Getting Started- Opinions Wanted

[Brian H]

Hello All,

I have decided to start woodworking, and I am especially interested in doing Crown Molding. I am starting from scratch. I have a substantial budget to start off with and I will be purchasing a Kapex.

My question is, exactly what other tools will I need to operate the kapex with? Stand, extensions...? I don't want to spend money unneededly, so if someone can point out what is must have, good to have, and a waste of money I would appreciate it. Thank you all.

Brian

 

[Theshipstore]

Brian  Fisrt WELCOME TO FOG, you will enjoy being here for sure

I have the Kapex with the stand and extensions and I use it often on site and in the shop. For me its the ideal way to go with the Kapex for sure. Hope I gave you some help on the descion making

Sal

 

[Brian H]

Thanks Sal. I had read a few places that the extensions are junk...?

 

[Theshipstore]

I will say I have had no problem with mine at all

 

[semenza]

Hi Brian,

Welcome to the FOG!  [smile]

  I am sure that you will get tons of advice on crown.

The UG extensions are fine. There is an issue however that the extensions in standard set up do not accept the crown stops. But there are aftermarket mounts  available that will. As well as other set ups that FOG members have developed to allow for cutting crown  in position.  The UG stand and UG extensions are designed to be highly portable and light weight.  There are plenty of good stand systems available  as well as lots of home made  ones to see here on FOG. To some extent, whether or not you will like the UG extensions depends on the features that you want.

Oh, BTW you will want to get a vac to get the excellent dust collection benefit of the Kapex.

Will you be needing to move your miter saw set up frequently?

Seth

 

[Brian H]

Thanks Seth. Yes I will need to move the saw allot. I don't have room inside my garage to have a shop. Should I get the cart?

 

[builderbob]

Welcome to the FOG Brian!  I would have to say that I do disagree about the current kapex extensions being "junk". I can see why they may not be favored as they do not come with a built in crown stop. I do use the UG extensions in the field and I added the multiblades.com adapter that has a t track and allows setup of a continuous crown stop. I also have the Kapex crown extensions and utilize those in the shop. I built wings that attach to those stops (shown in the photo). If you're not moving around often, this would probably be a nice economical way to make a set of extensions to suit your needs!

Have fun!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2

 

[Guilliaume woodworks]

Get a ct vac...it's kinda the heart of the whole system...you will not regret that purchase.

 

[land_kel]

What are you using now as a mitre saw when you install crown? If you make the plunge, where to start, as there is NO end.

D

 

[peter halle]

I would also say get a dust extractor and a cleaning set that has a 36 mm hose.  The hose will come in handy with the Kapex and the cleaning set will always be useful.

What other woodworking or projects are you planning on tackling?  Might help with other ideas.

Peter

 

[sancho57]

Brian

My suggestion to you is save your money. Take some wood working classes doing basic projects start learning the fundamentals. Then after you get some experience then start buying your tools.

One thing I learned the hard way even after being warned by some friends, is new guys start buying a lot of stuff , stuff they find they wont/dont use.
Take your time and lea the steps

 

[JoggleStick]

Welcome..
+1 on the vac, a must have closely followed by 2nd get a dust deputy- does all the hard work

+ 1 on the classes or try and build a stand for the Kapex- have a look at Paulk homes and see Ron's Kapex stand and portable work bench. Good gear there... Some nice you tube vids to help you along as well as plans... TimTools has a different take on the portable workbench and sells plans too.

I also agree not to go buy a whole lot of tools before you start, it's a journey and likely you'll take a few turns and detours along the way...

See if there is a local 'club'- you might even be able to try a few tools in the workshop before you buy something.

Above all else, enjoy the journey and please keep us posted with lots of pics....

 

[Jmaichel]

Brian

My suggestion to you is save your money. Take some wood working classes doing basic projects start learning the fundamentals. Then after you get some experience then start buying your tools.

One thing I learned the hard way even after being warned by some friends, is new guys start buying a lot of stuff , stuff they find they wont/dont use.
Take your time and lea the steps

This is good advice but probably hardly ever really taken to heart. I say you only live once get the Kapex and CT  [big grin]

 

[Sparktrician]

If you're new to crown moulding, you may want to check out the Cut-N-Crown to get you started, then develop your own system of cutting and assembling crown moulding using the Kapex.  Be sure to get a good dust extractor (as others have mentioned).  If you're working inside occupied homes, this is a purchase you'll never regret. 

 

[tiralie]

Brian:
Welcome to FOG.
Have you done woodworking before or are you just beginning?
I assume your interest in woodworking and crown molding is putting it in your house.
In addition to the excellent suggestions above I would suggest you get Mastering the miter saw 1&2 by Gary Katz and Conquering Crown Molding

I would also suggest you learn how to cope. It will take you a bit of practice to master, and each new crown presents it's own challenges, it will make your inside joints seamless and save you some frustration. While you can cope with a coping saw, the Collins coping foot for your jig saw works great.

Take your time and work safely and if you are not happy with the results you can always redo it.

The above advice on buying tools is wise, but even with the best intentions it is difficult to adhere to. I have bought plenty of tools I thought I needed at the time only to discover I didn't use them. My advice is to buy tools as you need them rather than because you think you might use them sometime.

Tim

 

[Brian H]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Yes I am straight up brand new to all kinds of woodwork. I saw the Cut-N-Crown system and that is what sparked my interest.

 

[RC]

A little word of warning, even if will be a flash of the obvious, is that try to think of the problem at hand and choose your tools accordingly.

Too often I find myself doing only domino joints because I have a domino - the age old 'if you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail' syndrome.

Also a good basic set of basic hand tools (saw, couple of chisels, good screw driver, small plane, some sharpening method, etc. and measuring tools) should be on your shopping list if you don't have them already.

A good workbench is essential too or you will never hear the end of that scratched dining room table from your s.o.  If you need portability the MFT/3 table is great.

 

[Motown]

Hi Brian. Welcome! I would separate my suggestions into two parts:

First, I highly recommend starting out by purchasing the Gary Katz videos, reading some books on crown molding and seeking out some classes locally. The more that you learn in advance will increase your chances of doing quality work.........which will have a direct impact on how much you will actually enjoy woodworking and carpentry. Getting educated in advance will just make the whole process that much more enjoyable for you.

I own and recommend Gary's videos and this book that should help get you started.  Here are some direct links:

http://garymkatz.com/shop.html

http://www.amazon.com/Crown-Molding-Trim-Install-Like/dp/1612331807/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374707743&sr=8-1&keywords=crown+molding+books

Second, the tools: I would also echo the recommendations on getting a vacuum, 36mm hose and jigsaw. I also recommend getting a high quality tape measure from Fastcap. Not sure if you will have help for your project but if not you may also want to look into getting a "3rd Hand" by Fastcap as well.

I hope this helps.

Maurice

 

[epicxt]

+1 on the suggestion for the 3rd hand tools. I work solo and can easily hang 20' pieces of crown using these.

 

[Brian H]

Thanks Guys! I'll look into those videos.