Any joiners/chippys?

[matt j]

Blimey what a mess talk about slow going. It should have had new door linings really but I'd not seen them before I started. I bet each doorway has had doors hung in three different places, all filled/repaired/split etc. not to mention way out of true with variable gaps from the walls to lining all around.

The door I mentioned with the short reveal is the least of my worries now. Some week off work this has turned out to be, I'm working harder doing this than I would have at bloody work!

 

[a.palfreyman]

Scribes aren't easy to get right, but what I do is line the pieces up in the corner so I can mark them in case they are not vertical, then cut a mitre following the vertical ( or otherwise) line. I then trace along the edge of the face to highlight the shape and cut the scribe along this line. As you say the feathered edge is the hard bit. I tend to under cut it and use a round file but I still rarely get it spot-on.

 

[roman]

Scribes aren't easy to get right, but what I do is line the pieces up in the corner so I can mark them in case they are not vertical, then cut a mitre following the vertical ( or otherwise) line. I then trace along the edge of the face to highlight the shape and cut the scribe along this line. As you say the feathered edge is the hard bit. I tend to under cut it and use a round file but I still rarely get it spot-on.

Yes the undercut is important to get the visible edge of the scribe to butt up tight. With softer material this will compress for a tight fit. As for the fiddly bit I've used a file as you suggest but also dowels with sandpaper and even a powerfile (basically a very slender beltsander).

 

[matt j]

First attempt at internal scribe and external mitre, glad I didn't just cut two 45s for the external as it wasn't a 90 degree corner, one wall was out.

Last picture is why I've been drafted in in the first place, the "joiner" that laid the floor left it like this in loads of places, why he hasn't gone up to the bare wall I'll never know, now I'm going around cutting small offcuts to match in so the skirting can go straight on top, very time consuming.

 

[roman]

First attempt at internal scribe and external mitre, glad I didn't just cut two 45s for the external as it wasn't a 90 degree corner, one wall was out.

Last picture is why I've been drafted in in the first place, the "joiner" that laid the floor left it like this in loads of places, why he hasn't gone up to the bare wall I'll never know, now I'm going around cutting small offcuts to match in so the skirting can go straight on top, very time consuming.

Very nice work! ( By you). What did you use to cut the top portion of the scribe?

It's correct to leave a gap for expansion but it looks like he's left it much shorter/ narrower than needed.

Nightmare for you. Would it be possible or desirable to use thicker skirting or add some more material, say 6mm, half way up the skirting? Bit late now I suppose.

 

[matt j]

Very nice work! ( By you). What did you use to cut the top portion of the scribe?

It's correct to leave a gap for expansion but it looks like he's left it much shorter/ narrower than needed.

Nightmare for you. Would it be possible or desirable to use thicker skirting or add some more material, say 6mm, half way up the skirting? Bit late now I suppose.

All done by hand as I have minimal tools, coping saw for the top part.

There's too much gap to fill to add any material behind, the skirting is all bought so no chance to swap it. The gap varies so it is easier just to cut in-fill pieces where there is a gap, that is the worst of it in the picture, some of it was just small and I got away with little cut offs into the gaps, it looks pretty good so far considering (IMO).

Unfortunately as you can see, he cut all his ends as though they weren't needed, so none square or the same length, which is the time consuming part.

 

[roman]

All done by hand as I have minimal tools, coping saw for the top part.

There's too much gap to fill to add any material behind, the skirting is all bought so no chance to swap it. The gap varies so it is easier just to cut in-fill pieces where there is a gap, that is the worst of it in the picture, some of it was just small and I got away with little cut offs into the gaps, it looks pretty good so far considering (IMO).

Unfortunately as you can see, he cut all his ends as though they weren't needed, so none square or the same length, which is the time consuming part.

What a pain!

Well done you though. Really good.

 

[patcmbll]

Nice work Matt.
Shame about the cowboy floor fitter..
I have always found internal scribes easier than the external mitres.
Especially when not 90 degrees.
They are called "bastard mitres" for a reason..
I do it for a living and all you need is a chop saw, a pencil and a coping saw.
Have done plenty with a hand saw as well but then you really need a workmate to hold it.
I've also found if you squirt a bit of pva into the mitre as you're putting it together and after it squeezes out give it a quick rub with a bit of 120 grit. Fills the joint nicely.
And if you have a brad gun to hand, get a couple of those in - but that's more of a trade tool

 

[matt j]

Nice work Matt.
Shame about the cowboy floor fitter..
I have always found internal scribes easier than the external mitres.
Especially when not 90 degrees.
They are called "bastard mitres" for a reason..
I do it for a living and all you need is a chop saw, a pencil and a coping saw.
Have done plenty with a hand saw as well but then you really need a workmate to hold it.
I've also found if you squirt a bit of pva into the mitre as you're putting it together and after it squeezes out give it a quick rub with a bit of 120 grit. Fills the joint nicely.
And if you have a brad gun to hand, get a couple of those in - but that's more of a trade tool

Thanks, yes I had a bastard with the chimney breast today, what a job. As you say, internal scribes are loads easier than external mitres.

That's one room done anyway, just the living room now which has had a load of old plaster ripped off from the floor up to about the last 20mm of the new skirting so may have to cobble something together to go behind for some support at the bottom, also been roped into building a new electric meter box cupboard as the existing one is just a manky old kitchen wall cupboard.

I'd love a mitre saw and a brad gun!!