Afternoon everyone….
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted any of my woodwork. For those of you that don’t know already. I am a fine woodwork craftsman, and have owned my own cabinet/furniture making business for nearly thirty years now. I do all fine finish carpentry including crown molding.
Today I’m going to go in a little different direction with my work…
I’m going to show you how to cut inside corners on crown molding like a true professional will….
You can have results just like a true professional with very little practice.
I’m going to assume that anyone that is going to put up crown molding already has an electric miter saw, and is competent enough to use it.
With that aside….
Here are a few additional tips to cutting molding like a professional. Crown molding is always cut with the molding facing upside down. Meaning the opposite way it will be put up. Why? Because the part of the molding that meets the wall is the bigger flatter side and will give you an accurate cut everytime and with less cuts.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECTLY SQUARE CORNER IN A HOUSE!!!!
I don’t care if the house was just built. There are way to many intangibles to make this happen.
With all that being said….
Make an inside 45 degree cut like you are meeting two piece together. Like this.
The only other tool you will need is a coping saw. These can be picked up at any big box store such as Home Depot or Lowe’s for around $15.
You see that white line edge where the cut of the end grain meets the front of the white primed molding? That is your guide to the cut. A coping saw blade is very thin and can make these contour cuts with ease.
Here is the process….
I always start at the top flat edge. The key is holding the coping saw at an angle when making the cut. This is called a back cut. The reason for this is it gets any material that could prevent a perfect seam joint out of the way.
This is what it should look like when you are done. Fear not if you have not gotten this close to a perfect cut. Until you get comfortable with this process, you are better off staying slightly off the line. Because with a piece of 150 grit sandpaper you can get that edge perfect.
With a little time you will be cutting these with your eyes closed…
This is what the back cut looks like…
Aside from the perfect fit that you get from doing molding this way. You also have to do less miter cuts. Why? Because the piece that it meets up to doesn’t require a mitered cut just a straight cut to the corner.
Here is what a typical double 45 degree miter looks like on a wall when not coped.
Tons of caulking required, which within a short time will crack and open back up making your house look like crap.
I hope this was explanatory enough for you. Don’t be intimidated by it, if you are a fairly handy person with a little practice these results can be achieved. I would cut two or three sample pieces first so you get comfortable.
Good luck, and any questions just ask in the comments.