Elmwood Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 (edited) Greetings. I am restoring a circa 1892 Victorian house. One of the items I need to recreate is the original newell post caps of the quarter sawn white oak staircase. I am missing three of the five caps. I have searched the web but have been unable to locate caps of the same design, and I wish to preserve the design. The main newell post is larger than the others and is missing its cap. However, I thought I would first focus on the two smaller caps. An image is attached. As you can see it is sort of a pyramid, with an ogee profile imposed over the four visible faces. Immediately below is a piece of molding, and then 1-1/4" or so below is another band of molding. I am not presently worried about the molding though eventually I will be. The cap is 4-3/4" square by 1-5/8" high. I have a contractor grade belt drive table saw and a lunchbox thickness planer. I have basic familiarity with power tools from construction projects but have little to no woodworking experience. I did recreate a custom door threshhold using bits of the procedure I am about to propose for the newell caps, using my table saw, hammer, hand planer, and random orbit sander. I would create a study of the caps first before proceeding in quarter sawn oak, using a scrap piece of 2x6 material, thicknessing to what I imagine would be raw 7/4 stock thickness in oak. I would make a series of rip cuts in the stock, each separated by 1/8" and with progressively deeper cuts, to get me close to the ogee profile for two opposing faces by wasting material with the blade kerf. I would take advantage of symmetry to minimize fence/blade height changes. I would repeat this procedure using cross cuts for the remaining two ogee profiles for both caps out of the same piece of stock. I would crosscut to separate the two caps from each other. I would then waste away the remaining bulk of the waste using a hammer to knock the columns out. At this point I am unsure what to do to remove the remaining nubs. Is this chisel work? Is there some sort of specialty hand planer to do this? My chisel skills are not great... Once the nubs are gone I envision hand planing to finish. Thoughts/guidance are appreciated. How would they have made this originally? Shaper? Edited September 21, 2016 by Elmwood spelling/clarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 If I had to do it I'd use a hand saw to cut the pyramid and then shape the curves using either rasps or a belt sander (I'd use the edge of the bell sander for the inside curve). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmwood Posted September 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I do have a friend with a hand held belt sander... that is an idea. Why a handsaw instead of a miter saw for cutting the pyramid, assuming I can hold the piece safely? I forgot to mention that I have a 10" compound miter saw as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I think you can use your miter saw if you have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wright Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I would use a band saw. Start with a sacrificial block that has the same height and width as your newel cap and attach your oak to the block. Sacrificial block could be a solid piece or a hollow box made out of plywood . You can attach your oak temporarily with double sided tape. With the box acting as the reference against the table of the band saw you can cut the curved profile on the two opposing sides. Once you have the profile roughed out you can refine the shape with sanding and a rasp. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I think Immortan's got the right idea here, with your limited tools. Handheld belt-sanders aren't too expensive, and you'll most likely need one again during your restoration. Figure out a way to clamp it to a sturdy work surface while you shape your newel cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkrusen Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I'd rough out the shape with the bandsaw and finesse with rasps/sanders. Another thought is to check out architectural salvage shops. I don't know where you're located but they seem to be fairly common in larger metropolitan areas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknown craftsman Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 That cap does have a nice shape. Bandsaw, Wood file sandpaper would be my choice. You will want to sneak up to that lovely shape slowly. Good luck Aj 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 Form the profile on the end of a larger block, then saw it off the block. You might even do tgat with a vertical type raised panel router bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmwood Posted September 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 Thanks to each of you for your responses. I'm having a little trouble visualizing the band saw technique espoused by Andy Wright, though I think I get it. Will double sided tape really hold during band sawing? I don't have a band saw but might have a friend who has one. wtnhighlander, the large block idea is a good one. Concerning the router bit, I had initially looked for a router bit as well as a shaper bit, because that is how I imagined that the cap must have been made, but I didn't find any ogee bits that met the depth requirement. Everything seemed to be for shallower profiles. Maybe it's a combination of bits though... Mkrusen, I am in Rhode Island. The nearest architectural salvage shop used to be New England Demolition and Salvage in New Bedford, MA. I looked there at least a dozen times, and now they've closed. I've also looked in a Boston shop whose name escapes me. I am not aware of others in the area. Aj3--I agree about the shape; (deceptively?) simple and elegant. I've not seen a newel cap like these. I know I wrote that I visualized finishing it up with hand planing but I meant hand sanding. Using a belt sander is an interesting idea if I can control how quickly it wastes material... When I first conceived of doing this I thought about somehow trying the table saw cove cutting technique to create the shape. Thanks again, you've all given me some good ideas to explore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 The table saw cove cut wouldn't give you the profile you're looking for and would be damn dangerous to try on such a small piece. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wright Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 11 hours ago, Elmwood said: Thanks to each of you for your responses. I'm having a little trouble visualizing the band saw technique espoused by Andy Wright, though I think I get it. Will double sided tape really hold during band sawing? I don't have a band saw but might have a friend who has one Here is a visual aid for what I described. You can buy double sided tape that will definitely be strong enough for the band saw cut http://m.woodcraft.com/Product/15D28/DOUBLE-FACE-TAPE-1-X-36-YDS.aspx?gclid=CjwKEAjwgo6_BRC32q6_5s2R-R8SJAB7hTG-yoP1X6grFr5u_FI_0PxjUSaehaCYw8l7wmEt97OdNhoCnrXw_wcB Other options would be to use glue (hot glue is a good temporary option) or if you build a hollow plywood box you can use screws from the inside just be careful to position them so you won't hit them with the blade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 Home Depot sells a very thin 2 sided fabric carpet tape that is extremely strong. In fact, you'll need a chisel & mallet to separate the pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.