Putting up skirting board

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by legit, Feb 13, 2005.

  1. Mr. Handyandy

    Mr. Handyandy Screwfix Select

    handy do you mitre internal corners?

    I mitre internal corners. I cut the first one at 45 then fit it. I then take a bevel reading from the wall and the 45 and cut that bevel on the next bit. Same with external corners. Scribing take longer and if your wall is MORE than 90 degrees you will have a gap, so have to file the back down(unless you always cut the back more)and if I had to scribe(marked with a premade offcut)I would use a coping saw.


    Handyandy - really
     
  2. big all

    big all Screwfix Select

    take two offcuts of skirting about a foot long match them up with an internal mitre one end and an external the other end
    using these you can look and see what alterations you need to make for a tight joint you can scribe or mitre as you wish
    the reason external mitres dont open when they dry is the wood shrinks virtualy nill in its lenghth but comparativly quite a lot in its width[accross the grain]
    so on the external mire the wood shrinks towards the wall closing up the joint reducing any shrinkage on length

    but on the internal you have the shrinkage pulling open towards the wall so if you mitre it pulls away twice as much but if you scribe it only opens up in one direction[the other piece shrinking just moves the face edge]


    big all
     
  3. nivek

    nivek New Member

    i prefer to back cut with a panel saw on the straight and always do the mould with a coping saw on scribe joints, the thing is,if it works for you just do it.
    (many ways to skin the cat)
     
  4. panlid

    panlid New Member

    handy andy allways back cut and you have alot more play with no gap. until the heating goes on ;)
     
  5. Dewy

    Dewy New Member

    big all has described perfectly why internal corners are scribed and external ones mitred.
    This was debated at length on the diynot forum last year
     
  6. panlid

    panlid New Member

    i also think the quality of skirt is an issue.
     
  7. panlid

    panlid New Member

    dewy im sorry i had the cheek to add to you post and imply i knew something more than you. i know now i was above my station and it will not happen again. can i just say that if you think some scribes dont open slightly due to drying out then you are f***g blind. are you a treee hugger or something?. once again i know my place, sorry.

    [Edited by: Forum Moderator]
     
  8. Dewy

    Dewy New Member

    I know that scribes open a bit.
    Thats why it doesnt show as much on an internal scribe because one piece is the same section along its length while the scribed piece follows this shape.
    It therefore only shows half the gap possible if both were mitred instead of scribed.
     
  9. legit

    legit New Member

    Big all, great description and I'm 90 percent convinced that I should scribe. I just have to somehow destroy this devil on one shoulder telling me to mitre and then use wood filler for any gaps that open up.
     
  10. kraftwerk

    kraftwerk New Member

    f me sid your even a ** on here

    [Edited by: Forum Moderator]
     
  11. panlid

    panlid New Member

    im an even bigger one here because these lads arnt ******* like your lot
     
  12. kraftwerk

    kraftwerk New Member

    the lads.....you silly sad man
     
  13. bathstyle

    bathstyle Active Member

    tee hee ...you said silly
     
  14. big all

    big all Screwfix Select

    legit
    when you scribe the gap should be least visible when you look at it from the normal angle of approach or vision

    so if you look at a scribe and you are normaly closer to one bit of skirting than the other the scribe should be on the bit your closest to so if a gap opens up you will see less of it

    big all
     
  15. legit

    legit New Member

    Big all, that's the answer to what was going to be my next question, seems you can read my mind!

    I have to admit this one seemingly small problem of wood contraction has got me puzzled. You see not long ago I fitted new floorboards in my son's room using clamps to squash them tightly together - this was after letting the boards rest for a week. They've gone from having no gaps at all to being able to slot a ten pence piece between them :(

    So in my mind I can see wood filler making an appearance no matter how much care I take!!

    Oh well such is life...
     
  16. panlid

    panlid New Member

    legit if you are painting the skirts it aint a big issue. just use decorators caulk up the joint and use a wet sponge to smooth off. when painted there is enough flex to stop join showing. most of the time :)
     
  17. Mr. Handyandy

    Mr. Handyandy Screwfix Select

    Not painting, Sid. Don't you remember anything ?

    Handyandy - really
     
  18. panlid

    panlid New Member

    aaaaaaarrrrrrggggggggggg sorry!
     
  19. panlid

    panlid New Member

    shall i just bug*er of back to the sparks? ;)
     
  20. Industry Insider

    Industry Insider New Member

    Just want to add a technical point here guys,
    Wood expands accross it's width and not it's length. Therefore your floorboards developed a gap because the dried out after fitting, usually due to central heating. On the skirting debate, whilst tradition dictates a scribe is used on internal angles, this was due to the difficulty of measuring the angle correctly. As pointed out earlier in the post, if you use the Trend Anglefix to determine your mitres you can happily mitre internal corners as well as external ones. The movement is then reliant on the wall if studded and not the timer itself. (apart from vertically that is).

    II.
     

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