Carpentry and Woodworking - baseboard on rounded corners

I am putting baseboard down and have rounded outside corners. Needless to say a 45 degree cut won't work. Any advise on the degree of miter cuts I need to make?

So what youre saying is that you have a round corner bead instead of a square one?

clwcly,

What is the radius of the curve around your corners?

You're going to have to do a "workaround" of some description (unless someone comes up with something "brilliant").

What comes to mind, and this will definitely be a pain in the posterior, would be to "cove" a piece (or pieces) of stock to fit the corner of your wall. In short, square it up at the baseboard level.

On a small radius, this shouldn't prove too big a problem. However, on a large radius, I wouldn't try it. The corner of your baseboard would stick out far too much. But...

On a large radius, you could try, say, 22 1/2 degree angles and fill the gap between the moulding and the wall. Cosmetics are easy to come by.

As far as "rounding" your baseboard tightly against the wall, I'll leave that to the "big guys". :)

Tom

You could find the radius mark it on a piece of thick wood, set your saw at 0 make a cut, tilt it to 5 degs, lower the blade, then go to 10 degs, lower the blade, etc until you get most of the radius plowed out. Then take a cabinet scraper or a rasp and complete the radius. You're in a for a job that will take you no less than about 2 hours to do.

Could a piece of baseboard be steamed and bent?

Daniel,

Interesting idea.

One of my thoughts was a series of cuts along the back of the moulding to accomodate the bend, but baseboard is, typically, not a thick enough piece of wood to allow for that, certainly not on (eventually) a 90 degree corner. I'd be looking for a "SNAP" somewhere along the line. :rolleyes:

I wonder, as a matter of practicality, if soaking the wood for a period of time would accomplish the same effect as steaming.

Tom

Soaking a piece of 3/4" that small, wouldn't happen. It has a lot to do with the radius he's trying to go around. If we are just talking about a round corner bead, forget it.

You couldn't do relief cuts on the back because youd end up showing those cuts on the top of the molding. In order for it to bend properly around, you need to cut it all the way through.

There is a company called Flex Molding which he might have better success going around it, but those corner beads are typicall about 1-1/2" dia. Even with the flex molding, he might still have a problem.

Now that I think about it, he could plow out the corner bead and drywall at the height of the molding, slide a corner block with a profile into the plowed out space. That way he would have flat edges to go against. Then spackle the areas around it.

how about a decoratively carved block with the radius cut into the back and the baseboard could butt into the sides.


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If I explained poorly maybe my keyboard illustration will help

While you're all brain storming here... don't laugh at this idea... it's just a thought...

but how about taking one of those decorative square base board corner clocks (~1-1/2 x 1-1/2") and use a chisel to inset it into the wall at the round outside corner... leaving enough of it exposed for the base board to but up against. If you planed it down one you may not even have to chisel into the stud.

may be worth a try if you only have a few outside corners.

Hey steve, read my earlier post. Beat ya to it sir :) ;)

You're right Mike..........

I guess if I had more time or wasn't so lazy I would have known that before I replied the thread.

Steve,

Don't be hard on yourself. We may feel a bit embarassed when we duplicate someone's idea out here, but the upside is that it provides a little "affirmation". No harm, no foul. :)

(I'm trying to bring Mike along, a little bit at a time, to build his confidence. :D)

Tom

Build my confidence? LOL. Come on Tom, give me a bit more credit here. :D

Mike,

If I gave you much more credit here, this would be the "Mike Minch Forum"! ;)

Tom

Hello, I've seen pieces for rounded corners in different profiles and sizes at Home Depot. You may want to check them out.
Good luck Woodbutcher

I am no finish carpenter, but what I have seen is that just make the two sides of molding extend out far enough--obviously not past the edges of the wall--for the shortest piece of molding possible to connect the two and then caulk the space in the corners behind that piece where the small gap will appear on each side. Looks fine and takes no time.

Wood Butcher? What would you say your tool of choice is for making projects? Ax? :rolleyes:

Hello, Very creative with a chain saw.
Woodbutcher

A masterpiece is in the eyes of the beholder. :)