# Oval window casing build.



## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

I was contacted about doing an oval inside casing and trim for an 100 yr old house. She had a few "companies" come out but none would take the job I think due to the shape and lack of skills. I'm not claiming to have done this to a specific guideline or "politically correctness", but is built good. This may be a little lengthy but I'll try to give enough info for others to improve on my mistakes if any.

The hardest part was making a true template due to it was a brick deep back in the wall. I cut a piece of kraft paper to fit the brick hole, anchored in place and the then rubbed with thumb the existing interior jamb edge to cause a crease transfer on the kraft paper to which I retraced with a marker. NOTE: mark top and bottom/up and down, which side is in...valuable for correct fit!!

I found the easiest way to get centerlines is to fold kraft paper into itself/half lengthwise matching opposite end marks . While still folded, fold once more towards the narrow way aligning the fold. At this point you should have a 90 deg angle with a qtr of the curve showing. 

I laid template on a workbench than covered with a thin plastic cover (not shown in pics). This prevents any glue from sticking to template later.








Knowing this is my most interior line I cut/mitered 4 1/2" Tall/wide x 2" thick jamb pieces around template letting each joint be on the original line (not pictured) This was quiet a bit of adjusting without a protractor for angles. Once I had all my jamb precut and placed I used my kreg jig and glued up 2 halfs . I joined the halves together with NO glue for future disassembly for sawing and sanding (several times).









I then taped pieces of transfer paper around perimeter and taped template in place. I then transfered original line AND a 1/4" inset cutting line.








I then backed one of the end screws out and slid over bandsaw and re-attatched for sawing.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

I forgot to mention. the jamb is being cut from some 20 yr old 4" x 6" poplar I had left from a job.

First round of cutting done. ....................Rechecking to template.














Interior sanding.....................................After sanding exterior edges.














Cutting the interior oval for trim. This is full 4/4 100 yr old poplar re claimed from an old store.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

To mark the trim I cut me a block of wood 4 1/2" and used as a guide.








After cutting.








I kreg screwed the casing to the original jamb while leaving the 1/4" reveal, then nailed the flat trim also leaving a 1/4" reveal.









To add some deep I added a 1/4" x 1 3/8" flexible trim around the exterior edge. I attempted with the 100 yr old lumber and it didn't flex....AT ALL!!!









We will post an after painting pic when done.

Thanks and enjoy!!!


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

Looks like you challenged yourself and succeeded. Nice job.

Mark


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## Sawdustguy (Dec 30, 2008)

Very challenging job and very nice result.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Well done, looks good. 








 







.


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## MNsawyergp (Jan 31, 2012)

Great work!!! I helped a friend do a small round window that was on the landing of a stairway in a 100+ year old house one time. We made the jamb similar to what you did and fastened the trim on much the same way. The hard and scary part came when we mounted the whole thing on plywood and mounted it to the face plate of my wood lathe. We had to balance it like a car tire so the lathe wood not hop around. Once we got going, we were able to use the lathe tools to create a very detailed profile on the casing part and round out the jamb. 

It is always a challenge to take on these projects and quite a thrill to see them actually work out. Keep it up, man! You have a good head on your shoulders.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Thanks for the comments.

The biggest challange was the final fitting in the house wall which was solid brick and some places I had the chip out the over laying. Once dry fitted in, I had to remove and sand 0" one side bevel to 3/8" off the other in depth to match original window being set wrong or the brick work..??

Naturally AFTER cutting all the miters , the Lord brought it to my attention how to pencil them in on the template and get an equal/accurate degree angle on both joints without all the guessing. I guess that's what happens when you don't pray for the wisdom first...LOL.


