# Base shoe



## FrankSmith (Feb 21, 2013)

I am wondering what you guys think of this idea. It was windy and rainy in my area the other day and I needed to install base shoe in a few rooms. I didn’t want to set up outside and I try not to cut inside. I decided to grab my cheap hand saw miter box. I brought it around the room with me marked the piece cut it and nailed it on. 

As I was doing this I thought if I got a hand miter box that had a little better action and put some felt on the bottom this might be faster than making a list and cutting outside. It was nice to not have to keep inventory on all the small pieces. 

It is also worth noting that I never cope base shoe unless there is an existing piece that I am joining into. For as small as the profile is I have never had a problem with the miter and I don’t like the small piece that laps up on the top when you cope. I might try this idea a time or two and realize I hate it. That happens half the time. It definitely got the job done yesterday. We will see if I do it again.


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

I always cut inside. Hook up the festool and have at. Does it still make a mess? Yup. Is it clean when Im done? Yup. Not really an option anyway when your working on a fourth floor condo.

Used my new laser measurer for some inside measurements and it was tits ! Lotsa fun to just push the button.

Today I finished laying floor in the 450 foot unit. Reinstalled old base moldings and cut and installed new base shoe. Humped all my gear out and were ready to sand and finish on Monday. Money made!


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## Robie (Feb 25, 2005)

Many generations of craftsman (including my father) used them all the time.


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## ObuckiO (Feb 19, 2014)

FrankSmith said:


> I am wondering what you guys think of this idea. It was windy and rainy in my area the other day and I needed to install base shoe in a few rooms. I didn’t want to set up outside and I try not to cut inside. I decided to grab my cheap hand saw miter box. I brought it around the room with me marked the piece cut it and nailed it on.
> 
> As I was doing this I thought if I got a hand miter box that had a little better action and put some felt on the bottom this might be faster than making a list and cutting outside. It was nice to not have to keep inventory on all the small pieces.
> 
> It is also worth noting that I never cope base shoe unless there is an existing piece that I am joining into. For as small as the profile is I have never had a problem with the miter and I don’t like the small piece that laps up on the top when you cope. I might try this idea a time or two and realize I hate it. That happens half the time. It definitely got the job done yesterday. We will see if I do it again.


I doubt I'd ever do it. However, if it helps you out on certain situations, so be it. I usually use the garage when I want to cut down on clean-up, but if I was in some sort of multi-floor condos or offices, I might drag around the miter box to different areas. Plus, I wouldn't have the option of using a manual miter box, because I don't have one.

As for the coping aspect...I cope everything due to shrinkage and less separation(even if getting painted). Plus, I think it's nicer/easier to put together.

I'll place a gentleman's bet you won't use your new idea more often than the other. :no:


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## FrankSmith (Feb 21, 2013)

ObuckiO said:


> I'll place a gentleman's bet you won't use your new idea more often than the other. :no:


You are probably correct. I did it simply because it overcame the obstetrical of the day. As I was doing it I thought "is this a better way?" It probably isn't unless the right set of obstetrical poke their head again. 

I agree coping is much better. I cope everything but shoe.


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## ObuckiO (Feb 19, 2014)

FrankSmith said:


> You are probably correct. I did it simply because it overcame the obstetrical of the day. As I was doing it I thought "is this a better way?" It probably isn't unless the right set of obstetrical poke their head again.
> 
> I agree coping is much better. I cope everything but shoe.


It reminds me of how many different ways I tried in marking base and shoe. As in cutting all the measurements in one trip. I went from the 1-2-3 way, to the A-B-C, marking left/right cope 1st...

I suppose: "There's no shortcut in cutting corners"


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

I love this rig. Made in the late 40's I think.
It's made out of cast iron, and is deadly accurate.
And it's quiet.


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## asevereid (Jan 30, 2012)

B.D.R. said:


> I love this rig. Made in the late 40's I think.
> It's made out of cast iron, and is deadly accurate.
> And it's quiet.


That the Stanley? If so, I've got the same one. Took me a year of looking at flea markets and second hand stores to find a saw for it though.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

Came together, almost new condition.
I have a spare saw for it too.
Bought it from a customer for $50.


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

Nice little saw I picked up at yard sale a few years ago. $25


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## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

Metro M & L said:


> I always cut inside. Hook up the festool and have at. Does it still make a mess? Yup. Is it clean when Im done? Yup. Not really an option anyway when your working on a fourth floor condo.
> 
> Used my new laser measurer for some inside measurements and it was tits ! Lotsa fun to just push the button.
> 
> Today I finished laying floor in the 450 foot unit. Reinstalled old base moldings and cut and installed new base shoe. Humped all my gear out and were ready to sand and finish on Monday. Money made!



You trim before you sand & finish? That's nuts man


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## EricBrancard (Jun 8, 2012)

pinwheel said:


> You trim before you sand & finish? That's nuts man


We sand and finish last as well. Sometimes run an edger around everything before trimming.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

I've done this, it's pretty fast, especially for a one room or small job. I'll still cope without mitering first, but that's slower than just mitering everything. 

You're saving load, unload, setup, teardown, cleanup, load, unload time, so overall it can be faster for a small job.


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## loneframer (Feb 13, 2009)

My dad trimmed everything with his Stanley box. I also found this mini version in his belongings when he passed. 

For shoe, I cut everything snug and fine tune it with my miter trimmer, if needed.


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## thom (Nov 3, 2006)

Talked to a former trim carpenter decades ago about the way his company cut trim for tract homes. 

Each carpenter made his own miter box, a piece of 1X, properly cut to guide standard miters, attached to the side of a saw horse. They cut with a sharp cross-cut hand saw. 

He said it cut as fast as a power miter box with much less set-up and break-down time, easier to move around, cheap. 

I never tried it but oftentimes thought about it.


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## ObuckiO (Feb 19, 2014)

thom said:


> Talked to a former trim carpenter decades ago about the way his company cut trim for tract homes.
> 
> Each carpenter made his own miter box, a piece of 1X, properly cut to guide standard miters, attached to the side of a saw horse. They cut with a sharp cross-cut hand saw.
> 
> ...


One thing i've noticed with some trim carpenters, they were coping almost everything with a jig-saw. I've messed around with a piece of crown(trying it), but don't think i'll ever get in the habit of it.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

thom said:


> He said it cut as fast as a power miter box with much less set-up and break-down time, easier to move around, cheap.
> 
> I never tried it but oftentimes thought about it.


He's exaggerating about the speed, but it isn't terribly slow. Probably the biggest problem with doing it this way is getting a properly sharpened good saw.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

My rig even has crown stops on it, but I've never used it for that.
An old finisher that I used to work with, had a second chop saw that had sandpaper glued to the blade. He used it for tickling the angles on his trim.


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

pinwheel said:


> You trim before you sand & finish? That's nuts man


Its a rental. I wouldnt do it this way residential. I had it on the schedule to cut tuesday but they want me to fix a sinking floor where all the joists have rotted off the sill. Theres no crawl space access so I have to work top down. No extra time, just extra work, I mean money.


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## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

B.D.R. said:


> I love this rig. Made in the late 40's I think.
> It's made out of cast iron, and is deadly accurate.
> And it's quiet.


Those were made well into the 70s at least 75


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