Carpentry question
 

I need a bit of help with some crown molding.

I want the corners to be tight but I am unsure on how make the cuts. Just backcut the profile?
I am horrible at trimming a room.
Can you guys help me out?
Here is the oak trim I am using.
TIAhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1132707226.jpg

Miter saw. 45 degree angles with the long end being the length of the wall. Wish I could scan in a pic to show ya...

Really?
Maybe I am thinking about this too much?
I understand what you mean, though.
Thanks Rick.

I though you're supposed to cope inside corners, and 45* cut outside corners?

Yes, you definitely want to cope the inside corner. If you attempt a mitered joint you will find it impossible to fit correctly because the reality is, is that the walls and ceilings are not truely square or straight. Oh yeah, and a really good trick for appearance is to use some caulking in your joints and along the edges of your work. That way it will look finished.

Yep, pretty much impossible to get a perfect fit, caulk does the trick.

Wayne (OH HaHa)

Crown mould is a mother to install. Coping is the correct way to do it on inside corners, but that is a hard thing to master. I've retrimmed two bedrooms in my house with identical patterns, ie base, casing, chair rail and crown, but one in cherry and the other in red oak. When I started on the second room, I thought "JC, there's got to be an easier way!"

What I did was, I glued up and turned four finials large enough to cover the rise and projection of the crown mould, and mounted these square into the corners of the room first. Then it was simply a matter of cutting the crown, at a 90, to length, and letting it kill out into the sides of the finial. Sorta makes the room look like a big four poster bed.

Just a suggestion

Ed

The trick with crown molding is to imagine that you are working above the plane of the ceiling when you are setting up to make your cuts. The base of your miter saw becomes an imaginary plane parallel to that of your ceiling. You think, and handle your work, like you are looking down from above the ceiling.

Try it; you'll find crown molding is easy.

Thanks for the tips ,guys.
At least I have four solid days to finish it up now.

Your compond miter saw will have markings on the scale to indicate what angles to cut.
http://www.dewalt.com/us/articles/article.asp?Site=woodworking&ID=2

Typically, crown is installed using a compound miter.

No need for a compound cut at this particular location, but inside corners should be done by coping. If you don't do that, then caulk. If you will retain the natural wood finish, then the caulk will need to be the same color.

I always do the longest sides of the wall as straight/flush cut and cope the ends of the shorter pieces. You can pick up a coping saw with several blades for < 10.00 Use fine-tooth blades. Also, depending on what kind or compund mitre saw you have, you should be able to buy some 'crown stops' I have a Dewalt. These allow you to put the moulding in the saw at the same angle as if it were installed. Then, rather than doing a compund adjustment with your saw, you just go a 45 degree cut cuz the moulding is angled against the crown stops and the back stop. Let me know if you want pics. Super, I always compund the cut I am gonna cope, are you saying that is not necessary?

No.

Unless you're nailing it up flat, which kind of defeats the purpose of crown molding. Crown is essentially the hypotenuse of a hollow right triangle. That's why there are bevels at the top and bottom.
You cope inside corners on baseboard, which gets nailed flat.

Superman is probably holding the crown at an angle when cutting the mitre. Cutting the crown upsidedown makes it easier. Be careful!

I'll agree with coping but it does take some practise. I'd use some offcut shorts to learn on.

Good luck!

I took the easy route on mine. I bought corner blocks with crown on the bottom designed for use with Crown moulding. They allow for square cuts on the crown and add a small touch of class to the corners on the room. I got mine at Home Depot in Oak for about $10 each. The $40 was worth me not trying to figure this out and ruining $100 worth of nice crown.

When cutting crown moulding, I used to cut it backwards, and upside down. After awhile it takes much less thought, and then I sometimes cut it right side up. Take a short piece of crown, maybe 3" long, and "bed" it (make sure the bottom back edge is flat against the wall, then slide it upward until the top is touching the ceiling) then with a pencil lightly mark the wall at the base of the crown moulding. Do this at each corner of the wall that you are running, and every 24" or so between the corners. This will help you as you are nailing up your moulding to keep it straight, and not twist it (which would make the corners harder to match.)
On outside corners, let the outer 24" of moulding "float". (don't nail the 24" nearest the corner. Then when you run the piece around the corner, "float" the end of it too. Now grab one corner in each hand, and twist them up or down until they fit just right. At this point nail the one side off at the corner, and then the other. (Glue your outside corners.)
For inside corners cut the longer piece square, and butt it all the way into the corner. Again "float" the last 24" or so into the corner. (Remember the lines you made when you bedded the short piece of moulding, and marked the bottom on the wall. This will help to get your moulding in the right place.) Now for the coped piece. Measure all the way to the wall at the bottom of the crown. This is your dimension. Cut your moulding with an inside 45 degree angle. ( Long point will be at the bottom) Now take your coping saw and cut along the miter, removing the miter,and keeping the profile of the moulding. You want to slightly " back cut" the moulding so there is no wood remaining beyond the miter, which would cause a gap when you make your inside corner.
Now you have the square piece floating into the inside corner, and you want to pin it in place with the mitered piece. Again you will twist both pieces of moulding until the gap is closed. Nail the mitered piece in place. Do not nail the square piece in the corner, or it will open the gap which you worked so hard to prevent.
As mentioned earlier, make a few practice copes to get the hang of it. Keep a sharp blade on your coping saw. (They're cheap.)

Hope this makes sense