Design Solutions - Spring 2023 - 55

There are many ways to design
and manufacture mouldings to get the
best value for the desired outcome.
The specie, thickness, width, length,
quantity, and finish quality will
determine the cost/value for your
project.
Here are six tips to help you get the
best value for your moulding budget.
1. SPECIE - There are a wide variety
of species to choose from to
achieve the desired look on
your project. Poplar is excellent
for today's wish for a painted
interior finish. Maple is also used
for painted applications in high
traffic areas where hardness is
a consideration. Be aware of the
many sustainable domestic and
imported species available to give
the space a rich mix of finishes to
enhance the environment.
2. THICKNESS - Cost is impacted
by the thickness of the material
required to produce a profile.
Most available species are cut
into 4/4 (1 inch), 5/4, 6/4, and
8/4 (2 inch) thicknesses. Knowing
the maximum yield out of any
lumber thickness will help in the
initial drawing process and also in
any value engineering on a project.
For example, if a moulding profile
is 1-1/8 " thick it will be cut from
6/4 stock (1 ½ " ). If you change the
finished thickness to 1-1/32 " thick
it will be cut from 5/4 stock saving
16% in material and at least that
much in cost since heavier stock
is usually more costly per board
foot. The chart below is a valuable
resource when deciding how thick
to draw a moulding profile.
Rough Lumber
Thickness
4/4
5/4
6/4
8/4
3. WIDTH - When selecting or
designing a profile it comes as
no surprise that, similarly with
thickness, the wider the profile,
the more costly the moulding.
Along with additional knife work,
there are limitations in width
depending on the specie.
As stated in the Architectural
Woodwork Standards, Ed.2,
most species may be glued for
finished width over 6 inches.
Some species, listed in AWS2
Section 3, 3.4.6, may be glued
when width exceeds 4-1/4
inches. Wider moulding designs
may eliminate multiple piece
installations so there has to be
a cost/savings analysis. The
limitations of the machinery
are also a consideration. Most
moulders can run up to about
8-1/2 inches in width. But, some
moulders will process material
up to 12 inches wide. Moulding
supplier capabilities may limit
your options in design.
Max Finished Profile
Thickness
13/16 "
1 1/32 "
1 9/32 "
1 25/32 "
Optimum finished
profile thickness
¾ "
1 "
1 ¼ "
1 ¾ "
spring 2023 I designsolutions
55
4. LENGTH - Communication on
this subject is critical. Hardwood
lumber comes in random length
and width which varies by specie.
Good communication will cut
down on waste and ultimately
cost. Let's look at the three
length options: Random Length,
Nominal Length, and Specified
Length
RANDOM LENGTHS = Good mix
of a variety of lengths based on the
available lumber.
NOMINAL LENGTHS = Customer
specifies rough even length, not exact
length. Customer chooses best rough
lengths from which they will cut their
finished lengths.
SPECIFIED LENGTHS = Customer
specifies exact lengths. Pieces will be
crosscut to exact length by moulding
supplier.
Running trim such as base, chair
rail and crown are usually ordered
random length while standing trim
such as casing, jambs, and stops would
be ordered nominal length. Specified
lengths work well in applications where
the finished length is known and no
additional trimming is needed by the
customer.
Design Solutions - Spring 2023

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