Making a Custom Curved Handrail

Restoration Project Handrail

Custom woodworking can take a lot of unexpected directions sometimes.

This railing is for a restoration project in our area. The new piece of railing needed is less than four feet long and the rail profile is not available. In fact the goose neck on the original railing appears to be hand made which is what we will do also.

Often times we can reproduce old moldings and woodworking with machine made parts that are very close to the original moldings. But once in a while we have to carve or otherwise replicate antique woodwork.

I wanted to play around a bit with this project and tried the draw knife to shape the curves on this oval rail profile. Once carved to a close shape the rail will be sanded smooth and ready for paint.

Antique Woodwork Keeps Things Interesting

One interesting aspect of the work will be the need to fit this oval railing goose neck directly into a ball on the top of one newel post. I told the architect that this joint would likely be the most difficult I ever had to make in my nearly 50 years of carpentry and woodworking. I am planning to hand carve that joint and maybe we can make a time lapsed video to demonstrate our hoped for success.

BIG Custom Wood Panel (Mahogany)

This huge panel is the largest single panel of wood we have ever made – approximately 6’ x 8’. The wood is quarter sawn African Mahogany and finished at a full 1” thick.

It was an amazing project. Too large to be sanded in our 50” wide sander it was built in two pieces, sanded by machine, and then glued together. All final finishing was by hand.

*Built in two pieces because the size was so large*

*Gluing and clamping the two panels together*

*Custom wood panel at its finished size. Finish was applied as the final step.*

This big, new wood panel was not part of our restoration woodworking or custom moldings panoply. It is a stand alone piece that was designed to cover a huge hole in a customer’s shop wall and as a decorative touch for his business. It took four of us to get it lifted onto his trailer. Normally, one of the considerations in building wood slab like this is that a wood slab with no inset panels can expand and contract considerably with changes in weather and humidity. But in this case there will be no problem because the slab is not being used as a door or movable in any way.

Our woodworking takes many interesting twists and turns since each project is custom. Not everything we build is for historic renovation. In the case of this giant panel the ummm heavy lifting was done mostly by my shop manager and former apprentice, Tim.

Priming a Custom Exterior Door

What’s the Purpose of Primer?

Many viewers may wonder what the purpose is in priming wood. Why bother priming when you can simply paint a couple of coats and be done with it?

Primer helps with several possible painting problems at once.

Primer has plenty of solids in it which block the underlying color, figure, and grain of the wood. If you hate painted wood then this seems like a bad thing. But if your goal in painting is to hide the wood look and gain an even color surface, then primer is your friend. In this case we used white primer but your paint supplier often can tint the primer toward the final paint color thus adding to the primer’s ability to hide the underlying surface (substrate in painter’s professional lingo).

Primer is designed to bond to that substrate better than paint: and excellent bonding is highly important in most paint projects. Who, after all, wants their new paint to be peeling and flaking? Additionally, paint will bond to primer better than to bare wood. The primer provides the bonding both to the underlying surface and it provides a good surface for paint to stick to.

Plus — Primer dries hard enough that it can be sanded to a silky smooth surface prior to painting. This gives the painter a superior clean, smooth surface to apply paint. If you want a professional paint project then take the time to prime the wood, sand the surface, and then apply a couple coats of the best quality paint.

Free advice from Suspender Man™

Cutting Custom Architectural Moldings

Tools for Making Moldings

When I first bought this molder/planer the idea of making moldings seemed interesting. I had no idea how to get started. But like many skills we have learned we simply needed a little push. When I was asked to make moldings for a local restoration project I simply said ‘yes’ figuring I would just have to learn.

Custom Cutters

It was actually not difficult to get the custom cutters made and to create the moldings. To get the correct cutters for various shapes I traced the ends of the desired molding on a piece of white paper. Then I added measurements and dimensions. My wife makes the drawings into a computer file I can forward to the moldings knife maker. We pay by debit card. The custom knives show up in the mail about ten days later. Custom moldings, voila!

