Bob's Bloggers
A community of bloggers who live and die to DIY
diy, tools, windows, diy
Shimmage (Shims, the Easy Way)
By DIYnot on Feb 21, 2012
Installing the trim is way easier if I staple the shims into place before hand. In the picture, the shims don’t support the window (there are ones that do this but are mostly cut off), they just create a plane that will keep the sill and casings flat/vertical (or at least nearly so).
When I first started shimming the trim I just used a razor blade to cut the shims to the length I wanted. But this proved to be a pain because I not only needed to combine multiple shims together but they all had to be less than several inches long. By clamping a block to my miter saw fence 2.5” away from the blade I made 20 large shims into 100 or so 2.5” shims — with very little effort.
Just before I place the shims in the window opening, I grab a handful and arrange them from thin to thick. That way I can quickly grab several different thicknesses to create a combination that is the total thickness that I want.
Another gem I found along the journey…
-Matt
PS. I would love to model this post after an infomercial— if only there was enough time in the day. At first, black and white. You see me attempting to cut a shim with a razor blade and making one of several embarrassing or dangerous cutting slips: nearly stabbing myself as I try to cut the shim on my leg; gouging the wall accidentally; Gintzuing off the bottom of the curtains. Then you would see a close-up of me cutting the shim and it falling to pieces (POOF and I’m left with a handful of toothpicks). Or maybe I successfully incised the shim but then it won’t break off— I’m left toiling, trying and trying to break the shim along my cut but to no avail; surrendering with my head shaking and hands raised in frustration. Then, POOF #2: from a cloud of glittery smoke my blog post appears in technicolor, light shining upon it, and you totally understand that how you used to use shims is like proto-man pushing a cart with square wheels! All of a sudden I want to work for a marketing firm or start a comic strip ;-)
blog comments powered by Disqus