One sheet MDF wainscoting Project

[myxpykalix]

One sheet MDF wainscoting Project. I finally got it cut and finished (almost). All this was cut out of a single sheet of mdf. The design is a hodge podge of a bit here, bit there combined. It has a 3" shoe molding at bottom with 4" rosettes with a 4" wide fluted rounded pilaster. Along the top is dentil molding which will be capped off by a chair rail. It stands 34" tall by 8' long. the raised panel is 24"x24". This is the most ambitious project i've done so far and the most time consuming. I could have done this in half the time by doing it the rail and stile method, but then why did i spend 15K on a shopbot?
Here is a link to more pics as i can't post the quality of pic here due to size limitations:
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p95/myxpykalix/shopbotwainscoting1.jpg
There a 4 pics there just substitute the 1 for 2, 3, 4 not sure if they will all come up otherwise, first time i posted there.
I couldn't have done all this without some GREAT help from some GREAT guys. Bill L, Gerald W, Ed L, Carroll, and Jimmy A(*) and all the guys who have answered all my hundreds of questions. Hope i didn't leave anyone out. Thanks

2003

[fleinbach]

Great job Jack!

I had planned on doing the same quiet some time but it has always been placed on the back burner. You've inspiared me to maybe get started on my own. It looks like you chose the two layered method for depth. It worked out very well.

[cbradshaw]

Great Job Jack!

I could not see the other pictures.

Carroll

[dmidkiff]

Jack,
Good job. please post pics when on wall. Bet it is awesome.

Dave

[Towersonline]

Great job Jack !! Thanks for posting the results of your efforts.

To view Jack's other images .... in your browser you will see the web address, at the end you will see the words shopbotwainscotting1.jpg just change the 1 to 2 and hit enter.

Bill Thorpe

[drodda]

Jack,

That is one of the coolest things I have seen someone make with the bot. Great Job and thanks for sharing this with us.

When do the classes start? You are going to show us how to make these panels aren't you?

-D

[myxpykalix]

I would be considered a "student teacher" having been taught by some of the "Professors" here. I had a lot of help in the design phase with the rounded fluted pilasters. I will try to put some pictures and descriptions together.

[jhicks]

Jack, am I assuming this is 1" thick MDF or trupan?
Looks great. Approximately how long was the cut file and I assume multiple bits, correct?

[myxpykalix]

If you look at the pic, you'll see that the bottom sheet has 3 designs in it and on top of it you have a 3" shoe molding that the fluted rounded pilasters sit on that the dentil molding sits between. The bottom sheet is 3/4" mdf the pilasters, dentil molding and shoe molding is also 3/4" mdf. The total thickness for both layers in 1 1/2". All parts were cut out of a single piece of mdf. The raised panel and carving in the center takes 8 toolpaths and takes about an hour to cut all of them.I inserted "accent lines" to mimick the look of joint lines to make it look like traditional rails and stiles. The rosettes/rounded fluted pilasters take about an hour each to cut the "roughing" toolpath and frankly it looks so nice that i haven't bothered to cut the finishing toolpath. The dentil molding takes about 20 min or so. Its a combination of 1/4" endmill and a "plunge button" bit to make the button holes. To join the panels together I am cutting it approximately in the center behind where the pilaster will go. That will hide the seam all the way up.

2004

[myxpykalix]

Wainscoting finished on one wall (except for a cap piece on the far end). Total time in machining was about 10 hours for 2 panels with the pilasters, dentil, & top rail. Probably double that in designing and toolpathing. Bob L. Helped with the rounded fluted pilasters which i think is the best part of this. I could have done flat pilasters but i think the rounded pilasters are much cooler.
I set the panel up to the wall, leveled and squared it, screwed it to the wall and then brad nailed the parts over the screws and placed the joint between panels strategically behind one of the pilasters so you see no joint. It only took about 20 minutes to screw and nail it up, that was the easy part.
The way i calculated this it all came out even except for the end by the far door. I need to make a 3" wide pilaster, the others are 4". But i'm pleased with it.

2005

[dmidkiff]

Jack,

I knew that would be awesome!!! Are you willing to share the fluted pilaster file?

Dave

[jhicks]

Nice job Jack. You have inspired us to experiment with something similar.Now that you've done it, any areas you would change or do differently to either improve design, make it more modular for different wall dimensions, or reduce machine time?

[myxpykalix]

A few observations, and anyone who has more experience might jump in and explain why i shouldn't do this, please do...but my cut speed for everything is set at 1.7 ips which seems slow to me, i think the cutting speed could be increased somewhat, but i'm a newbie, what do i know?
The 3 panel with 9 toolpaths takes about an hour with the various toolchanges, not bad.
The dentil molding takes about 15 min with 2 toolchanges.
The rosette and pilaster combo takes about an hour each and in my mind is the standout feature of this and looks great. It is a clamshell design with the rounded fluted pilasters in between. To get the quality of cut you have to use a small bit with a small step over thus the machining time. I don't think its bad, i don't have a production shop where i have to bang out tons of stuff a day so it doesn't bother me. I have a wireless transmit camera that i set up and after i get the file started i go in and watch football while it cuts watching it on a small monitor so its not like i'm sitting there watching it for the whole hour.
For the top rail i just took one of the panel cutting bits i used on the face (it looks kind of like an ogee bit if anyone interested in the bits i used i can list them) and just ran it down the side of a piece of mdf and cut it off, laid it on top.
The joint between panels is between the 3rd and 4th square behind the pilaster. The pilaster is 4" wide so i cut 2" off each end of the joining panels to make the 4" space between the panels for pilaster placement the joint is behind it.
I originally was just going to glue it to the walls but after brad nailing the parts while it was on the ground and then setting it up to the wall i marked where my studs were then i just pulled off the dentil molding on top and the 3" molding on bottom screwed it into the studs and replaced the pieces. Because i left some space on the left side for this "torch" element i want to make for a sconce on the corner. I had not designed or figured out how i would make the round fluted 3/4 column to go on that 90 degree corner and what diamter it would be.
So i left myself some wiggle room. If i need to i can unscrew and move the works up an inch or two, but not knowing how i was going to make the design, i left it there.

Has anyone made any typre of corner column and cut 1/4 out of it to go on a corner? What material could i make something like that out of?
I want to make it look like a fluted column on the corner and have a "capital" open at the top for a light, like a torch i guess.
Instead of taking the deminsion of the wall and dividing that and making the panels an odd size to suit the wall, i opted to make the panels an even number along with the pilasters so that if i want to do this on other walls it isn't specific to that wall. I have some touch up to do but it's on to the other side of the wall next.

2006

[myxpykalix]

I have a question for any of you guys who do cabinetry or remodeling. Putting aside the designing and toolpathing time it took approx. 10 hours to cut all the toolpaths for 2 panels and all the parts couple coats of primer and paint and less than an hour to attach it to the wall, a total of say 14 hours.
It is 34" tall by 12' long. Total material was less than 2 sheets of 3/4" mdf or a total of $45.00. What would a job like this be worth?

[innovative_cabinetry]

Very nice work.

[bleeth]

$90/Linear foot. Minimum.

[myxpykalix]

ok, but i don't have that many fingers and toes to count that high! So if its 3 ft high by 12 ft long thats...(one little piggy, 2 little piggys...)How many linear feet is that? (36)? lol (i only got up to 20...)