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Could someone please tell me what I am doing wrong? I am putting crown molding in my home and my inside and outside corners are cut very tight – no need for caulk. When I splice two pieces together I have to play with the cut to make the joint fit properly. I can measure but not very well it seems. What am I missing except years of practice?
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Luke, sometimes different runs of molding aren't quite the same shape--cutters dulled, wood changed moisture content, who knows. How are you joining the pieces? Single or double 45?
*If you can't measure well, then don't measure. Instead, hold the cut end of the trim in place and mark the cut for the other end.Also, in your case it may be best to leave the piece slightly long with the first cut...test fit it, then nibble it down to fit.It may neccessitate a few additional trips up and down your scaffolding or ladder...but that's the way it goes.Mike addressed uneven lots of trim. It's sometimes easier to hide a "spliced" joint if you scarf it at an angle...say 30-degrees or so...instead of doing 90-degree butt joints. If you're buying your stock at a lumberyard instead of a box store, you can get trim in 16' lengths. That will virtually eliminate splices on 95% of all walls.You'll become proficient just as you place your last piece.
*Some times to helps to have extra nailing at thejoints to facilitate pulling them into line.You may want to put an angled block of 2x4 at the joint so you know where you have a solid target for nails. What mongo said....You wiil know all the tricks after you are doneCut em a little long and 'Sneak up' on the right size with a few cuts if neccesary.you can always go back to the saw to shorten a pieceI still haven't learned how to make them longer.Also have fun crown is best done in a good mood, kinda like Zen and the art of fine millwork installation.You must become one with the molding grasshopper!OHHHMMMMM!!Mr T
*I can read a tape but when I measure from the corner of the wall to the splice the joint never matches up. Or maybe I can’t read a tape and it’s all in my mind. I have been cutting the splice at 30 degrees. I'll try holding the molding in place and marking it. Thanks for the advice.
*Luke,Try a different tape. Your tape may not compensate for when it is pushed against a corner, and then pulled against the moulding to find the measurement.It is good practice to minimize measuring when possible and practical.Something I've found to be useful is John Carroll's system of using a 100" stick for longer measurements if I'm using a tape for extended distances. Even if I'm lucky to get the tape to stand out for a long distance, it is still fairly inaccurate because of the gravitational bow.Good luck, I'm sure you'll work it out.MD
*Luke, Check out your tape as MD advised.The 90-degree hook at the end of the tape should have some play in it. Do two things:1) Hook the tape over then end of a piece of scrap wood and measure 10 inches and cut.2) Then, butt another piece of scrap against a stop. Push the hook of your tape against the same stop (don't hook the tape over the scrap, let it rest on top of the scrap and against the stop). Again measure 10" and cut.Take your two 10" pieces and measure them, "burning an inch." Hold the tape so the 1" mark is at the end of the 10 inch scrap. The other end should measure 11 inches. "Burning an inch" takes out any possible error in the tape's hook. If it's bang-on at 11 inches, the tape is good. If it's off by a sixteenth or an eighth, you need to either adjust the play or the bend in the hook, depending on which piece is in error.I hope that's clear...probably clear as mud!
*If it is managable(you might need two people) splice the pieces on the ground with a piece of plywood as a backer (roughly 18" long by 1" less wide than the width of the back of the crown) ,glue and 3/4" screws. Then cut the new longer piece to fit from corner to corner. Works a hell of a lot easier and the scarf joint comes out nearly invisible if you sand it on the ground too.
*No offense intended, Luke, but you did allow for the kerf width in the overall measurement, right? If you are cutting 'upside down and backwards' (not flat but with the crown bottom standing up and against the back stop of the saw) are you using crown stops or at least marking the forward edge of the crown on the saw base? It's very easy to 'slip' a crown around without stops.Jeff
*How long is the piece that you are cutting to make the splice?Sometimes shorter pieces are harder to splice than longer ones because you don't have the extra length to actuealy adjust for variances in pitch and or the ceiling having a hump in it.It has been my experience that it is best to leave the end of the first piece loose( no nails) so that when the joining piece is butted up to it they can be adjusted to make a tighter fitting joint.