DIY Network

Victorian Porch-Repair: Decorative Porch Brackets From "Restoration Realities" episode DRTR-105

	This front porch on this 1885 Victorian suffered some damage during a hurricane.
	Homeowner Doug Witt uses a band saw to fashion decorative brackets to replace ones damaged or blown off during the hurricane.

In this episode, DIY's Restoration Realities travels to Wilmington, NC to undertake some repairs on the porch of an 1885 Victorian home. One part of the project involves repairing damaged shutters. In this second segment, however, work gets underway on replacing damaged and missing decorative porch-brackets.

Restoration Realities co-host Chris Babcock joins homeowner Doug Witt and the two carpenters re-create the missing porch brackets.

For shutter repair
Airless paint sprayer
Disc sander
Belt sander
Paint scrapers
Extension ladders
Cordless drill with pilot bits and screwdriver bits
Pliers (to remove brads and install wire staples)
Oil-based primer
Gloss or semi-gloss paint
Paintbrushes
Rags
Polyurethane glue
Wood filler
Sandpaper (assorted grits, 40 - 220)
Utility knife
Shutter hardware
For porch brackets
8-quarter poplar stock
MDF (medium-density fiberboard) for template
Drafting paper
Band saw
Scroll saw
Drill press; sanding bit
Finish-nail gun
Clamps
Polyurethane glue
Silicon caulk
Rasp
Compass
Straight-edge
Pencils

Safety Alert: Always wear eye protection when working with power tools tools.

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Figure A

• One of the removed brackets is used to create a template for fashioning the replacement brackets. The bracket is placed on drafting paper, and the design is traced onto the paper (figure A). Pencils are used to black in the back of the drafting paper creating makeshift "carbon paper" for transferring the design onto MDF to create a template.
  

• A straight-edge ruler and compass are used to refine the intricate patterns of the design (figure B and C), and the pattern is transferred onto a thin sheet of MDF.

  Figure B

  Figure C

  
  

• Once the pattern is transferred, the template is cut out using a band saw (figure D).

• 8-quarter poplar stock is milled to 1-3/8" thick, and the pieces are edge-glued together to form the piece from which the final design will be cut (figure E).

  Figure D

  Figure E

  
  

• With the MDF template complete, the design is transferred onto the poplar stock (figure F). An extra 1/8" of width is left on either side of the bracket to allow for custom-fitting later since the spaces where it is being installed on this 100+ year-old porch may not be perfectly square or even.

• With the design transferred onto the stock, Doug cuts the perimeter shapes of the bracket using the band saw (figure G). The band saw is the ideal tool for cutting wood into curved shapes -- especially thick stock like this.

• The process is repeated to create five more bracket cut-outs from poplar stock.

  Figure F

  Figure G

  
  

  	Figure H
  	Figure I
  	Figure J

• For this job, the band saw has certain limitations since it can only cut the outside of the design. To cut the intricate interior pattern, the ideal tool is a scroll saw. First, Doug takes the brackets to the drill press and drills holes using a bit the same size as the smallest radius of the design. Once holes are drilled in each of the interior sections of the design, the small scroll-saw blade can be inserted through each hole. The blade is then attached at the top and bottom. When the saw is turned on, the blade moves up and down, allowing the interior portion of the design to be cut out (figure H).

  Note: A hand jig-saw could be used for this portion of the project, but a scroll-saw is more accurate -- especially for tight curves.

• Once the interior cut-outs are done, the brackets are taken back to the drill-press where a sanding bit is used to smooth the cut-marks made by the saws (figure I).

• A wood-rasp is used to file the tight inside corners of the design smooth (figure J).
  

  	Figure K
  	Figure L
  	Figure M

• The work is nearly complete. However, the original brackets had decorative finials that hung down below (figure K).

• To reproduce the finials, Doug replicated the design on paper (figure L).

• Using Doug's drawing as a guide, Chris fashions the finials using a lathe. He makes all five finials from a single piece of wood (figure M). Afterwards, he separates the individual pieces to create the individual finials.

• Once the finials are installed on each of the brackets, and they are painted to match the porch, the brackets will be ready to install.In the segment that follows, the second portion of this project is addressed in detail -- the repair to the damaged window shutters. Louvers are installed on the damaged shutters using ones salvaged from other badly damaged shutters. The repaired shutters are then installed using new hardware. Later, the porch brackets created in this portion of the project are installed to complete the porch repair.

  Note: This is a summary of steps included in the procedures shown in this episode of Restoration Realities. There may be variations in procedures for your particular restoration project based on the types of materials you select and the nature or extent of your particular project. Always follow proper safety precautions, and read and follow manufacturer's guidelines, diagrams and safety notices that come with materials or products that you select.
  

  
  

  
  

  RESOURCES :
  

  Victorian: American Restoration Style
  Model: 0879058870
  Author: Joan M. Brierton
  Publisher: Gibbs Smith Publishers
  Order this title from Amazon.com.

  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes
  Author: George Nash
  Publisher: Taunton Press
  ISBN: 1561585351
  Order this title from Amazon.com.
  

  Renovating and Restyling Older Homes: The Professional's Guide to Maximum Value Remodeling
  Author: Lawrence Dworin
  Publisher: Craftsman Book Company
  ISBN: 1572180293
  Order this title from Amazon.com.
  

  Selecting and Renovating an Old House: A Complete Guide
  Author: United States Department of Agriculture
  July 2000
  Publisher: Dover Publications
  ISBN: 0486409562
  Order this title from Amazon.com.

  ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
  	1885 Victorian Porch-Repair: Introduction
  	Victorian Porch-Repair: Decorative Porch Brackets
  	Victorian Porch-Repair: Restoring Wood Shutters
  	Victorian Porch-Repair: Finishing Touches