Crown Molding Introduction
 Nothing
dresses up a room or a cabinet like the regal presence of crown
molding. This classical accent defines a project the way a frame
embellishes an oil painting. And with such a wide array of
profiles available, there's a crown molding made to fit every
space. Smaller profiles are used on furniture, casework and
cabinetry (like the dentil crown shown at right), while larger
moldings are used as architectural trim.
So, why hasn't every do-it-yourselfer rushed to the lumberyard?
Well, until now, installing crown molding really hasn't been a
DIY project. Cutting compound angles and keeping track of inside
and outside corners, all those splices and the molding's various
orientations has been such a nightmare that most folks either
call a pro, or balk at the cost of doing so.
The biggest problem has always been cutting the angles, rather
than the actual installation. There are two reasons for this.
Most crown moldings don't actually sit against the wall at 45
degrees, and the corners in your rooms are rarely a perfect 90
degrees.
Two new tools from Rockler Woodworking and Hardware combine to
eliminate these problems and make an easy job of cutting and
installing crown molding. The first of these, the TRUE
ANGLE, is a large acrylic protractor which measures every
corner and tells you the exact angle to set your miter saw.
(More on this later.)
The biggest news in crown molding installation is the Rockler Compound
Miter Jig. By holding the molding on your saw's bed at
exactly the same angle that it will be installed on the wall,
the jig eliminates all guesswork and confusing math.
Advantages of the Rockler Compound Miter Jig
 1.
It eliminates the need to cope inside corners. Until
now, trim carpenters often installed one piece of crown molding
with a 90 degree cut, then used a coping saw to cut the actual
profile of the molding on the second piece so it would fit
tightly against the first. Imagine having to make all those
complicated cuts, and ruining a long piece of molding with the
slightest slip-up. The jig lets you create a true miter in every
inside corner: one cut on a power saw does the job.
2. Crown moldings come in so many profiles that few of
them sit against the wall at a perfect 45 degree angle. The most
common deviation is 52/38 (the top of the molding meets the
ceiling at 52 degrees, while the back meets the wall at 38
degrees), but every manufacturer has their own specifications.
This has always been one of the biggest headaches in dealing
with crown moldings. The jig solves the problem with a single
adjustment. Hold the molding in place, slide the fence and lock
it. That's it. Do this once for each molding on the job (which
usually means once per job) and you can throw away the
calculator.
3. The Rockler Compound
Miter Jig lets you make compound cuts on a single plane saw
(such as a radial arm saw or most older miter saws). You no
longer need a compound miter saw to install crown molding.
4. It's incredibly easy to set up and use, and requires
no expert knowledge.
5. It adjusts in seconds. Once the jig is set up for
your molding, there's no need to change it.
6. The old way of installing crown molding was
to have two people each hold a piece of the molding in opposite
corners, then snap chalk lines around the room. With the Rockler
Compound
Miter Jig and a short template that you make from your crown
molding, all that work is eliminated.
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