Crown Molding

[cecil dean]

Getting ready to install a lot of crown molding in an older house "nothing square or plumb". What is the best way to figure out the proper angle to cut? Any tools out there that would be of help.
Thanks for the help.
Cecil

[John Keeton]

Cecil, there will be many creekers that perhaps have better ideas. But, when I have installed crown I always cope the inside corners so if the angle is off a bit it still comes together tight. On outside corners, I usually will take a framing square and "guesstimate" the angle deviation from 90, and cut a couple of scraps to see how they come together. You can use the same scraps for several cuts since you are really just shaving the cut each time. Just remember that when you adjust the cut, you are doubling the difference in the joint, i.e., if you adjust 1/2 deg., it will make a full 1 deg difference in the joint.

[fRED mCnEILL]

I have the Cut-N-Crown system. Makes it easy to measure the angle(s) and cut the boards.

http://www.cutncrown.com/

Fred M.

[Larry Edgerton]

Cecil, I could not tell from your post if you know how to cope? It is not possible to miter inside corners with crown and make it last. If you do not know how I will explain how I do it or there are a lot of books on it. So if you do not know how to cope practice.

Here is my procedure for what it is worth. First I figure out the height of the crown and cut a block that number. I figure out the ht. by putting the crown in a framing square and shifting it until both mating planes lay flat on the square blades, then read the ht. It will be the longer number, the cove part of the crown is always at the bottom.

With this block that you have cut to crown ht., go around the room and lightly mark at all of the corners, inside and out.

Now cut some test crown corners. I usually cut a outside corner pair about 6" long with a 1 or 2 degree over cut on one end [46/47 deg.]and a 45 degree on the other, color coded so I can see at a glance what I have. Outside corners will almost always have to be cut at more than 45 deg. to fit. I will cut an inside cope test piece in the direction I prefer to work for a test piece. These I keep in my pouch. These will tell me which way you need to move the saw by holding them up to the ht. lines and seeing what is what. There is still some guess work on angles but this will give you an idea which way to go. Be patient!

In between the corners you just have to figure out what the eye will see the least in a crooked house. You have your gauge block for Ht. in you pouch, but this is just a general guide. You may have to roll the crown up or down to get it to look straight. A dip in the ceiling or a bulge in the wall will screw with you. Be patient!

I use short pieces of 4# test fishing line as a helper. I staple a loop of it up in th e corner where the hollow will be behind the crown and slip the crown in there on the end away from the cope so I do not have to fight the crown while I fine tune the cope. When it is ready to hang I nail the cope end first and when I get to the fishing line I just cut it and tuck it up behind the crown or just pull it out. Be patient!

Lay out your path so that you end at an outside corner, the easier of the cuts. never end at a double cope for the last piece.

Above all, be patient. Crown can be frusterating. I would suggest that you buy your crown from a millwork company that specializes in this kind of thing. Crown from Home depot or similar box stores is often radenta, or southern yellow pine, crap wood not worth burning, and often have profiles that are not copable. Many are made in countrys where they have no idea what they are making or how to use it, and as I have said there are profiles that are uncopable by normal methods. Paying a little more here pays dividends.

I just did a job where the homeowner picked up the crown at HD trying to cut me out of my percentage. He prefinished it. I fought it for one room, tore it down and threw it out the window and sent him to buy crown at the supplier I sent him to in the first place. He had to pay me to put it up twice, and he bought it twice. Didn't save much there......

Do I have you confused yet? Sorry, I can get long winded.

Any questions let me know, I'll gladly help you.

[Karl Brogger]

I cope inside corner. Don't even bother with a coping saw. Too much work, use a jigsaw, and a beltsander. finish it off with a file.


Outside corners that might be goofy I'll grab a couple of sticks of scrap whatever and cut them at the same time stacked on top of one another at whatever I think the angle is. It helps if they are the same width as the protrusion of the crown.

or, do you have some really big crown that you need to compound miter, and lay flat in the miterbox?


People make crown sound way harder than it is.

[Prashun Patel]

Are you painting or staining?
If painting, I like MDF for crown. Machines easier and conforms to walls better.

[David DeCristoforo]

Just read Chris Padilla's signature. It will tell you everything you need to know....

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?u=1685

[Tom Godley]

I second the Cut N Crown.

I had some large and expensive crown to install in my house last year. I had a lot of inside corners that had to be perfect.

The system really makes it very easy -- this was large enough mld that I glued the inside miter.

I had almost no waste..... at $20.00 a foot ...that was a good thing

[Matt Ocel]

The hardest part of installing Crown is taking proper measurements!

[Tom Godley]

The Cut N Crown does a couple of things

All you have to make are simple chop cuts - it is a much safer operation.

The system positions the mld at the correct angle so when you do inside and out side it is just a simple 1/2 angle for the cut.

Because of the position of the mld on the saw it is also much easier to visualize the cut

i also love the outboard rolling holders he sells with the system - they are $$ but what a help when cutting long stock!

[Rick Fisher]

For inside corners, Cope.

Cut with a Miter saw, cut away all exess with miter saw again, Use a dremel with a coarse drum to finish the cope.

It works best with MDF but will work on all woods.

Its faster than a coping saw, File or anything I have found.

The Dremel should have the long flexible hand held attachment .. like a rubber cord with a spinning bit on the end..

[Kelly C. Hanna]

If coping to profile isn't an option use an angle finder and shims on the inside corners [paint grade of course] and a bunch 'o' patience on the outside corners. If you are doing stain grade, best to cope. I use a jigsaw and a round rasp.

[Ben Franz]

FHB magazine had a short article about 20 years ago that gave trig formulas for miter and bevel settings for any angle and any crown spring angle. This allowed cutting it flat on a SCMS and did not rely on standard stops. We used it when we had to finish interiors for a chain of furniture stores using a number of oddball crowns. The first time I showed the method to my finish crew leaders one guy's head started smoking and his eyes rolled back - the other one asked for a copy of the article and bought an engineering calculator that night - he was my "go to guy" from that point on. I can probably dig up the article or at least issue info if you want it. PM me if so.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

That one's not for the faint of heart by any means. Most carpenters can't hang with it either. Kudos to your guy for being able to digest that one and actually cut with it.

[Ray Schafer]

So you think the CutnCrown is worth the $150?