Crown Molding

[Rich]

I had the pleasure this weekend to do a very complicated crown molding project. Typically you have crown molding that sits on the wall at a 45 degree angle. Well this was installed at a 60 degree angle (a.k.a. spring angle) off the wall. I will be putting up a tutorial and a calculator for figuring the miter and bevel angles needed to install odd angled crown molding. In the meantime if anyone has questions or comments on this subject that they would like to see incorporated into the article/tutorial let me know.

[Rich]

The calculator is done (except for the images) and can be found here. (http://www.construction-resource.com/crown_molding.php)
I will be adding images so the correct angles are being used.
Ok images have been added also

[sawzall]

I recently did a crown job that was 52/38 on a plaster house. Do you have any tips on how to compensate for an uneven plaster job near the joints? In some places there were 1" dips in the ceiling within a foot of the corners. :roll:
Any advice would be appreciated.

[Rich]

Tough one. I might have to look into making a modification to my calculator.. hah. The thing that the 1" change will do is make the long points longer and short points shorter. Which in turn would make the angle of the saw steeper. But as for actually giving you a formula that fits all I have no idea. I suppose it could be related to the angle between the change in ceiling flatness to the corner and the distance away.. whew.. not sure if I'm smart enough for that.. haha.
Sorry for the vague answer. The only other thing that could be done is experiment, test, cut, fit, experiment, test, cut, fit... and then splice the two ends of the molding in the middle of each screwy corner.

[Dragon]

My trim company runs an extensive amount of crown molding, usually of the 7" variety. I have come up with methods for making the perfect cut every time, the first time without any guesswork. To me, running crown is very much like running base. A no brainer.

First off, throw everything you thought you knew about crown out the window.

Go and buy a Bosch Miterfinder. If you are cutting crown flat, it will tell you the miter and bevel degree for every angle. Simply set the spring angle, then put it in the corner. Push the button twice more and it will instantly compute the bevel and miter angle. It is the best $100-$120 you will ever spend.

I take it a step further and use crown stops on my saws. This negates the need to compute the miter and bevel, greatly speeding up the process since you leave your miter saw on 0 degree bevel. Figuring the distance to set the stops up on is easy, simply put a piece of crown on a framing square and take note of the distance that the crown will go out on the ceiling. For the crown I normally run this distance is 4 5/8". The crown will go down the wall 5 1/4".

Place your crown into the miter saw upside down with the top resting against the stops.

Use the Miterfinder in the corner. For the purposes of this tutorial lets say we have an inside corner of 89 degrees. Subtract 89 from 180 which gives you 91. Divide 91 by two which will give you 45.5. Set your miter saw to 45.5 degrees and make your cut.

Always make templates for your corners. This will allow you to check the angle at the proper distance from the ceiling (Where the crown is going to touch the wall).

You can also use this method on pitched ceilings, simply reset your stops to the distance the crown will travel down the wall (That 5 1/4" I mentioned earlier). Use the Miterfinder and make your cuts.

Perfect every time.

Does the house have bullnosed corners? No problem. Simply divide by 4 instead of 2 and figure the length of the center piece of crown at 5/8". Make a jig and mark the intersections on the wall then measure to them.

If you wish I can post pictures of the process.

We also use the Miterfinders for base corners, stair work, anything and everything where finding an angle is necessary. This tool is a must-have if you are serious about quality trim work and yet still desire to get the job done in a timely fashion.

[Tom R]

I agree, the Bosch Angle Finder is my favorite tool. Best $100 ever spent. Speeds up any crown job and makes for perfect miters. Actually made me feel a little guilty, like I was cheatin'. And like you say, has plenty of other uses.

[xxtinct]

Dragon, you mention placing STOPs on your miter saw to assist in getting the cut as accurate as possible. Could you ellaborate on this just a bit. thanks

[Rich]

I believe Dragon is talking about the stops that set the molding against the fence so it's perfect every time after the initial setup.. look in this picture and you'll see them on the table.
http://www.northwestpowertools.com/miter/36412.htm

[xxtinct]

Rich, in the pic, I am looking at the small black pieces on the table of the miter saw. I have a delta miter saw, but not a high end one like the one in the picture. I was wondering if the stops were something that could be made, like a jig.

Thanks for the pic, and response.

[Rich]

You bet. You may lose a little overall height that the saw can cut.

[Dragon]

Dragon, you mention placing STOPs on your miter saw to assist in getting the cut as accurate as possible. Could you ellaborate on this just a bit. thanks

I have uploaded some photos of my saw and a few modifications I made so that it would cut 7" crown. Keep in mind that a tall fence is necessary for this process and that the Dewalt 706 is the only 12" saw currently capable of making the cut on 7" crown.

http://members.cox.net/dfh.construction/mitersaw/saw1.jpg
http://members.cox.net/dfh.construction/mitersaw/saw2.jpg
http://members.cox.net/dfh.construction/mitersaw/saw3.jpg
http://members.cox.net/dfh.construction/mitersaw/saw4.jpg
http://members.cox.net/dfh.construction/mitersaw/saw5.jpg
http://members.cox.net/dfh.construction/mitersaw/saw6.jpg

[xxtinct]

Thanks for the pictures Dragon. That is what I was looking for. I will have to see if my delta has accessory stops like this, if not guess I will have just buy a new chop saw...

thanks again.

[Dragon]

Thanks for the pictures Dragon. That is what I was looking for. I will have to see if my delta has accessory stops like this, if not guess I will have just buy a new chop saw...

thanks again.

I have uploaded more pics in the same file that shows all the modifications I made to my Dewalt 706. The only reason why I had to make any modifications at all was to cut the larger crown sizes. Depending on which saw you have and what size crown you are running, you might not need to make any modifications. For 5" and smaller no modications are necessary.

Also, run the ends of your saw stand slightly higher than the saw. This will combat the curling of the material on longer pieces, keeping it flat at the saw blade.

On a related note, I am currently trying to get Dewalt to make these modifications to the 706. Ever try to explain anything to an engineer who has never done construction? :roll:

[xxtinct]

Dragon, so you fabricated the mounts for the stops?

[Dragon]

Dragon, so you fabricated the mounts for the stops?

If you'll look on the pictures you will see where I beefed up the sides of the saw table and drilled more holes. I also added an 1 1/4 to the front so that the stops would extend more than 4" from the fence. With the open back design of the saw it will easily cut 7" crown as is, but the stops would only go out 4". 38 degree 7" crown requires a stop set of 4 5/8 ". 45 degree 7" crown requires 5".