How To Cut Crown Molding

You know cutting crown molding can be a big problem and anytime you do any type of interior

carpentry you think you might know what to do but many many people just like you have trouble

cutting crown molding and here's why. Let's look at this framing square. Notice how it looks like a

wall in a ceiling intersection. This is a 90 degree angle. Well check out the crown molding

If you go ahead and hold the crown molding this way it's not going to work. If you hold the crown

crown molding this way it's not going to work, but what happens if you rotate it into the

wall ceiling just like that? You can see that is the way that crown molding has to be held

inside the miter box saw. Here's a typical piece of baseboard. Notice how it's three

quarters of an inch thick or so, just like the crown molding. It's got a flat surface

here and a flat back, but it also has a profiled edge here. Remember it gets held in the miter

box saw this way. Here's a typical piece of casing that might go around a door or window

thing. Notice how it's about three quarters of an inch thick or so, looks very much like the crown molding and it has a flat bottom and a profiled face. But it gets held in the

saw flat. Here's our piece of crown molding. Notice it looks very similar to a piece of

casing or baseboard. It's about the same thickness, it's got a profiled face and it's smooth on

the back. But you don't hold it in the saw like this, you don't hold it in the saw like

this, you actually have to turn it upside down and rotate it so that the shoulder and

the foot are flush with the fence and the bottom table. And when you do that, you're

ready to go. Cutting crown molding is a piece of cake as long as you take your time and think about

what you're doing. I'm Tim Carter, Ask the Builder. If you want to discover more home

improvement tips, go to askthebuilder.com