Good Millwork Blog

Good Millwork: Wood Manufacturing Machinery

Good Millwork: Wood Manufacturing Machinery, originally uploaded by Good Millwork.

We often take for granted the “bullet proof” machines such as the Newman Planer from one of the great American companies of the early 1900’s. These machines run tirelessly, day after day and represent the lifeblood of a wood manufacturing and molding plant. The following is the history of the Newman Company and this remarkable machine published in the September 1957 issue of "The Wood-Worker".

The Newman Story

Over half a century ago, George F. Newman, the co-founder and first president of Newman Machine Company, got a far-sighted vision of the importance of machines in the lumber, millwork, and furniture industries. This vision led him to organize the company which today stands as a leader among manufacturers of woodworking machinery.

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Good Millwork: Lego + Frank Lloyd Wright = Falling Water

Good Millwork: Lego + Frank Lloyd Wright = Falling Water, originally uploaded by Good Millwork.

As the flawed human beings we all are, from time to time, each of us needs a break from swine flu fears and waterboarding debates. As a 35-year-old man-child, my distraction of choice is video games. For others, it's Lego.

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation on Thursday announced that "The Lego Group is now the exclusive licensed manufacturer of Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) Collection Lego Architecture sets." Good for them, since it would have been pretty embarrassing if someone else won the Lego license. And earlier Friday, we mentioned the set in a brief, but here's some more info.

The new FLW Lego series is part of the Lego Architecture line that debuted last year. The line currently consists of six buildings: The Sears Tower, John Hancock Center, The Space Needle, The Empire State Building and now FLW's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and "Fallingwater."

Both Frank Lloyd Wright Lego Architecture sets contain booklets that feature traditional building instructions along with archival historical material and photographs of each building.

Lego appropriately released the first set, the Guggenheim, at the opening of the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit: "From Within Outward" at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on May 15.

If I was the kind of guy who'd choose Lego as my distraction of choice and was a FLW fan, I'd be a little disappointed in the pics released of these sets so far. Is it just me or do these look a little too simple and not detailed or complex enough? I guess that's why they're Lego and not scale models.

[shameless plug: architectural wood trim? thousand of choices...online.]

[via Crave]

Good Millwork: Classical Architectural Moldings

Good Millwork: Classical Architectural Moldings, originally uploaded by Good Millwork.

LIGHT & SHADE: Moldings on the outside of a building are almost always illuminated by direct sunlight. Interior moldings, on the other hand, are usually illuminated by indirect reflected light or electric lighting. To compensate for the general weakness of interior light, you might want to make still more adjustments, since moldings only exist tot he degree that they produce effective planes of light and shadow. This is especially crucial on the interior, where, in the absence of external miters, you must rely on the tonal play of shade and shadow to define the profiles at hand.

Space doesn't permit us to go into detail on the dynamics of light. We can make a few basic points, however, by comparing the OVOLO and ECHINUS profiles (upper left and middle right, fig. 12). Assuming light falls in parallel rays from above, the gradation from light to dark on the OVOLO will occur in uniform increments because all points along its surface are equidistant from its geometric center. With the ECHINUS, the gradation is far more complex because it is constructed according to the non-circular geometry of the ellipse. An ellipse doesn't have geometric centers, and therefore -- unlike the OVOLO -- its curvature is constantly changing, making the shift from light to dark more subtle and less monotonous than the OVOLO.

Particularly noteworthy is the little highlight at the top of the ECHINUS, known as the QUIRKING, which is where a curve returns upon itself at its ends. You can see it even more exaggerated in this CYMA REVERSA, (lower left of Fig. 11) which can also be made from portions of an ellipse. The QUIRK can add much to a molding, in addition to the light effects it produces. For instance, it creates greater contrast between curved and straight at the extremes of a molding, in contrast to the OVOLO, where the profile assumes a vertical orientation just as it meets the adjacent fillet. The QUIRK also anticipates and makes a more organic connection between contiguous elements than does the rather abrupt perpendicular termination of the OVOLO into the flat surface above.

