Crown moulding jig

[jussi]

Anyone use one of these? Is a coping cut still required if I use one? How well do they work.

[cabinetman]

Could you be more specific. Maybe a better explanation or a picture would be good.



A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER - John Keats

[bigstick509]

Check This Out

http://www.cutncrown.com/
At the last WW show I picked this up, it seems dead on simple. But as of yet I have not used it.

[jussi]

Could you be more specific. Maybe a better explanation or a picture would be good.



A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER - John Keats

something like this

http://www.benchdog.com/crowncut.htm

[Texas splinter]

I have one, but haven't used it yet. It looked like a good idea when I ordered it.
To answer your question about requiring a coping cut, I would say that since the manufacturer boasts that it "Makes perfect fitting miters everytime", it would not require a coping cut.

[greencat]

These eliminate the compound cut but only work if the corner is 90 degrees. I'm starting a crown project and plan on following the advice of the video that was linked in another message. I have done crown a few times and with mixed results. I always see the flaw in my work even if other don't.

The video suggests cutting samples at different degrees 43, 44, 45 ,46, 47 and use the samples to find the correct cut for the corner. You could make a jig like the bulldog where you hold the crown upside down and backwards to cut.

[crokett]

Any moulding I install I've always just coped. A master carpenter friend of my Dad's taught me that years ago. His view was you could fuss with finding the correct angle for every inside corner you do (no guarantee they are the same even in the same room) or you could cut one side a little long and cope it and it fits neat as you please.

[bmuir]

About 18 months ago, I installed 300 feet of crown moulding in my house. Here is what I learned:

1. Use a backer board all around the room. Overkill maybe, but it just makes things way easier. A backer board is a triangular shaped piece of wood cut from a 2x4 that matches the spring angle of the crown moulding and ends up about a 1/4 inch from the backside of the crown moulding. Screw it to the top plate at the ceiling all around the room with drywall screws. Now you can nail any place you need to. More work? Yes. But it makes the job easier.
2. Make a gauge block of wood that equals the distance from the ceiling to the bottom of the crown moulding. This represents where the bottom of the crown moulding should be on the wall. Now, place a strip of blue painter's tape every 16 inches all around the room. Next, place your gauge block on the ceiling and mark each piece of tape at the bottom of the gauge block. This give you a reference point for the bottom of the crown moulding all around the room.
3. Use a homemade or purchased jig like the Bulldog or the one sold by Rockler. I used the Rockler jig and it worked great. Crown moulding goes in the jig upside down and backwards and this eliminates the compound cut. Just cut at the angle you need.
4. Because I was doing so many rooms and outside corners, I bought a Starrett Angle Finder (http://www.amazon.com/Starrett-505A-.../dp/B0000DCBLW) They also make a new 7-inch model. This tool gives you the exact outside angle or inside angle. It divides the angle in half and tells you to cut the outside miter at say 47 degrees. No guessing or calculating angles ever again!
5. Cope inside corners. I cut at 45 degrees and coped the ends.
6. Cut pieces of moulding long and cope the correct end first and check the cope. It if is a bad job (it happens), trim that end again and cope again. To check copes without going to the wall, I build a test box out of MDF. This box had an 8" piece of crown moulding installed in one corner. The box had a 1/2 top and no end. This way I could slide the box up to the coped end and check the fit. It it was bad, I cut the end again until it was close to perfect.
7. One coped end with a straight opposite end on each piece is the best. Try not to cope two ends. Here is how to avoid two coped ends in a self-contained, four-corner room (no outside corners). Take a scrap piece of crown moulding about three feet long and straight cut each end and place one end in a corner of the room and screw (don't nail) to the backer board (make sure the bottom is at the correct distance by using the gauge and tape in the corner). Now, cope the end of the piece that will fit into that corner on the wall at 90 degrees to where the three-foot piece is and make it fit by measuring the wall and trimming the square end until the piece fits snuggly (note: do not nail within about three feet of the coped end of this piece, more on that later). Then the second piece is coped, square cut and installed on the next wall; and the third piece is coped, square cut and installed. Now, remove the three foot piece. Measure for the fourth piece. Cope the end. Square cut to fit and sneak it in behind the coped end of the first piece. No double coped pieces! Remember to go back and nail the first piece into the backer boards over the last three feet into this corner. Works great.
8. Use an air nailer. I used a finish nailer. Saved lots of time!
9. I did this job by my self so I used a tool called a Third Hand to hold the crown moulding piece in the middle. Google it.
10. I used 16 foot pieces but some of my runs were over 16 feet. In this case, figure out where the scarf (30 to 45 degrees) will be and do not install backer board within about 16 inches of that area. Now scarf cut both pieces and glue the joint together with a piece of backer board glued to the back (use clamps to hold it until the glue dries). The backer board piece is about 12 inches long or so. Once dry, install the piece as normal. If one end needs to be coped, I would do that before doing the scarf joint.
11. Because no walls or ceilings are straight, I caulked top and bottom of the crown moulding with painter's caulk (this worked because my crown mouldings were painted white before I put them up).
12. Filled the nail holes with spackle and painted over.
13. Because some of my copes were not perfect (imagine that), I used some caulk on the corners. Worked great and only I know!
14. Note, if you have a room that leads to hallways with outside corners, plan the room out carefully because most likely you can find a wall that you can start with two straight ends. This eliminates at least one cope.
My wife loved the job. And I got a 12-inch miter saw out of the deal!
Works for me! Good luck.