Learning the Quirks of New Tools

If you are thinking about making custom, architectural, moldings there are a number of things you need to figure out, or at least try to figure out. One thing I discovered with my first order is that with these planer/molders in the planer mode the cutter head has three blades. In the molder mode you normally have only one cutter with two counter balances to make the cutter head run smoothly. The point of all this is to note that you will have to feed the materials through the machine at about 1/3 speed to get good surfaces on your wood moldings. If you want to run materials through the machine at full speed then you need to buy three matched blades for that particular molding. For small runs the cost of buying three matched blades is prohibitive.

Doing Skilled Work, by God’s Grace

When it comes to work and careers I believe many of us drift into our careers with little attention to long term kingdom building intention. Maybe we choose a type of work because it will pay a lot of money. Perchance we simply drift into whatever career is easiest to attain or perhaps we try to find work that is personally enjoyable. Motivations are often mixed but, I think, rarely evaluated against biblical ideals for work.

The Bible is for the Work Week

What! You say; there are biblical ideals for planning our work and careers? Most of us have never heard a sermon or read a book discussing any biblical directions for career and work so where can we find such instructions?

The Bible has a lot to say about work. There is a ten chapter section that we could title Wisdom for Work. It is found in the book of Exodus chapters 31-40. The first characters (ummmm – Characters and Careers – could make a good title) mentioned are a couple of guys with peculiar Bibley names: Bezalel and Oholiab. Being a Schanzenbach I suppose I ought not get too exercised over other people’s peculiar names (Oh, when I type the word Bibley the spell check indicates it is not a word. But we all know it is a word and we have a sense of what it means even though we may not be able to write out a flawless definition of it. So we can not let spell check deter us from using perfectly good words.) But I have drifted from my discussion about Bezalel and Oholiab.

Learning from a Guy Named Bezalel

These two guys were appointed by God to direct and perform the building of the Jewish tabernacle that was used during Israel’s forty years of wandering through the wilderness. The tabernacle was an artistic house for God. The work involved casting precious metals, engraving, stone cutting and setting, weaving and dying cloth, making garments, and embroidery and other skilled work. The master craftsman overseeing the project was Bezalel and his apprentice was Oholiab. Our text introduces them:

Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. “And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you (Exodus 31: 1-6).

And the text lets us know what these craftsmen were supposed to be working on:

the tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent, the table also and its utensils, and the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering also with all its utensils, and the laver and its stand, the woven garments as well, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, with which to carry on their priesthood; the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the holy place, they are to make them according to all that I have commanded you” (Exodus 31:7-11).

When we read that the Lord called by name Bezalel we must understand that this is an example for all of us. Not that we are called to do the same work as Bezalel but that God calls us by name to accomplish specific work for His kingdom. That specific work requires focused skills which the Lord also provides. Scripture explains,

“I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship…”

So Bezalel received the Spirit of God to do specific work. Now, he likely labored hard to develop his skills, but ultimately, it was the Lord who filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and all kinds of craftsmanship.

Discover & Use Your Talents

It seems to me that we ought to expect that God has filled all believers with His Spirit of wisdom and craftsmanship to complete our earthly callings. This Scripture passage is for our instruction and application (2 Timothy 3:16). God does not send us out empty handed. We ought to be working from our youth to discover our God-given talents and gifts and expect that the Lord will use us in His kingdom work. This is a basic minimum belief (for women as well by the way) needed to live the gifted and called life God has for us.

When Tim and I were working on those big doors installing the Edura Trilennium hardware we were working at the edge of our gifts, skills, and talents. I worked for years to gain the knowledge and skills needed to perform that work. Yet it is the Lord who receives all the credit and glory for granting the life and opportunities, gifts and talents needed to complete my (our) calling. So if it is big doors, big tables, computer codes, managing a household, or whatever the skill needed, all is to be done by God’s grace and to His glory. God gives us each our gifts and we owe Him praise for this.

Mission Accomplished—THE BIG Custom Doors!

Working Double-Time on Double Doors

We spent two weeks working nearly all waking hours to complete the big doors. These massive custom doors were a huge project for such a tiny shop. The size of the pieces was certainly huge, though there were only three (two huge doors and one double-huge door frame), but it was the intensity of labor and endless fine details that made this a big project. Each of these heavy, double doors measure 8’ high by 40” wide each by 2-1/4” thick solid African mahogany. They have curved, raised panels, curved glass panels and curved frame and trims, curves everywhere.