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Tim.
Ya must be outa your mind tackling that...or.... getting paid royally.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Da Ard,
You've seen a lot of the things I do.....being OUT of my MIND helps !!!! LOL. I have to challenge it to find it sometimes....it's somewhere in here rolling around :blink::blink::whistling2: ..hey I like this computer...IT'LL let me SMILEY:thumbsup::shifty:


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## Keith Mathewson (Sep 23, 2010)

Must have been a fun job to take on and you most likely learned a great deal. However I do not feet that pocket screws are an appropriate joinery approach here. I would be concerned about the longevity of the piece. A better approach would have been splines or brick-stacked lamination. By folding the paper template you made you found the minor and major axis of the ellipse. You could have used a router and trammel to route out 3 or 4 layers, by flipping one or more pieces over the joints would be at different locations thereby avoiding a joint from one side of the jamb to the other. That said it looks very good.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Thanks Keith,
I thought about the brickstacking before I realized I had the thick wide beam. I wanted it closer to an authentic style of the era (I know kregs don't apply but are strong IF used correctly). I did add Titebond 3 to all the joints (yes I understand end grain is not "ideal" to glue as a permanant bond). Thanks for the critiques....that's the way that I learn!!

I also kicked around the idea of forming and making a thin-wood laminated casing and also the trim.

Again thanks!!


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## J Thomas (Aug 14, 2012)

Tim:
Your talent, patience and faith all amaze me and by tackling this job... it obviously paid off!!
Great job my friend.
..Jon..


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Way to go Tim! Looks great.


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## Warped bored (Sep 21, 2013)

This is the kind of stuff I do quite a bit. I would have done some things differently but- good job.

One thing that I never have never cared for is paper or cardboard templates. I would have cut a rough oval to fit inside the opening out of 1/4" plywood or MDF. Attached it to the window with double sided tape and then scribed an even smaller oval on it with a small block. Then attached that template to a larger piece of 1//4" and using the same block, followed the lines scribing the outside edge for a perfect template. 

You could use a compass to do the same thing but anything less than 90° to the point you are scribing will create variances.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Warped,
Thanks for the reply. Yeah there's things I would change also now that I'm done but that's for the next project. MY biggest hurdle was the job was 60 miles away, a budget of ???, and the day I sized it, paper was the best option....tracing with wood, couldn't happen, fixed window recessed 4"+ in brick.....I have recently found a link to true oval layouts IF this would have been true to fit????. I've done quite a bit of larger bends the OLD SCHOOL way....MANY relief cuts, BUT there not as strong but I've done them on things not realizing their strength. eliptical stairs, round decks...actually accidently dropped a 12' PT'd triple 2"x 10" beam 10' onto the steps expecting the worst only to move an outside edge of one step down 1/4" and didn't crack the radius 22 years ago and steps are still in use (it was my house at the time...wheeeeewww!!!)


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## Keith Mathewson (Sep 23, 2010)

Tennessee Tim said:


> I also kicked around the idea of forming and making a thin-wood laminated casing and also the trim.
> /QUOTE]
> 
> 
> Something like this?


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Yep..it and the jam. Thanks for showing your work.


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## Warped bored (Sep 21, 2013)

Yikes! 60 miles away. I'd have used toilet paper if it was all I had. I'm not a big fan of kerfing, it can have a tendency to "square off" - leave lines at the kerfs ( like a stop sign)....When I do kerf, I fill the kerfs with Bondo or Liquid Nails as the lines form over time- not right away. Laminating is good, but with small ellipses the layers have to be very thin and when it's a deep jamb like that one, they have a tendency to split with the grain before you can get them on the form.It works well for circles though. 

I probably would have done almost the same thing- excepting I would make a perfect template out of 3/4" MDF. Then I would draw pieces on stock and jigsaw or bandsaw just outside the lines. I would still cut small pieces to avoid end grain but these would be much thinner than full jam width. By alternating the miter joints, you can nail each layer to the next eliminating having to clamp. With a flush bit with a bearing, mount the template and trim. For the next layers, the work is the template. To make the casing- run a 1/4 rabbet bit on the template and use a bearing flush bit to get a perfect 1/4 reveal template.


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## Keith Mathewson (Sep 23, 2010)

Warped bored said:


> Yikes! . Laminating is good, but with small ellipses the layers have to be very thin and when it's a deep jamb like that one, they have a tendency to split with the grain before you can get them on the form.


That's the reason for using a backing strap. The primary concern is accounting for springback.
The other concern is grain runout with final sizing, you can see it highlighted in the closeup pic.


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