Just realized I was cutting crown moulding upside down for 6 months

I kept getting gaps in my corners and couldn't figure out why until a carpenter friend saw me at the miter saw and said my piece was flipped. Has anyone else tripped over this or am I the only one who missed this basic rule?

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse_green552mo ago

Oh man, that's a painful one! I did the exact same thing on my first house. The trick that finally clicked for me was to just hold a scrap piece up against the wall where it's going to sit before I make any cuts. That way you can see exactly which way the face should be pointing on the saw. Also, if you're using a miter saw with a crown stop, some of them have little marks that show the correct orientation - look for those little triangles or arrows. Saves you from having to remember all that spring angle math nonsense.

mary_foster921mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait so that guy worked with crown for five years cutting it upside down? I gotta ask how did nobody catch that sooner? Like did his corners just never line up right and he thought that was normal or what?

the_wren2mo ago

Happens way more than people admit. Crown moulding is a total mind-bender with the whole spring angle thing. I've seen pros scratch their heads over it too. One guy I worked with had been installing it for five years before someone pointed out he'd been cutting it upside down the whole time.