When running crown molding, I often have to pull a piece down to do a little fussing with the cope cuts or to tweak a piece up or down. Even if the molding is nailed loosely, this can be hard to do when it’s a tight fit. As shown in the drawing, I’ve taken to removing a bit of the upper square-cut corner of a piece of crown so that I can hook my finger behind it to move it. On the first piece of crown, I always square-cut both ends and then remove the corners. The lopped-off corners end up behind the coped piece that abuts it. Subsequent pieces have one coped end, and one square-cut end.
Bob Brereton, St. Paul, MN
