I used to think cutting crown flat was a fine shortcut, but a job in Portland changed my mind

For years, I would just lay crown molding flat on the saw table and cut it with the angles set to 45. It seemed to work okay, and I figured the small gaps were just part of the deal. Then I did a big remodel in Portland where the client wanted perfect, seamless joints in a room with crazy sloped ceilings. My flat-cut method was leaving gaps I could fit a dime into. An old timer on site saw me struggling and said, 'You're fighting the spring angle, kid.' He showed me how to set the saw to the actual crown angle, using the fence and table as the wall and ceiling. The difference was night and day. The pieces locked together like a puzzle. I wasted about 40 feet of poplar before I got it, but now I won't touch crown without setting the saw right. Has anyone else had a specific trick that finally made crown molding click for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix_williams715d ago

Honestly, I wasted about 50 feet of trim before I realized the saw had a little diagram right on the side.

sean7825d ago

That "little diagram" has saved me from so many stupid cuts.