Tried the 'cheater' trick for cutting crown molding and it actually saved my butt

Was doing a kitchen job in a old house in Portland and the corners were way off, like 92 degrees instead of 90. I had heard about using a coping saw instead of trying to miter perfect angles but always thought it was a waste of time. Tried it on a scrap piece of baseboard first and the joint came out so tight you couldn't slide a receipt through it. Has anyone else switched to coping for inside corners or am I late to the party?

3 comments

3 Comments

perry.jesse8h ago

Jumped into the coping method about a year ago for a similar situation (old house in Seattle, all sorts of weird angles) and honestly wish I'd done it sooner. The first time I tried it on some 5-inch base I was nervous I'd mess up the profile but the coped joint hid a 3-degree gap I couldn't fix with caulk. For crown molding up against wavy plaster walls it's even better since you can sneak the cope into the corner and get a perfect fit without fighting the compound miter saw. I still miter my outside corners but for inside? Coping all day long now.

ruby_bell475h ago

Coped joints always left me with gaps no matter how careful I was, so I stuck with mitering.

torres.riley5h ago

6-inch base in my 1920s bungalow last week, @perry.jesse, and you're dead right about old houses.