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I have just had a new fireplace installed. When the skirting was put in I had my carpenter cut me 2 pieces in preparation for the fireplace. I would love to improve my wood skills so a small project like this seems perfect (I have 2 fireplaces)

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  1. Should I just measure all the different lengths and try and draw it onto the skirting or should i scribe it on? I am unsure how would I scribe something onto a piece of wood that cannot be shortened on the left afterwards... Can you please explain?

  2. What saw would you use to make the mains cuts? (I have a jigsaw, will that do?)

  3. What saw would you use to cut around the gas pipe? would you make this a circle? a drill bit perhaps? how would i drill on the edge of a piece of wood without making a mess?

  4. I assume I would use wood glue for the mitre cut, but What glue would you use to fix the skirting to the wall?

Thanks so much for your help!

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    You should include your photos using the sites image tool, so that everybody that views the question can also see the images. If you're not sure how to add images, here's a tutorial.
    – Tester101
    Apr 29, 2015 at 11:58
  • I must be seeing things, but it looks like the existing basemold is shy of the perpendicular wall. In other words it's too short. Is it?
    – jqning
    Dec 26, 2015 at 23:00

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I would begin with a cardboard pattern. You could measure each distance, lay them out on the right edge of the cardboard. Or you could use profile gauge such as this one.

profile gauge

I would then do a rough cut of the cardboard, lay it into the corner, and trim to precision. Do not cut the left edge until the end. Then transfer the profile onto the molding.

On the actual molding, I would also leave the overall length a bit longer than the pattern, maybe by 1/8 inch. This gives you room for tweaking and the mitre cut is easier to shorten than the profile.

A jigsaw is fine to cut the profile. You should back cut the curve, that is, trim off a bit more on the backside than the front. This makes fine tuning easier and avoids the chance of seeing the cut face in the finished piece.

 Images and links are for illustration only, and not an endorsement of products or sources.
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  • How would I shorten the mitre cut without a table saw?
    – Joe U
    May 1, 2015 at 17:20
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    Good point. If you don't have access, plan as close as possible, then fill the gap on the fireplace side with caulking.
    – bib
    May 2, 2015 at 0:25
  • What glue should I be using for the mitre cut? And to fix it to the wall?
    – Joe U
    May 4, 2015 at 10:03
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    A drill press could do it fairly easily. If you don't have access to that equipment, you could use a coping saw. Or you could glue a small patch of the same thickness to the bottom edge that is bigger than the hold, drill the hole and then trim off the added patch.
    – bib
    May 4, 2015 at 14:57
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    There is construction adhesive, such as PL, which is very strong. Many other brands. Just make sure you don't plan to remove it (can be done but often destructive).
    – bib
    May 6, 2015 at 1:51

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