Finally figured out how to cut crown molding without crying

I used to fight with crown molding for hours... trying to get those inside corners right with just a miter saw and guesswork. Last month I picked up a cheap compound miter saw from a guy on Craigslist in Denver for $60. Turns out flipping the board upside down and using the fence as a guide makes all the difference, who knew. My first try after watching a 10 minute video on YouTube gave me a joint that actually fit tight on the first cut. I wasted maybe 30 feet of lumber before that practicing bad technique from some old articles. Now I can finish a whole room of crown in like 2 hours instead of a full weekend. Anybody else have a tool or trick that totally changed how you do trim work?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese8612d ago

The upside down trick was a game changer for me too. I probably wasted 40 feet of crown molding before I saw a video by a guy named Mark in Ohio. Once you stop fighting with the angle finder and just let the saw do the work, everything changes. Now I walk past those perfect corners and smile every time.

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the_miles12d ago

You ever try cutting it with the saw blade tilted the other way just to see what happens? I did that once on a scrap piece by accident and it helped me understand why the upside down method works. The key is keeping the crown pressed tight against the fence like its already installed on the wall. I still mess up sometimes if Im rushing or the wood has a slight bow. But yeah once it clicks you cant go back.