Coping a Joint?

[scoly]

Doing a remodel and it entails new molding. Got lots of info here but as always, need more.

Started on the floor molding yesterday and tried my hand at coping an inside joint. First attempt, coping saw, dismall. Not even close. Second try, a bit better, but still way off. Changed to a jig saw to get close and cleaned it up with a file. Much better but still not what I hoped for.

I start by cutting a 45 then mark the face edge with a pencil. Then attempt to cut along the marked face. Felt like I was right on the mark with my second attempt using the jig saw but when fit together there was about 1/8" gap about the middle 1/3 of the joint. Tried to file the top and bottom edges but just couldn't get it to fit.

What are the tricks or techniques. Bound to be something I'm missing.
Thanks
Steve

[Tequila]

I try to avoid coping by mitering whenever possible, but when I do need to cope, I use a belt sander to cope out the profile. Makes a little dust, but you can trim right up to the edge much better than with a blade.

[Tom Slick]

did you have enough angle on the backcut? basically is the backside of the molding hitting the other piece before the front edge?

[cabinetman]

Depending on the profile, a coping saw is really your safest and most accurate tool. One piece gets no profile cut. The coped piece has the profile drawn on the face from the mating piece. You can first cut off some of the back, but the actual cut will be on a 45 degree angle or greater (for a 90 deg corner) along the pencil line. Try to always use the profile off of the mating piece. Just one of the scraps may be slightly different.

[scoly]

Thanks for the replies.
Tequila,
Most of the replies I got about installing the floor molding suggested coping for inside angles. After a few attempts with mitres I found out why. With corners not at 90 and the floor to wall not at 90 I found it almost impossible to get a good fit. That frustration is more than my wife or my dog can take. Using a sander may be the answer. I have drums that fit on my drill press and a 4" wide belt. Will give them a try. Thanks for the suggestion.

Tom,
I was thinking the same about the back bevel and checked it several times as I tried to make adjustments to the joint. No go. Back bevel was fine, it's just getting the profile just right.

Biggest problem may be trying to get it to good. Know there will have to be some filling but would like to keep it to a minimum.
Thanks again
Steve

[Tom Slick]

http://www.miterclamp.com/Installing_crown_molding.htm

this guys coping crown video might help. he is very specific about the type of blade to use.

[scorrpio]

First, you miter the piece to be coped. Looking from face side, the line between face and miter is what you'll be coping along. I use coping saw to hog out most of the material, but not to the line - Then I fine-tune and slightly back-bevel the cope using rasps.

[crokett]

When I cope, I miter the piece to be coped. It gives a perfect line to follow and works every time.

[ejs1097]

I'm not a pro at it but kind of like coping. I tip I found was to first cut the piece on a 45 in the wrong direction. This allows you to see the line to follow better. After i cut along the profile, I go back and undercut it second. Some small round files also help fine tune. Some extra work but it works for me.

[scoly]

Thanks again. This is getting easier by the minute.
Tom,
The video was a great help. Someone said a pic worth a thousand words. Wonder what a video is worth. Something about seeing it done just makes it seem so much easier. Thanks!

Steve

[Jan]

Coping helps to deal with corners that don't make 90 degree angles. When the floor and wall don't make 90 degrees it's usually because of the gap at the bottom of the wall board. The gap allows the base to tip forward. You can put a screw in the plate at the bottom of the wall to hold the bottom of the base so it's plumb.

When I cope I like to start with a package of fresh blades. They're cheap and they don't last long. Put the blade in your coping saw so it cuts on the pull. It's easier to control that way. Move the blade fairly rapidly and don't put much pressure on it. Again, it's easier to control that way. Use cuts from the outside edge to deal with tight corners. Don't try to force the saw through a tight turn. If the blade binds at all you're doing it wrong. In that case just stop, remove the blade and cut in from the outside edge to remove the waste. Then start on your finish cut again.

It'll take some practice to get it right but it's worthy skill to possess. When you're practicing have a strong flashlight handy. Shining the light behind the piece you're trying to fit makes it easier to see the high spots.

Good Luck

Jan

[Timmah80]

When I have to cope a piece with a lot of beads, coves etc.. I use my dremel with a sanding drum on it. It gets in close and makes back beveling a breeze. I usually use the larger drum, but you can swithch to the smaller to get at fine details.

[scoly]

Gave it another try last night after all the advice and suggestions. Went much better. Used my jig saw at the recommended 45 degrees with a light directly on the piece. The referrenced video made a trememdous difference. Will give the coping saw another try after I get some new blades but after using the jig saw with success don't really know if I can go back to by hand.
Thanks again for all the advice and suggestions. Really don't know what I would have done without this resource.
Steve