to see if I can find some ready-made molding close to the profile(s) I'm looking for.

Thank you again.
I really appreciate your taking the time and sharing your knowledge on this subject.

Best regards,

Russ

If you were close I would teach you how to make moldings and let you make your own. I am down recovering from surgery and headed for 3 more before the year is over. All I have is time. I am going to teach a class in home repair, basic wood working and a construction class this summer. We have a church of over 6 thousand members. I like teaching different things to the youth group. I include parents with the kids. I teach boys and girls separately. The girls fuss to much for the boys. They do not mix well. The mothers tend to talk about everting but the subject. LOL Got to love them moms. My wife teaches sewing, knitting etc to the girls. Some times I teach wilderness survival and other things. I have been doing it for 40 years. I also tutor the kids in math and physics. I have more time now that I have almost retired. It keeps me young. Wish I could help you more. If you look at thrift stores, antique shops and swap meets you will find what you need. Don't give up the idea it is rewarding.

[Dan S]

I have a number of old planes. There is a lot to be said for having a few. They don't make dust. They're quiet. Once you have them tuned they do a great job. ly old planes are getting harder to find. Most end up as dust collectors in someones collection. A good selection will set you back a lot more then even an expensive router will cost you.
That being said, try swapmeets, ebay and antique shops. On occasion you can find a good deal. You can also find good deals on routers at a swapmeet. The inexpensive carbide bits sets from China are really not all that bad. They provide a good variety and if you wear one out, replace it with a good one.
If I remember correctly, Fine woodworking has an article on using a tablesaw to make moldings. if you create the right jig you can cut a surprising number of profiles.
Good luck with your project.

[RussL.]

Thank you, Dan.
The "...don't make dust and are quiet..." parts are very appealing for use in my current tiny shop...er...studio. ;-)

Can either of you helpful fellows tell me what I should be looking for by way of one or two planes cutting molding for carving egg & dart and/or other simple cutter profiles? My need is not great. I don't plan to cut great lengths of molding, just enough to frames and learn a couple of new skills.

There are a gazillion old wooden molding planes on ebay along with old Stanley No. 45s and No.55s both with and without sets of cuuters.
Pricing seems to be all over the place. If I could make one or two intelligent buys (with maybe ovolo, or astragal profiles) I good use those to put myself on a learning curve for both tuning up molding planecutters and learning to use them.

Thank you in advance for sharing your experience.

RussL.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I have a couple of straight planes, would love a rabbit plane and some moulding planes! I use the router but hate the noise and dust!

[Dan S]

I just purchased a Stanley 45 at a yard sale. Mine came with all of the standard blades. This set will mostly do rabits, dados and beading cuts. There were other attachments for this plane that will do rounds and hollows. I've seen these on ebay but I don't have them. If you wanted to do moldings you would need these.
Stanley also made a #55 plane. This plane weighs as much as a boat anchor. It is overly complicated and requires a Phd to operate. It was designed to do everything that any other plane could do. This is typically a rather expensive plane. I personally don't think it would be worth it.
Many fine old molding were made using a combination of wood molding planes to cut the various profiles. These are really not too hard to find. The unmarked planes are not generally fought over by collectors. If you wanted to, you could get togeter a few of these to do what you want. Check to make sure that the iron has no serious pitting. I little surface rust is OK.
I would also reccomend that you get a copy of "The Handplane Book" by Garrett Hack. It's an excellent resource and will not only show you what each plane can do but also how to use and care for it. He also goes into detail on how to purchase a plane. I made a few mistakes early on, perhaps this book will help you avoid them.
Have fun on your quest,
Dan