Apprentice Tim cutting curves with our custom curve cutting contraption.

Always Ready for a Challenge

But the most difficult part for us was the wonderful Endura Trilennium^® locking system hardware chosen by the customer. The active panel of the double door system has a five point locking mechanism that operates three bolts into the inactive panel along with head and foot bolts as well. Kachunk—multiple CLICK, when that door closes. This is the best locking system I have ever seen. It took quite a bit of our time to figure out everything about the installation.

We, with our customer’s strong help, purchased the routing guide package to router out the edges of the door for this hardware brand. It was kind of a big deal around here. Tim spent a lot of time figuring it all out. He routered a practice piece first and then went to it on the doors. I told him I was responsible if anything went wrong. Nothing went wrong. Everything fit. Tim is great with these kinds of projects and he excelled on this.

Suspender Man™ showing off the door project progress.

Am I a Craftsman or a Preacher?

It was a really busy couple of weeks. All through it, however, I was thinking about how to actively disciple my apprentice. Just how does a craftsman communicate his best ethics and his best thoughts about being a Christian businessman to his apprentice? If I preach big gobs of unsolicited advice I am going to be ignored or worse, hated, and despised as a crack pot or someone detestable I am certain.

Talking is plenty useful but it has to be practiced within the proper framework. I am starting to think that I ought to tell (warn?) my apprentice that I will be sharing any spiritual insights I have, with him, just as a general heads up. If I had, from the beginning, let him know that I was going to do this it would have been better all around. It is not to late to tell him now though. For the sake of honesty I think I will tell him that I am going to share spiritual insights as a normal part of his training. That way he will understand more clearly the direction I am taking this relationship. For, I am remembering that, “When a student is fully taught he will be just like his teacher.”

Completed custom exterior doors (African mahogany, rain finish glass, Endura Trilennium® locking system).

Cutting Curves (and Dodging Curve Balls)

I rarely write Shop Notes on Sundays. Sundays are reserved for rest (“Six days you shall do all your labor”). But a couple weeks ago every aspect of life got turned on its head when we were thrown a curve ball in the form of eight (or was it nine?) power outages. Granted a few were only 30-90 minutes in length but others lasted several hours. Everything felt upside down.

Custom Mahogany Curves

I spent our working hours teaching Tim how to build the 56” diameter curved pieces needed to build this set of custom exterior doors. The doors, when installed, will create a big circle in the center with half of the circle in each door. The inside of the circle is made up of odd shaped glass panels.

Mahogany curve layout for custom exterior doors

Laying out the glued up mahogany blocks to build our curves.

Gluing/clamping our mahogany curves for a set of custom doors.

Suspender Man™ working some clamping magic to get a sturdy, tight set of curves before cutting them to their final shape.

Projects & Problem-Solving

This project is complicated to build and I am guessing and by-goshing my way through it as I go. I have allowed Tim to see that is what I am doing. He might as well understand that I sometimes must figure processes out as I go. Every business owner faces this same reality. Nobody knows how to do everything they contract to do.

My apprentice may as well see this side of reality. He ought to understand that owning a small business involves taking risks (measured risks but risks just the same). He needs to see the agonies as well as the easier aspects of owning a business. He will, after all, have to learn how to navigate similar waters when he is the master craftsman.

Glued up mahogany curves ready to cut to shape with our custom template.

Curves ready for cutting to fit our custom exterior doors.

Apprentice Tim using the bandsaw to cut the mahogany curves to fit our custom doors.

Apprentice Tim using the bandsaw to shape the mahogany curves.

Growing Our Knowledge & Building the Future

This reminds me of a thought: I want my apprentice to catch the vision for training another person to do his work and take his place in God’s economy. We are not put on earth to simply provide for ourselves. We also need to help other people learn to be masters in God’s kingdom. We must pull other people along teaching them skills and a biblical philosophy needed to take dominion (Genesis 2) and push forward God’s kingdom in every field. This is a distinctively Christian enterprise and practice.

