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Thread: Crown Molding Question

  1. #1

    Crown Molding Question

    First I want to thank everyone in this forum for some great information. My 28 year old Craftsman table saw was facing imminent death a few months ago, so I started researching saws. I posted a while back with questions about "hybrids" and got some very informative information. This past weekend I had the "table saw emergency" that "forced" me to get a new saw. My motor died..... So, this week I picked up a Grizzly 1023SL. Whoaaaa..... what a saw. I just finished tuning it last night and it passed the nickel test. I am really happy with it so far.

    OK... now the question. I am going to install crown molding into our master bedroom. I have done crown molding in our master bath - 6 inside and 2 outside corners. Of course that was my first experience with it and according to what I've read now, I did it all wrong. I mitered every joint. The reality is, it came out perfect and I didn't have any of the problems you would expect with miters. They were, and still are all tight. So, now with this bedroom, I thought I would try to do it "right" with coping joints. I have done some test cuts and practiced in my shop. There is no way I can get a tight coping joint on my practice pieces. This molding is a little wider and a little more ornate with some deep coves and shoulders. This is driving me nuts. I must be missing something. I know that I am making the original cut correctly. I'm using a DeWalt 12" Compound Miter Saw with a Crown Molding attachment. I'm cutting it bottom side up. The angle is good, but the relief inside the coves is where it opens up. I'm not a very good 3 dimensional thinker ... but does the geometry change inside of these deep coves on a compound miter? I'm just about ready to go with miters again. Does anybody have any suggestions?

    Thanks,
    Greg

  2. #2
    I'll go ahead and admit it . . . I miter mine too. Principally because Home Depot does not carry enough caulk to fill the resulting gaps at the cope. Lars

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Charleston
    Posts
    53
    I miter mine too. Dewalt acutally has a nice set of instructions on their web site to make it ALMOST idot proof <GRIN> you still have to remember which side you want.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Harrisburg, NC
    Posts
    2,255
    If you are not coping all the time, why start now. Remenber, you will be looking at those joints every night and every morning. Miter them, glue them, it would be great if you could get a biscuit in there, caulk and paint it. Oh, I assumed you were talking paint grade????

    Richard
    Last edited by Richard Wolf; 02-18-2005 at 7:38 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    MILTON, FL
    Posts
    24
    greg, as you cut crown molding, you cut back on an angle. initially you are cuting almost a 45 degree angle under the ege of the molding, which allows the coped edge to fit tight.

  6. #6

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    N Illinois
    Posts
    4,602
    I confess...I miter mine too. Before i got a CMS, I used to cut them on a TS sled! Worked fine!
    Jerry

  8. #8
    I miter, standing up on the saw, upside down. Thats how I started, and I will continue. No coping for me.


  9. #9
    This is a great forum. I post a question in the morning.... within the first 10 minutes I had 2 responses and when I got home from work there are a total of 7 responses. I think that I'll go with the majority rule here and stick with the miter joints. Thanks for all the responses.

    Greg

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Ft. Thomas, KY
    Posts
    289

    Good Thinking

    I've installed probably 1000 linear feet of crown molding in the past 8 months, and all of it was mitered - and the houses here have round drywall corners which means every corner has two joints, not just one! Granted, the molding was MDF paint grade, so expansion & contraction was not an issue, but let me relate another experience. The house we lived in in Cincinnati for 7 years was ~85 years old, none of the woodwork was coped, and none of the joints ever opened up. And believe me, we had some pretty severe swings in humidity - especially the summer our A/C went out!

    Stick with the miter - despite what people may tell you, it's all about the results.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Chattanooga Tennessee
    Posts
    58
    When you cope the crown molding be sure to cope back at a good angle, as was stated in one of the above posts. This will remove the wood on the back side of the molding. When you cut the molding to length, cut it aproximately 1/8 inch longer than the room is wide. You will have to bow the crown out in the middle and push it back in place. This will force the joints to be very tight. It will look like it grew there.

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