Synopsis: The secret to producing any molding profile, no matter how complex, is having the right molding planes and knowing how to use them. Matthew Bickford makes molding planes in Connecticut and knows the ins and outs of how to cut convex and concave surfaces using hollow and round planes. Here, he breaks down several profiles to show exactly how it’s done.

It’s a common quandary: You get 95% of the way through building a piece of furniture, having safely navigated wood selection, milling, joinery, and assembly, only to get stuck at the end on the molding. Despite having a seemingly limitless collection of router bits and shaper knives, you don’t have the means to produce the exact molding you have in mind. So you compromise and make a molding that’s roughly similar to what you really want. But compromising on molding profiles is unnecessary if you have the…