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Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, Woodworker's Journal's mission is to lead woodworkers to a higher level of expertise and to expose them to the latest industry innovations in a friendly and engaging manner. Features departments like Tricks of the Trade, Questions & Answers, Letters and Stumpers in every issue.

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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, theres 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 hasnt every do-it-yourselfer rushed to the lumberyard? Well, until now, installing crown molding really hasnt been a DIY project. Cutting compound angles and keeping track of inside and outside corners, all those splices and the moldings 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 dont 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 saws 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. Thats 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. Its 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, theres 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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