The humanists of our age (or any age) have nothing to match the biblical apprenticeship model. Their idea for teaching is to impart endless gobs of book knowledge, or of personal philosophy disguised as book knowledge, and to take captive the upcoming generation through their “philosophy and vain deceit” (Colossians 2:8). Ours is to disciple people in the means and methods required to take dominion of the earth and to push forward the crown rights of King Jesus. We live for different purposes and achieve those purposes through differing means. Christian discipleship and apprenticeship do not look like the humanist alternative which most of our students labor under. So, I guess, this is where this week’s curves and curve balls conversation has taken us. I do not always know where I am going to land when I launch these conversations.

Once the curves are cut, the assembly of these custom doors begins!

Custom Doors Should Be Straight…Like Our Morals

With every big project, like these custom designed mahogany doors, the pressure builds to keep the project on schedule.

Gluing up the outer frame for a set of custom exterior doors

Suspender Man™ gluing and doweling the outer frame for a mahogany set of custom designed exterior doors.

With every type of work there are schedule demands that must be met. Nobody contracts work in a vacuum, separated from the demands and pressures of the market place. Well, maybe in a socialist or communist system they might but not when operating under the constraints of biblical morality and a consumer-driven economy. I understand that these two might be at odds and often are, but that is about the best we will have for the immediate future.

Laboring to Keep Our Word

We try to focus on the biblical morality part of the equation as much as possible. Hence we are trying to treat our customers as better than ourselves, and are committed to laboring as for the Lord, and doing our best to not only keep our word but to exceed it if possible. We want our customers to say “well done” but we also want the God of heaven to say the same.

Making Things Straight

Our morals must be built on God’s Word to be strong and upright. Similarly, custom woodworking projects share the need for level surfaces on which to build. There are a number of new skills for my apprentice to learn while building these custom doors. One is learning how to build a flat door—and I mean, dead flat, no warps or twists of any kind. I taught him to level one of our big workbenches using a 10’ long straightedge and a couple of long levels. If we assemble the doors on a flat workbench, we by necessity, ought to create flat doors.

Custom door frame on the (flat) workbench, glued and clamped, with curve patterns laid out.

Custom door frame on our (flat) workbench, glued and clamped, with curve patterns laid out.

This is just one of the many ways I work to teach Tim the larger principles of the trade not just have him do needed tasks. Learning the principles for creating a flat surface will be useful for him and in his service for me.

Let’s Build Some BIG DOORS!

A few weeks ago a man contacted me and asked to have a large set of custom exterior doors made for the front of his house. These doors are 8’ high by 7’ wide x 2-1/4” thick mahogany. Once the contract was signed we obtained the wood and work began. This was a perfect project for my aspiring apprentice to learn some new skills. And it helped me out to have him here shoving what is a good sized stack of heavy lumber through the machines.

Pile of raw mahogany ready to be planed for custom exterior doors

Bringing the raw mahogany back to the shop to be planed for these custom exterior doors

No Need to Hover

This project is by no means easy. The work is complicated. Tim is clearly excited to be taking on fresh challenges. I have been putting him to the work full time but have only remained in the shop part time. This is good for him I believe. I give him careful instructions and then let him go do his best.

There is a balance between hovering and being unwisely detached on my part. I want my apprentice to know he is trusted but not abandoned. I cannot let him make any serious errors but I know he learns a lot faster if he cannot come to me every minute for endless help. I want him to learn to do this work without me—that is the goal after all.

Pile of mahogany after we planed it. Ready to start the custom doors project.

Importance of Learning Why Not Just How

I have found there is high value in teaching him the principles of the trade. If I merely tell my apprentice what to do, a list of commands to obey, he will never learn the principles he needs to understand and plan future work. I do not merely tell him how to use the tools a certain way I tell him why he should do so. I spend a lot of time explaining why we do what we do as well as how to do the work.

Sometimes the talk about why we do the work a certain way revolves around moral principles not just physical reasons for building a product. Without moral reasoning, work is just work. But if we can teach moral principles and a vision for the building of God’s kingdom through our work, we have done double duty. In the case of these custom exterior doors what could be more desired?