http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=938776&pid=938775&uts=1286383949
http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf
Cutting Crown Molding, Part 1: Tool Setup
STEP 1. Place saw horses about 6 feet apart.
Cutting Crown Molding, Part 1: Tool Setup
STEP2. Bridge with three 8-foot 2x4s or 2x6s laid flat. Place them front, middle, and back. Screw each 2x4 or 2x6 to each sawhorse with one screw.
Cutting Crown Molding, Part 1: Tool Setup
STEP 3. Place a sheet of 3/4 plywood or OSB on top of 2-by. At this point in the process you're now set up with a super-rugged -- yet easy to break down and store -- work bench suitable for all kinds of projects from decks to flooring. Note: an ideal work bench is a full-sheet (4x8) but if your horses are small you don't want to make the unit top-heavy and prone to tipping. Good news: the fix is easy. Simply rip 1-foot off the edge of the plywood for a smaller, more stable top.
STEP 4. Screw the plywood down to the 2-by (one in each corner works fine.)
STEP 5. You need a miter saw to cut crown. While this work was once done with muscle-powered saws most people are going to plug-in for this and use a power miter saw. Place the saw in the front/center of the table surface. To test if you've got it in the best spot, swing the blade right and left. If you can swing the blade without scraping your knuckles--and the entire saw-base in on the table--then screw the saw down to the table.
STEP 6. Lay a straight-edge like a level on your miter saw deck. Measure from the table to the bottom of the straight-edge. It'd be awesome if this measurement were 3 1/2 inches and you could simply use a 2x4 for the next step, but the reality is that it'll be some odd ball measurement that you'll need to rip from larger stock on your table saw. My saw, for example is, 3 5/8 inches which I ripped from a 2x6.
Cutting Crown Molding, Part 1: Tool Setup
STEP 7. On the table saw, rip 4 to 6 blocks, about 16 inches long, to the measurement found in Step 6.
STEP 8. From beneath the table, drive 2 screws through the plywood and into each block. Make sure to get a solid connection. (If the block wobbles easily, the connection isn't solid.)
Cutting Crown Molding, Part 1: Tool Setup
Working neat makes life easier. If you're in a wrestling match with a Hydra of extension cords you're not able to concentrate on what you're doing--and mistakes happen more readily. We try and prevent those problems before they start with two workbench tricks that--combined--take about 60 seconds to set up.
A maze of cords snaking from plugs all over your house will power your tools and chargers, but it takes 10 seconds to screw a multi-plug to the leg of the saw horse (we use a Belkin; 20 outlets, awesome) and now you're ready to roll.
Cutting Crown Molding, Part 1: Tool Setup
Another sneaky trick for outsmarting cords is to drill a hole in the table behind the miter saw. Drop the saw's plug through and plug it into your multi-. Easy. The cord on my router is also long enough that I can run it through the same hole.
Cutting Crown Molding, Part 1: Tool Setup
STEP 9. Place a piece of crown flat on your saw deck and cut a piece about 32 inches long, square on each end. This is your "test piece, " which you'll use throughout the crown molding process. Next, determine which edge is the top and which is the bottom. (Note: The tight turns of a crown profile are typically at the bottom. The long, swooping curves are at the top.)
STEP 10. Place the test piece upside down between your saw deck and fence (the fence is the vertical portion of the saw against which the molding rests), in a nested position.
STEP 11. Very carefully make sure the flat portions of the molding are perfectly flat against both the deck and fence. Once they're flat (check both sides of the saw) draw a pencil line on the saw deck and fence at the top and bottom of the crown molding.
Cutting Crown Molding, Part 1: Tool Setup
Step 12. Now it's time to remove the crown molding and attach a 1x8 cleat over the miter saw deck to the wood blocks for stability (this is one of the benefits of building this crown molding setup). The cleat's purpose is to hold the molding in the correct position for cutting, to ensure accuracy. Place a 1x8 cleat about 8 feet long on the saw deck and nudge it carefully up to the line. Make sure it is running dead-straight on the line. Once it is, mark the tops of your 2-by blocks left and right.
Screw the cleat down to the line.
Cutting Crown Molding, Part 1: Tool Setup
STEP 13. When you're ready to cut, the flat portions on the back side of the crown must be flat against the saw -- in every cut -- or the angle will be off. Drop your test piece in between the cleat the and fence. Now, for every cut hereafter, you have a perfect, no-nonsense, accurate cut.
Cutting Crown Molding, Part 1: Tool Setup
Judi Roaman: We Talk Endlessly About the Next President,…
Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)
Great info for cutting crown molding but I used the styrofoam molding and didn't need any of those tools, electrical, sawhorses, miter-saw, etc... I couldn't image wood looking any better than the job I did with foam moldings.
Reply