[architectural moldings? ... thousands online with downloadable CAD files.]

[via Traditional Building Magazine]

Good Millwork: Seaside Florida Siding Repair

Good Millwork: Seaside Florida Siding Repair, originally uploaded by Good Millwork.

For over 20 years, Good Millwork has manufactured architectural wood products for Seaside and the coastal communities along the 30-A corridor. We are now pleased to offer all our products in TimberSIL® – a glass infused wood that won’t rot, won’t burn, is environmentally safe and is backed with a 40 year transferable warranty.

Good Millwork has teamed with local, Florida licensed general contractors to offer turnkey services for the replacement of rotten siding, decks, handrails and all exterior wood components including shutters. With a 20 year local track record and 40 year transferable warranty on the TimberSIL® wood products, we simply want to be your second, and last, provider.

Questions?? We’re always available at www.goodmoldings.com or call (888) 209-9307.

Good Millwork: Classical Architectural Molding

Good Millwork: Classical Architectural Molding, originally uploaded by Good Millwork.

OCULAR RECTIFICATION: Another instance where one might manipulate the size of profiles concerns the position of moldings relative to the eye. These revisions, known as OCULAR RECTIFICATIONS, are intended to restore the profile to its normal appearance by counteracting distortions inherent in human perception. These distortions may be caused by such variables as the vantage point of the observer, available lighting, even the color of the moldings. The issue of perspective is especially critical on the interior, where one rarely can stand as far back from a vertical surface as on the exterior. To illustrate, in fig. 11 if the profile stands roughly level with the eye, you would probably construct the various moldings according to regular geometry (center). But if this same sequence of profiles is to be located near the floor, you might make adjustments because the viewer will always be looking down on it.

For instance, you could re-configure the SCOTIA so more of it is visible, and less is concealed by the overhanging element. The face of the FILLETS may also be turned, and even the half-round could be given an egg-like contour to restore some of its underside to view (left).

[architectural moldings? ... thousands online with downloadable CAD files.]

[via Traditional Building Magazine]

Good Millwork: Classical Architectural Molding

Good Millwork: Classical Architectural Molding, originally uploaded by Good Millwork.

REDUCTION/AMPLIFICATION: While it's illogical to have two disparate scales present within a particular molding sequence, it's not unusual to have varying scales in moldings belonging to different features of the same building or space. In fact, in structures of any complexity, one is often compelled to use moldings of diverse scales. The challenge is to adeptly bring about what I call the REDUCTION or AMPLIFICATION of scale where they meet.

In Fig. 10, the TORUS and PLINTH moldings that articulate the base of the building are hefty in size and scale, because they are in proportion to the overall height of this very tall urban structure. The moldings of the door surround, on the other hand, are literally reduced in size so they can relate to a more human scale appropriate for a door. Equally important is how they come together. Notice that the overall height of the step and pedestal element in the doorway is contained within the bottom flat member of the building's base, and how the greater number of divisions at the door element, versus the single division in the base, conveys the reduction in scale. The same happens immediately above the big flat, where the height of just a single large TORUS is given over to both a TORUS and a PLINTH.

[architectural moldings? ... thousands online with downloadable CAD files.]

[via Traditional Building Magazine]

Good Millwork: Baseboard Molding Collection

Good Millwork: Baseboard Molding Collection, originally uploaded by Good Millwork.

In architecture, a baseboard (also called skirting board, skirting, mopboard, floor molding, as well as base molding) is a (generally wooden) board, covering the lowest part of an interior wall. Its purpose is to cover the joint between the wall surface (usually plaster or drywall) and the floor.

It covers the inevitable uneven edge as flooring meets the wall. As a secondary function, it protects the wall from kicks and abrasion and sometimes prevents furniture from being pushed right against the wall. As a tertiary function, it can serve as a decorative molding.

