tej1939

Although I'm not a professional trim carpenter, but a mere experienced DIY'er, I've been wrestling with this issue for the past 40 years. My first shock hit me when I decided to install crown molding in my kitchen. The shock occured when the mating mitered piece was ready for installation. It pointed toward the floor at an angle. At that time I was the project director for a large building project. I asked the construction super what went wrong. He replied that I had to cope the joint and proceeded to show me how. Truthfully, I was never very good at it. That is until I bought my first compound miter saw and shortly discovered Wayne Drake who hosts a website, compoundmiter.com and has published a book on the subject of cutting miters for crown molding installation. Since then I've completed several projects for relatives and friends w/o any problems of separation caused by wood movement. We all know that wood expands across the grain much more so than laterally with the grain. Joints can open because the house may move with seasonal changes, but if this occurs both types of joints are subject to the same stresses and will open. One last comment. An earlier contributor offered that most crown is 45/45. My experience dictates otherwise. to my knowlege, most crown sold in the USA is 38/52 whereas 45/45 is more popular in Canada.
Regards, Tom Jordan

What will I do on Saturday now that my all time favorite show is going out of production? Seriously Norm, I wish you the best and thank you for all that I've learned from you. I've followed your career from 1979 (TOH-Meeting House Hill, Dorchester)and rarely missed an episode of NYW. I recall that a leading WW magazine named Gustave Stickley as the "Most Influential Woodworker of the 20th Century" and Norm Abrams as the same for the 21st Century. A reader from Nebraska took exception to that which in turn caused an avalanche of mail from readers who thought otherwise. It happened to be the greatest response this magazine ever experienced.
Although I'll deeply miss your show, I do want to wish the best for you in the coming years, in whatever you choose to do. BTW, at last count you're still five routers ahead of me. I guess you win. Tom Jordan