Cutting Crown Corners Anyone?

The first time I tried to install crown moldings I quickly gave up. That was crazy! 😞

The following day I tried to be more patient, but anyways the entire day was dedicated to learning and experimenting. Boy oh boy, I damaged a big amount of crown pieces.

Working with a miter box and a regular saw was not easy.  Those corners somehow didn't match properly, and the worst were those inner corners. You quickly become to doubt your own sanity.

I fail miserably those two first times I tried to install crown molding. A good reminder of one of those lost battles is the crown corners I had to install in the small powder room. 😝

Before trying one more time I bought a miter saw, a cheap $99 miter saw I could afford, hoping that all the troubles I'd been having will disappear with this baby.  

Ha, they didn't!

Sight.

Making straight cuts was a breeze.

The outside corners were OK.

Inside corners were still a nightmare! 😠

One of the hardest parts was trying to hold the long pieces of molding in place when I didn't have help.

THE SOLUTION

Yes, the perfect solution to most of my troubles was to build a jig or cradle to hold the molding in place.

Three pieces of wood were put together, the vertical surface represents the wall, the horizontal surface represents the ceiling, and one extra movable stopper (you can change its position depending on the material you're using).

This cradle is attached to the saw's fence and it will aloud you to cut moldings upside down.

Two extra supports to each side of the cradle are necessary to keep it in place.

This jig was my crown corner lifesaver. However, a few times I got confused about how I should place the molding in it, and that's why I created a set of sample cuts to have at hand as a quick guide.

As you can see in the picture below, I made two sets.

The top set is for outside corners and the lower set is for inside-mitered corners.

Using these samples as a quick reference before making the real cuts was priceless!

Having all the necessary elements to do a smooth job, these next pictures will show you how to cut those pesky corners. 

OUTSIDE CORNERS

For outside corners marking the long point will give you the most accurate measurement. You trace the top edge of a scrap of crown onto the ceiling on both sides of the corner, the intersection of the two lines is your measuring point.

Cutting an Outside Right Corner

Cutting an Outside Left Corner

You'll end up with this:

INSIDE CORNERS

For inside corners, I prefer to cope the crown molding.  You can do miter cuts but they usually open after some time.


Cutting an Inside Left Corner to be coped.

Coping Inside Corners
You cope a molding or shape it to match the profile of the one next to it.  In my case, the piece of molding in the inside right corner is cut square and butts tight to the wall.  The inside left cut (above) is going to leave you with this profile:

That end part of the crown molding needs to be coped.  Begin by marking the edge of the cut with a pencil, which defines the profile.

Then, you need to use a coping saw to cut all along the profile line, back-cutting past 90 degrees, making sure the pieces of molding intersect along the profile line only.

Cutting in different directions is easier.  Using a rasp you can fine-tune the cope at the end.

As I told you before, the right side of the inside corner is left square or butt.  The left side of the inside corner is coped to fit snugly alongside.

Cutting crown moldings is not that big of a deal anymore.  I already installed it in my daughter's bedroom, the kitchen cabinets, and up the fireplace, but there are still lots more rooms in my house that would benefit from this great way to give architectural interest to any space.

I hope the pictures can help you with your next crown project.


For more molding/trim projects check these out:

HOW TO INSTALL WINDOW TRIM

HOW TO ADD CROWN MOLDING TO THE TOP OF BOOKCASES

HOW TO INSTALL BOARD AND BATTEN