At its simplest, skirting board consists of a simple plank nailed, screwed or glued to the wall; however, particularly in older houses, it can be made up of a number of moldings to provide an elaborate decorative feature. Even today, it is quite common to have a quarter round molding between the baseboard and floor. Quarter round has the added advantage of covering more of the floor, giving the finished flooring installer a greater margin of error that can be covered up by the quarter round and baseboard. More recent trends in interior design are going back to more elaborate baseboards, which, in conjunction with other decorative moldings help to distinguish a home.

Wood baseboard is available in paint or stain grade versions. Paint grade will not take stain well and is suitable for painting. Paint grade baseboards can be either "raw finger jointed" or "primed." Stain grade woods--such as oak, pine, and maple--are clearer and are suitable for staining in natural finishes.

All baseboard moldings are available for full scale preview along with downloadable CAD files in our wood trim profile database. We’ve also made our most popular baseboard moldings available in one CAD file…architectural baseboard molding (be patient…it’s a big one). Matching existing, historic or napkin sketch? Send it to us at sales@goodmillwork.com and we’ll match it for you in 24 hours.

See Wikipedia, Baseboard, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseboard (baseboard definition) (as of May. 6, 2009, 11:37 GMT).

Good Millwork: Classical Architectural Moulding

Good Millwork: Classical Architectural Moulding, originally uploaded by Good Millwork.

PROPORTION & SCALE: Both of these issues must be satisfied in molding design to achieve a harmonious whole, both in the relation of the profiles to their context, and to each other. The profiles on the left of fig. 9 are proportionate and internally well scaled, the dominant CAVETTO clearly distinguished from the minor moldings. The same profiles on the right, however, reverse the major and minor in size. Consequently, the whole combination becomes confused and no longer a valid measure of scale, since there appears to be two different measures of scale at work.

[architectural moldings? ... thousands online with downloadable CAD files.]

[via Traditional Building Magazine]

Good Millwork: Fire Rated Shutter

Good Millwork: TimberSIL Fire Rated Wood Shutters, originally uploaded by Good Millwork.

Wood that Won’t Burn? Contradiction? We questioned it as well. The distributor on the other end of this inquisition probably felt like Colonel Jessep. We CAN handle the truth, but we’re not pushovers and it wasn’t going to be easy.

Here's the rundown:

1. Doesn’t Burn – Class-A fire retardant.

2. Won’t Rot – 40 year guarantee.

3. Safe – No volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

4. Green – Reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

5. Real wood – No synthetics, no polymers.

6. Insect proof – EPA approved non-toxic barrier.

Video courtesy of www.woodwontburn.com

We took the TimberSIL, glass infused wood, and cut siding, crown molding, shake shingles and even built shutters. The end products looked great and felt to be about 30% denser than untreated southern yellow pine. We were pleasantly surprised until we saw the fire video… then we asked ourselves, “How could you go wrong?”

Take a look, let us know your thoughts and give us a call with questions (888) 209-9307.

Good Millwork: LEED Platinum - RainShine House Atlanta

Good Millwork: LEED Platinum - RainShine House Atlanta, originally uploaded by Good Millwork.

The RainShine House has it all…LEEDS Platinum, sustainable millwork and beautiful modern design. The reclaimed heart-pine flooring flooring is from the old Atlanta stables that were recently demolished. Massive exterior doors were custom-built from locally salvaged heart pine. And, the custom millwork is constructed of no-formaldehyde, 100% recycled-content MDF. According to a recent press release, it's the first modernist residence in the Southeastern U.S. to achieve such a lofty green certification.

Congratulations to The RainShine House -- designed by Robert M. Cain, Architect, AIA, LEED AP and built by Pinnacle Custom Builders. Also, Lynn Saussy was the landscape architect, and the Southface Institute was the LEED provider. Read more at RainShine House Atlanta .

Photo credits: Photographer Paul Hultberg.